Re: Barack 2008!
Picking up on Doc's point:
All humour is something-ist. Humour pokes fun at human foibles, failings idiosyncrasies and customs. Blacks, Whites, Orientals, Indians, men, women, Aussies, Poms, Yanks, Germans, Russians, football players, old people, middle age people, teenagers, infants, lawyers, accountants, politicians, Muslims Christians, Jews, etec etc bloody etc are all the butt of jokes every single day of the week.
Moderate political correctness does have a place in my view. We shouldn't call black people "N*****s" for example, as they find it offensive and is usually delivered with derogation in mind.
Unfortunately, as evidenced by how this thread has turned out, it has gone way too far. One member feels, despite suggestions to the contrary, to bombard us with leftist American political propaganda, quoting in toto, emails issued to campaign supporters, yet calls for my "sacking" because I found a joke amusing.
So what's worse? Propaganda (basically, lies in order to get elected) or a joke about stereotypes?
Well let me tell you something Doris, Propaganda is a far darker influence in this world. Your precious Obama, as a Christian Zionist, inherently supports real racism. Support of Israel is support for racial and religious Apartheid. If you support Obama's foreign affairs policy, then you are inherently racist in a far more sinister way than anyone laughing at a joke.
This is how far we can draw the line, if you so desire.
Let me tell you an incontrovertible fact. We are all racist!!! You me 2020 everybody. We all treat members of different races differently, it may be positive, it may be negative, it may be both at different times. It's natural and you will never train it out of people.
Most of us, including me, are agin negative forms of racism. However some people aren't mature enough to handle multiculturalism properly (whether or not MC is a good or bad thing, we all must deal with it). Those on extreme left of politics, deal with this by oppressing the local native/dominant culture. Here in Britain, people are sick of it, sick of petty minded jobsworths cancelling Christmas, and any festive forms of white indigenous culture.
This is causing two things 1/ The complete obliteration of the Labour (with the u here) Party, and 2/ a shift of the working classes to the far right. Yes, in a recent by-election, the British National Party (basically neo-Nazis) got more votes than Labour. Why? Because of the most recent Labour Party legislation enshrining "positive" discrimination.
Push people one way to far, and they'll push back.
Doris, 2020, by labelling moderate folk who have a laugh at a joke, or celebrate Christmas in view of Muslims as racists, you push them in a way you never intended. People see it for precisely what it is - reverse racism.. or just plain racism when it all boils down.
In conclusion, save the "racist" tag for bona fide cases, of which their are many for you attention, including that of your own candidate.
Playing the racism card for such insignificant cases such as this is nothing more than petty political ammunition for debate, both counterproductive and as disgraceful as REAL racism.