Elon Musk

Tim Simmons · January 13

HughFreakingDillon said:

mickeyrat said:

the caption I keep seeing with this pic is "I met Eron Musk today"

Oof. People can be better.

nicknyr15 · January 13

Tim Simmons said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

mickeyrat said:

the caption I keep seeing with this pic is "I met Eron Musk today"

Oof. People can be better.

You expect too much

Tim Simmons · January 13

I have to otherwise I would just give up.

nicknyr15 · January 13

Tim Simmons said:

I have to otherwise I would just give up.

Great point.

HughFreakingDillon · January 13

Tim Simmons said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

mickeyrat said:

the caption I keep seeing with this pic is "I met Eron Musk today"

Oof. People can be better.

I go back and forth on this one. I mean, even Seinfeld made a couple L/R asian pronunciation jokes in one episode. I don't know if it's really racist, or just a joke on how certain cultures pronounce english letters.

Tim Simmons · January 13

If its something that you can go back and forth on, its probably best to err on the side of not doing it.

Tim Simmons · January 13

Also, IDK is Seinfeld is always the best bellweather of cultural appropriateness.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cigar_Store_Indian

mickeyrat · January 14

mickeyrat · January 14

mickeyrat said:

HughFreakingDillon · January 14

Tim Simmons said:

If its something that you can go back and forth on, its probably best to err on the side of not doing it.

People make fun of accents and how different cultures pronounce things all the time. We shouldn’t get to the point that every joke that has a cultural reference is automatically racist and/or offensive.

mrussel1 · January 14

HughFreakingDillon said:

Tim Simmons said:

If its something that you can go back and forth on, its probably best to err on the side of not doing it.

People make fun of accents and how different cultures pronounce things all the time. We shouldn’t get to the point that every joke that has a cultural reference is automatically racist and/or offensive.

How would you feel if I called you a hoser? Devastated, eh?

Tim Simmons · January 14

HughFreakingDillon said:

Tim Simmons said:

If its something that you can go back and forth on, its probably best to err on the side of not doing it.

People make fun of accents and how different cultures pronounce things all the time. We shouldn’t get to the point that every joke that has a cultural reference is automatically racist and/or offensive.

To be fair, we don’t NEED to make fun of people for stuff they have no control over or that’s different.

Tim Simmons · January 14

Or to put it another way, do people WANT to point out and make light of the fact that some Asians have difficulties pronouncing Ls as Rs?

Gern Blansten · January 14

Tim Simmons said:

Or to put it another way, do people WANT to point out and make light of the fact that some Asians have difficulties pronouncing Ls as Rs?

You realize they make fun of us too right?

Tim Simmons · January 14

Who cares

Gern Blansten · January 14

Exactly!

Tim Simmons · January 14

Nah. We have to be good people. Leaning into a racial stereotype isn’t good. And just because they do it doesn’t give carte blanch to do it as retribution*. It’s ok to be the bigger person and not propagate bullshit.

*to be clear, I don’t think these stereotypes started as retribution, it was white people punching down first.

Gern Blansten · January 14

I'm not saying we do it just because they do it. I'm saying it's not a racial insult.

Tim Simmons · January 14

Oh it absolutely is.

OnWis97 · January 14

Seinfeld was my favorite show. Relative to being on NBC it was pretty edgy (I mean, the Contest was brilliant).

There were a few things that I wasn't entirely comfortable with (I knew in real-time the Puerto Rica flag fire was going to go over poorly). I'm sure others didn't like some it it, as well. I had a co-worker who quit watching it over George's "restrained jubilation" (which I thought was more like "uncomfortable indifference") at Susan's death. We all have our own lines, I guess.

As for the line in question, it' probably better that it not be there. Good comedians punch up. Mediocre comedians punch down (or good ones punch down in mediocre moments). Bad ones make 9 figures off of their shows and whine about political correctness decades later.

I never thought to quit watching the show but I don't consider that a good moment for the show and they'd probably have been better off keeping that line out.

Tim Simmons · January 14

Seinfeld is still great. but it was a different time where people made those types of jokes and those jokes have aged poorly. The rest of the show is still great.

HughFreakingDillon · January 14

Sorry for this going off the rails, one last comment on this: making fun of our collective cultural differences (especially something as benign as language/pronunciation) is not “punching down”. Using racist tropes is.

There was really only one situation on Seinfeld that made me uncomfortable- it was the group bullying of the fat guy in the finale. THAT was punching down.

For the most part, I think Seinfeld’s writing team did a brilliant job of showcasing both the absurdity of contextual sensitivity (the asian mailman freaking out when jerry asked him directions to a good asian restaurant), while realizing real outdated cultural inappropriateness (Elaine, the group’s often moral compass, admonishing Jerry for imitating an “Indian” in front of a native american). Both from the same episode. I thought it was well done.

Funny someone mentioned the Puerto Rican episode. That was taken out of syndication for a long time due to some getting offended apparently, or fears that it might offend. I had forgotten all about it; it was just a bad episode.

Go Beavers · January 14

The writers did know how to mix being uncomfortable with humor.

Tim Simmons · January 14

HughFreakingDillon said:

Sorry for this going off the rails, one last comment on this: making fun of our collective cultural differences (especially something as benign as language/pronunciation) is not “punching down”. Using racist tropes is.

I get that linguistically, Japanese have trouble with the L sound. But its not universal and they can learn it. Highlighting it, mocking it or parodying it IS racist, especially as a white person. And in fact its been so parodied, it is indeed a trope now.

But like I said to begin with, no harm will ever come erring on the side of not doing it, laughing at it or promoting it. Theres so many other things to get laughs from.

benjs · January 14

Tim Simmons said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

Sorry for this going off the rails, one last comment on this: making fun of our collective cultural differences (especially something as benign as language/pronunciation) is not “punching down”. Using racist tropes is.

I get that linguistically, Japanese have trouble with the L sound. But its not universal and they can learn it. Highlighting it, mocking it or parodying it IS racist, especially as a white person. And in fact its been so parodied, it is indeed a trope now.

But like I said to begin with, no harm will ever come erring on the side of not doing it, laughing at it or promoting it. Theres so many other things to get laughs from.

As someone who has always poked fun at pronunciation (I do terribly stereotypical old Jewish men, Indian people, Caribbean folks, even Canadian accents, etc.), I've stopped this, just to be mindful of the sense of 'otherness' that this must perpetuate for immigrants - which could literally be any human you speak to, or speak in front of. It's hard enough trying to make a new place a home, and I don't want to be another barrier to someone feeling welcome. Just my two cents.

mrussel1 · January 14

benjs said:

Tim Simmons said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

Sorry for this going off the rails, one last comment on this: making fun of our collective cultural differences (especially something as benign as language/pronunciation) is not “punching down”. Using racist tropes is.

I get that linguistically, Japanese have trouble with the L sound. But its not universal and they can learn it. Highlighting it, mocking it or parodying it IS racist, especially as a white person. And in fact its been so parodied, it is indeed a trope now.

But like I said to begin with, no harm will ever come erring on the side of not doing it, laughing at it or promoting it. Theres so many other things to get laughs from.

As someone who has always poked fun at pronunciation (I do terribly stereotypical old Jewish men, Indian people, Caribbean folks, even Canadian accents, etc.), I've stopped this, just to be mindful of the sense of 'otherness' that this must perpetuate for immigrants - which could literally be any human you speak to, or speak in front of. It's hard enough trying to make a new place a home, and I don't want to be another barrier to someone feeling welcome. Just my two cents.

So no more of this?

OnWis97 · January 14

benjs said:

Tim Simmons said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

Sorry for this going off the rails, one last comment on this: making fun of our collective cultural differences (especially something as benign as language/pronunciation) is not “punching down”. Using racist tropes is.

I get that linguistically, Japanese have trouble with the L sound. But its not universal and they can learn it. Highlighting it, mocking it or parodying it IS racist, especially as a white person. And in fact its been so parodied, it is indeed a trope now.

But like I said to begin with, no harm will ever come erring on the side of not doing it, laughing at it or promoting it. Theres so many other things to get laughs from.

As someone who has always poked fun at pronunciation (I do terribly stereotypical old Jewish men, Indian people, Caribbean folks, even Canadian accents, etc.), I've stopped this, just to be mindful of the sense of 'otherness' that this must perpetuate for immigrants - which could literally be any human you speak to, or speak in front of. It's hard enough trying to make a new place a home, and I don't want to be another barrier to someone feeling welcome. Just my two cents.

Were you one of the Jerky Boys?

mickeyrat · January 15

mickeyrat · January 16

https://www.threads.net/@kyivpost.official/post/DE5BaXuosmz?xmt=AQGzoh2ZfksPRfRqsE1oOycYUd4eaZILU1zWQQHVF52rzw

mickeyrat · January 17

Elon Musk

Comments