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I think we just have different views on how to approach bigotry. We both can agree that it is a black mark on our society and we should overcome it as a culture

I think we just have different views on how to approach bigotry. We both can agree that it is a black mark on our society and we should overcome it as a culture. However, where we disagree is how to do it. I see the current climate of "preventing the spread of bigoted ideas" as creating what we know as the alt-right. If you check 4chan's /pol/, you will see an incredible amount of people admit to becoming alt-right because "so many snowflakes are always so offended and call me names". If, however, we as a society can more tolerate dark humor and bigoted comments, the bigots either stop talking or evolve to accept more tolerant views. This article as whole is perfect fuel for the alt-right to say "liberals are trying to control everything, even jokes". To your second point: Pepe wearing a Nazi uniform is not dark comedy. It's racism. They're using memes to further their own ideology, as opposed to the Harvard students who were simply making fun of the offensive nature of the jokes. Thirdly, I truly don't care for whether or not it's high or low humor. All I'm looking at is intent and whether or not an individual is actively desiring to inflict damage on another group of people. Alt-right memes do this, while the Harvard kids would be the first to admit they were simply making jokes who were not hurting anyone other than the people who decided to be offended by them.

eropple 9y ago
> If you check 4chan's /pol/, you will see an incredible amount of people admit to becoming alt-right because "so many snowflakes are always so offended and call me names". If, however, we as a society can more tolerate dark humor and bigoted comments, the bigots either stop talking or evolve to accept more tolerant views. No, the bigots then just push the line further, and further, and further, to normalize their bigotry because "yeah they're jokes but they make a good point, you know?"--and if you say "no, that's wrong," you get "it's just a joke, brah, why are you so offended?" That's what /pol/ is. That's what it's been since its inception. It has been a bunch of useful idiots with a hard core of literal fascists being edged further and further right by pushing that line through rhetoric and through those "harmless" memes. I used to be there. I spent a lot of time watching this. They turned people to actual hard-core bad shit through that "humor".
- ziggysak 9y ago
  I used to be there too, and still am so I can observe how it's evolving. I'm not necessarily even disagreeing with you, but what I am arguing for is not normalizing the bigotry, it's to go back to not even considering their views. The issues arise when we give the alt-right names like "alt-right". It makes them sound powerful and organized. They're not "literal fascists". Literal fascists were in Italy overthrowing the government 70 years ago. All these people have is the ability to create chaos. When we give them coverage and attention, we feed them. What you're advocating for is what we're doing right now - trying to shut off these toxic wells. But what it's simply doing is adding fuel to the fire.

eropple 9y ago

> If you check 4chan's /pol/, you will see an incredible amount of people admit to becoming alt-right because "so many snowflakes are always so offended and call me names". If, however, we as a society can more tolerate dark humor and bigoted comments, the bigots either stop talking or evolve to accept more tolerant views. No, the bigots then just push the line further, and further, and further, to normalize their bigotry because "yeah they're jokes but they make a good point, you know?"--and if you say "no, that's wrong," you get "it's just a joke, brah, why are you so offended?" That's what /pol/ is. That's what it's been since its inception. It has been a bunch of useful idiots with a hard core of literal fascists being edged further and further right by pushing that line through rhetoric and through those "harmless" memes. I used to be there. I spent a lot of time watching this. They turned people to actual hard-core bad shit through that "humor".

ziggysak 9y ago
I used to be there too, and still am so I can observe how it's evolving. I'm not necessarily even disagreeing with you, but what I am arguing for is not normalizing the bigotry, it's to go back to not even considering their views. The issues arise when we give the alt-right names like "alt-right". It makes them sound powerful and organized. They're not "literal fascists". Literal fascists were in Italy overthrowing the government 70 years ago. All these people have is the ability to create chaos. When we give them coverage and attention, we feed them. What you're advocating for is what we're doing right now - trying to shut off these toxic wells. But what it's simply doing is adding fuel to the fire.