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If people are saying Jewish humor and culture is something genetic, then that's racist. But Jewishness is a culture in addition to ethnicity. Jewish humor is an
by jhbadger 9y ago
If people are saying Jewish humor and culture is something genetic, then that's racist. But Jewishness is a culture in addition to ethnicity. Jewish humor is an aspect of it, much like forms of humor in other cultures. Comparing styles of humor across cultures is perfectly fine.
- js8 9y agoI don't think your definition of racism is correct; in modern parlance, racism often includes ethnicity (not to mention that we cannot objectively, based on genetics, define race). Chauvinism would be a more fitting term, anyway. > Comparing styles of humor across cultures is perfectly fine. I also take issue with this. Humor reflects culture, and if you compare different cultures, aren't you stereotyping?
- 0568p11xf 9y agoFor there to be different cultures, there must be differences between them - by definition. To compare is to examine differences. If such a rudimentary line of inquiry triggers guilt about "stereotyping", then you ought to take time to examine your words more carefully. If by stereotyping you mean assuming that all Jewish people are comedic in an identical way, no one here is saying such a thing. But unless your head is buried deep in the ground, there is a much-celebrated phenomenon called Jewish humor, and interest in it by non-Jewish people is something to be celebrated, not censored.