To me, it's closer to: * Down = the "oppressed" * Up = the "oppressor" But it's pretty much what you said, and it lends itself to patronizing behavior. As a m

To me, it's closer to: * Down = the "oppressed" * Up = the "oppressor" But it's pretty much what you said, and it lends itself to patronizing behavior. As a member of the "oppressed" (minority in the US) I see it everywhere, particularly in media/entertainment but occasionally in real life, too. I'm a human being, I'm capable of taking a joke, and I have enough intelligence to tell when a joke isn't ill-intentioned. In fact, if it rings true, I'll probably enjoy it, just like white people have loved hearing jokes at their expense for decades.