The Balance
Has anyone noticed this behaviour quirk too?

Background: I'm gay. Queer. A faggot. I like the cock, etc. And I'm quite fine with queer jokes, even the most tasteless ones.

But the second that anyone who I've not known for ages finds out I'm gay... it's like their sense of humour disappears into a black hole, never to emerge into the light of day once more. They become terrified of making even the slightest pun that might involve homosexuality in some way, in case I get really upset at them. It's really quite amusing just watching the sudden change in a joke telling session, or watching a budding pub comedian stuttering into his pint.

But, the second *I* tell a single gay joke (one of my favourite ones is "How do you increase the seating capacity of a gay pub by a factor of four? Turn the stools upside down."), the balance is restored. The sense of humour emerges, and those around me will happily tell any joke at all, from the most innocent to the most tasteless.

It seems to apply to race, sex and age as well. Friend of mine (lovely indian girl) notices this one too - the second she tells a slightly racist joke about indians, everyone's sense of humour is unlocked, and no joke is forbidden. Same if she makes a sexist joke about women. Telling one about men isn't quite as effective - it's more like a transaction that way. One joke about men from her can be followed by one joke about women from one other person.

The only mainstream targets that people seem to be able to tell jokes about to their faces are christians and fat people :)
(calamarain just invented dehydrated water, Thu 22 Nov 2007, 14:12, 7 replies)

Stuart Lee..
... again - made a perceptive comment on this in relation to the Jerry Springer: The Opera fandango, along the lines that making jokes about the white protestant mainstream is different, because everyone in the UK is fairly immersed in that mainstream, knows how it works, understands it, and so on. That's not the same with, say, Islam, homosexuality, non-whites, etc. His point is that there's nothing wrong with making jokes at people's expense but only if you've got your head around that which you're lampooning. You don't have to be all that fluffy to anyone - but you do have to take the trouble not to be a boor.

That seems reasonable to me. I'll lampoon the idiocy of (say) Islamic extremists, radical lesbian feminists, or anyone else - but that's because of their idiocy. I know idiocy. I'll lampoon their beliefs to the extent that I know and understand them. But I don't think I'd be justified in going further.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Thu 22 Nov 2007, 14:19, closed)

Mainstream targets
Fat Christians are the only people positively encouraged to be the butt of humour, because it's their inert sense of guilt that fuels all this other PC bollocks.
(Greencloud Wanted to go fishing on, Thu 22 Nov 2007, 14:21, closed)

I am slightly overweight and love Jesus.
The bible tells us it is always better to give than to receive.

Especially when having anal sex.
(Mong The Merciless Older not wiser, Thu 22 Nov 2007, 14:22, closed)

Absolutely...
...one group of straight mates that I've known for about 15 years (and I've only been out for about 5 or 6), were tripping over themselves every five minutes, casting nervous glances in my direction when they said anything that even remotely related to general poofyness. It took me a while to train them out of it, at the last saying to one that I'd be happy to pin him against the wall and bum him if the topic meant that much to him lol.

Now they're as irreverent as ever, but all the time people say something that I barely notice as relative to it and say 'oh, sorry, I didn't mean...' - sadly I don't know everyone well enough to tell them to dry the fuck up :)

Like you say though, as soon as I get non-PC about the likes of us, they chill out for awhile. Only for awhile though.
(thatblokeoverthere not quite as much an arsehole as I thought, Thu 22 Nov 2007, 14:26, closed)

White guys.
At least here in the US, white protestant men can be laughed at in public for being white, bald, old, whatever. But lord help you if you do the same to a woman...or a minority. Though I must say that PC hasn't run quite as far amok as it has in the UK. But it's close :(
( HairyTwatter certified eel and sodium salesman, Thu 22 Nov 2007, 14:29, closed)

Chris Rock
I believe there's a famous comedy show that Chris Rock did about the subject of 'n*ggers'. Now, if a white man told the same jokes and made the same points he did, they'd be lynched. Anyone seen it? It's on the youtubes.
(calamarain just invented dehydrated water, Thu 22 Nov 2007, 14:56, closed)

Mel Brooks
He prooves that as long as you make fun of yourself first (Jewish jokes in his case), you have freedom to mock anybody else.

My favourite gay joke (I'm gay, I'm allowed. :P), is one told by Zipster (check Youtube). It's a visual one, so it's tricky to describe, but here goes:

Q: Why do gay men walk around gay bars like this? *striking a campy pose with arms up and out to the side*.
A: Because it's too crowded to walk around like this. *same pose, but arms WAY out and VERY campy*.

Made me giggle.
(Musuko, Thu 22 Nov 2007, 16:09, closed)