So i was chatting to some of my friends some time ago. and this topic popped up at one stage. Orientation Immunity the concept that you can joke about your race, gender, sexual preference, except no one else can unless they have the share the same traits as you. so il give you a example of what i mean. one of my friends is Chinese and he can tell Asian jokes and it will be funny, but if someone else tells a Asian joke who isn't Asian themselves it is considered awkward and racist. So my topic for today is this! Do you think this Orientation immunity exists or is there certain constraints to it?
Yes, there is. Just like I can't say the n-word but others can (i.e. African-Americans), I believe this privilege has been granted to minorities' communities by social convention as a token for the discrimination faced. I can make jokes about Latin Americans and gays, but not blacks, trans*, Asians, etc. For better or worse, it seems that whites (and/or those in "power," historically and/or at present) are not granted such "immunity" and can be the butt of jokes without repercussions. That said, this only applies when in the presence of strangers or acquaintances. I have been with some of my dad's friends (white and Hispanic) and they were cracking black jokes.
this may be a odd question but is it hypocritical for say... me who was once a closetted at highschool to make a heterosexual joke and still have my "gay orientation immunity" and for the person to not be able to jest about my own orientation?
If you're making jokes of the "gay community" and are not "out," it would be like saying "I can pass as white but I'm partly [insert other minority here]. Can I make jokes of that minority community if the people I'm saying the joke to don't know my heritage?" I think it's kind of a grey area, because "orientation immunity" is granted to those, it seems, who openly represent their community (e.g. their ethnicity can be perceived and/or it is known, they are openly trans*, they are openly gay, etc.) and not to those who don't "belong" to it or own up to it. That said, I'm sure many of us cracked gay jokes when we were younger (and closeted) so that we wouldn't appear like the odd man out; and, in that case, I think it may be more of a self-preservation issue. But in your case, chivalrous, making a heterosexual joke may fall in what I described above as the "those in 'power,' historically and/or at present" exclusion, meaning that they're "fair game" to any and all, and so it seems that you would be covered under the orientation immunity rules I seem to be writing :lol". I don't exactly agree with the rules I seem to be codifying but I'm just writing what I see.
I think they made those restrictions because some people take it too far. I don't mind hearing jokes if they are good ones about myself even if they don't come from someone who is in that "offending group". There are a lot of gay jokes made by comedians which I don't mind hearing, BUT, some evil people can use those jokes to make themselves feel superior, which is what the problem is about in my opinion ^^
As a rule, I think people have to be close enough to know it's okay with the person. But, personally, I don't get offended unless the jokes are ill-intended. For example, jokes like "What do you call a lesbian with long nails?" are okay, but jokes like "How many faggots does it take to screw in a lightbulb?" are not. Of course, this is all very subjective. By the way, the answers are "single", and "one to screw it in, and the entire emergency room staff to pull it back out".
Think the intention is all important regardless of who says them but there's some jokes I just don't like hearing at all - from anyone. The whole 'orientation immunity' thing probably comes into that a bit in that people are less likely to have bad intentions if they're part of that group themselves. But, and it's a big but, that still doesn't always make it OK. I also think there's a difference between the two jokes about the lesbian with long fingernails and the lightbulb one. The terminology used is different - certainly where I'm from the word used to describe the people in the lightbulb joke can have more negative connotations than a descriptive 'lesbian' (trust me, I know that can be said negatively too). Although they both play on stereotypes the first one isn't highlighting a perceived weakness. Despite being a lesbian I'd be far more likely to challenge the person telling the second joke.
