Think of our great comics.  How many would we have left if we demanded no
generalizations could ever be verbalized?  Simply because it is the case
that some people have defended insensitive (i.e. racist, sexist, etc.)
comments by saying they are “joking” does not necessarily mean everyone in
good faith making a lighthearted joke must be deemed morally suspect. Nor
does it mean all generalizations are problematic.  It is the unreasonable
person who interprets a generalization as a universal claim. 

Jokes don’t exist in some neutral space where they can be deemed acceptable
or unacceptable; jokes exist in a context of human beings.  Can one really
think such a joke on UTC’s Raven to faculty and staff is tantamount to
declaring Europeans to be horrible persons?  If one really thought that, it
wouldn’t be a joke.  It would be a declaration of fact.  It is funny because
it isn’t true, not because it is.


**************************************************
Dr. Talia Welsh
Department of Philosophy & Religion#2753
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
615 Mc Callie Ave.
Chattanooga, TN 37403-2598
tel: 423-425-4318
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
**************************************************
-----Original Message-----
From: UTC Staff E-Mail List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
William P Harman
Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2005 9:59 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [UTCSTAFF] FW: Security Levels update around the world

Melissa and Lala et al.,


I presented a paper ("Laughing Until it Hurts...Somebody Else -- The Pain of
a Ritual Joke") last year on how ethnic and religious groups use humor to
denigrate and to insult other folks, and how they deny responsibility for
doing so by claiming, "just having fun...". 

Maybe Meliss'a message might be more succinctly summarized as follows:

The Brits are peevishly fastidious.
French are cowards.
Italians are manic incompetents.
Germans area arrogant and aggressive.
Americans are violent, predatory opportunists.

I wonder how many Brits, French, Italians, Germans, or Americans would find
this funny.

Bill



-----Original Message-----
From: Melissa Anyiwo <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2005 08:56:26 -0400
Subject: Re: [UTCSTAFF] FW: Security Levels update around the world

Lala

Really? A sense of humor is a wonderful thing to have.  As a Nigerian-Brit' 
if you like, in order to be less "Anglo-centric," I can come up with some 
nonWestern insults about attitudes towards terrorism and their inability to 
effectively deal with historical threats.

M

At 05:41 PM 9/14/2005 -0400, you wrote:
>I find myself a "bit cross" at this Anglo-centric bit of extra-UK 
>mysanthropy.  I can only be grateful that Spain is apparently not 
>considered part of continental Europe.  As a member of a profession that 
>would like to encourage everyone to appreciate cultures other than our 
>own, I can only hope that this e-mail receives very limited circulation.
>
>Lala
>
>At 11:10 AM 9/13/2005, Melissa Anyiwo wrote:
>>Some times it just gets a little ridiculous ­ it¹s good to laugh...
>>
>>
>>The British are feeling the pinch in relation to recent bombings, the
>>level has just been raised from 'miffed' to "peeved'. Soon though, the
>>levels may be raised yet again to "irritated' or even "a bit cross".
>>Londoners have not been a "bit cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea
>>supplies all but ran out.
>>
>>Terrorists have been re-categorised from "tiresome" to "a bloody
>>nuisance", the last time a "bloody nuisance" warning level was issued
>>was during the great fire in 1666.
>>
>>Be aware that the French government announced yesterday that it has
>>raised its terror alert level from RUN to HIDE. The only two higher
>>levels in France are Surrender and Collaborate.
>>
>>The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white
>>flag factory, effectively paralysing their military capability.
>>
>>It's not only the French that are on a heightened level of alert,
>>the Italians have increased their alert level from "shout loudly and
>>excitedly" to "elaborate military posturing". Two more levels remain,
>>"ineffective combat operations" and "change sides".
>>
>>The Germans also increased their alert state from "disdainful arrogance"
>>to "dress in uniform and sing marching songs". They have two higher
>>levels, "invade a neighbour" and "lose".
>>
>>Seeing this reaction in continental Europe the Americans have gone from
>>"isolationism" to "find another oil-rich nation in the middle east ripe
>>for regime change". Their remaining higher alert states are "attack the
>>world" and "beg the British for help".
>>
>>Finally here in GB we've gone from "pretend nothing's happening" to
>>"make another cup of tea". Our higher levels are "remain resolutely
>>cheerful" and "win".
>
>************************************************************
>"No hay libro tan malo que no tenga algo bueno."
>         -Miguel de Cervantes- Don Quijote de la Mancha
>**************************************
>"I divide all readers into two classes:  Those who read to
>remember and those who read to forget." -William Phelps
>***************************************
>Oralia Preble-Niemi, Ph.D.
>Professor and Head
>Foreign Languages & Literatures
>University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
>Chattanooga, TN  37403
>Telephone:  423-425-4273
>Fax:  423-425-4097
>***************************************

Melissa Anyiwo, PhD
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
History Department
408 Brock Hall, Dept. #2052
615 McCallie Avenue
Chattanooga, TN 37403
TEL: 423-425-4908
FAX: 423-425-2138
[log in to unmask]


William Harman, Head
Department of Philosophy and Religion (# 2753)
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
232 E Holt Hall // 615 McCallie Avenue
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37403 USA
(423) 425-4336  // fax (423)425-4153