Hi, Mz D. I was quick to add my reco to your excellent post. A very clear and common sense address to the problems generated by the recent evolution of a term that I feel has caused much more turmoil and conflict in our society than the originators ever anticipated...Political Correctness. I particularly liked your comments regarding intent:
>>>>... Most jokes' intention is not to insult or demean anyone in any serious way. And intention is the important thing, isn't it? The intention of the joke-teller, I mean. Is it ever appropriate to take offense when no offense was intended? <<<<
I totally agree to the importance of intent. And I would only add one other requirement to decent civil discourse...the acceptance of responsibility for one's expressions, and even more so, one's actions. To not be aware of nor take responsibility for the effect on the rest of humanity that one's actions will incur, ranks way up there on the sin ladder in my estimation. This applies to our free speech "rights", free press, right to bear arms, whatever we consider our God given rights to exercise in "freedom". Responsibility requires that one's freedom of speech does not allow one to yell "FIRE" in a crowded theater even with good intentions, so the law says, but rational consideration of the action and it's consequences should not even require a law to prevent it....simply an awareness of the importance we should attach to an abiding sense of responsibility that we must obey in order to interact peaceably with our fellow human beings.
So we might consider our duty to responsibility as well as applying proper intent to the "jokes" we tell. And of course we should also consider the importance of proper responsibility in the reception of these jokes and our reaction to them. <g> For example, any jokes told about elderly, deaf, forgetful, arthritic, and somewhat cantankerous men should be received responsibly with good grace by guys like me. <VBG>
G'nite and bless you all,
Buck |
