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I used to defend that comedian who made racist jokes. Not anymore.
Three years ago I saw a video of a comedian making jokes about Asian accents and I argued it was just comedy, not hate. Then last month I watched a documentary that showed how those jokes actually got used in court to deny someone a job. Can a person really apologize for that kind of harm or is it too late?
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quinn1611mo ago
Man I had almost the exact same thing happen to me. I used to think those jokes about Irish people being drunks were harmless until I found out an old boss actually played one of those stand up bits during a hiring meeting to justify not promoting a coworker. It floored me when I realized real people use that garbage to hurt others. Now I can't even laugh at those old specials without feeling gross about it. You can apologize all day but the damage is already out there and you can't unring that bell.
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singh.harper1mo ago
Heard a similar thing from a buddy who worked in a warehouse where the foreman kept making jokes about Polish people being slow. Thought it was just dumb humor until he found out the guy actually used that stereotype to keep a hardworking Polish guy from getting a shift lead spot. It's wild how that stuff sticks in peoples heads like a bad song you can't shake. Apologizing feels like putting a bandaid on a cut that needed stitches months ago.
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ericcraig1mo ago
Honestly, the apology only matters if he actually works to undo the harm those jokes caused.
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