Had This Joke Been About Jews, Would It Have Been Antisemitic?

[sp1814]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/alan-sugar-tweet-senegal-team-racist-bbc-apprentice-a8407671.html

[naomi24]

Bearing in mind that the people who sell stuff on the beaches of Spain and its islands are black, had it not been a football team, but simply, say, a picture of random black men, would it still be racist?

[andy-hughes]

Baldric - // Good grief, there really are some sensitive souls about. //

You say that like it's a bad thing.

As a society, we all have sensitivities to different aspects of what we hear and see, to varying degrees.

It is not helpful in encouraging tolerance and understanding to dismiss someone else for being upset about something simply because it doesn't upset you.

The day will come when you read or see something that upsets you, and you will be less than delighted if people simply scoff at you for being a humour-free lightweight.

[naomi24]

///Baldric - // Good grief, there really are some sensitive souls about. //

You say that like it's a bad thing. ///

Being ultra-sensitive is a bad thing.

[Baldric]

Don't hold your breath Andy, very little upsets me (except lycralouts on bikes;o) unless it affects me and mine.

[hereIam]

I can't stand lycralouts either ....

[naomi24]

I'm guessing that if one upsets you though, hereIam, you don't require therapy. ;o)

[hereIam]

Definitely not naomi x

[andy-hughes]

Again, it's easy to scoff at people who find this 'joke' offensive - as though they are someone made of less stern stuff than those ruffty-tuffty types who slap each other on the back and shout for another round.

Extremes are not good for anyone, but simply finding a joke offensive does not always mean that the observer is suffering an attack of the vapours.

[Baldric]

/// Extremes are not good for anyone ///

Extreme sensitivity on behalf of others seems to motivate you to preach your leftie views on a daily basis, can't be good for the pulse rate so you're probably correct (see, we can agree)

[Mamyalynne]

He needs a new joke writer, you think he'd have contacts.

[Gromit]

No, it would have been ant semitic.
It isn’t racist either.
It is taking the piz out of poor people. Something you should expect from one of Blair’s mates.

It is very funny, but Sugar always came over a humourless on the Apprentice.

[andy-hughes]

Baldric - // Extreme sensitivity on behalf of others seems to motivate you to preach your leftie views on a daily basis, can't be good for the pulse rate so you're probably correct (see, we can agree) //

I don't 'preach', I don't have 'lefty views' and my pulse rate is fine - other than that we can agree.

[Gromit]

Missed a ‘not’ out of that

* It is NOT very funny, but Sugar always came over a humourless on the Apprentice.

[naomi24]

andy-hughes, //as though they are someone made of less stern stuff//

They are made of less stern stuff. The interminably precious seek offence in everything, never understanding that a sense of humour and the ability to laugh at oneself are great assets in life.

[andy-hughes]

Laughing at oneself is a personal choice, exercised freely.

Being the butt of unpleasant casual racist humour on social media, is not.

[Baldric]

/// Again, it's easy to scoff ///

I for one, did not scoff. I looked at the posts of those objecting in the OP link and thought surely they must have more productive things to do with their time.

[Baldric]

/// Being the butt of unpleasant casual racist humour on social media, is not ///

Those doing the complaining were not the butt of unpleasant casual racist humour on social media, they were the ones taking offence on behalf of someone else, an increasingly annoying habit with some.

[naomi24]

andy-hughes, //Laughing at oneself is a personal choice, exercised freely.

Being the butt of unpleasant casual racist humour on social media, is not. //

But the method by which you deal with it is.

[naomi24]

Baldric at 17:55, quite right.

[Gromit]

The joke would work no matter who were in a wall. Geordies, Scoucers, Romanians, Hispanics. The joke is that poor people will see a money making opportunity off of more well off tourists.

Sugar may have seen their like in Marbella, hence the reference.