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

[Sqad]

It's not a big deal to me.
You can tell that black is black from a photograph, but you cannot be sure that someone is a Jew from a photograph, when you consider that some Jews are black.
it 's just an innocent joke .

[andy-hughes]

In my view - yes.

This brings the usual polarised responses - those like Lord Sugar, who think it is funny, and advise that anyone thinks it is not funny is lacking a sense of humour, and those who believe it is offensive.

I cannot take offence personally, I am not black, so it would be wrong of me to take offence on behalf of anyone else, but I think the best thing you can say about it is that as a joke it is weak, and it is prone to give offence, so really, the best thing to do would be not to stick on any social media in the first place.

[ToraToraTora]

No, I don't think so, massive SOH bypass if you ask me, who hasn't been plagued by these "luckylucky" parasites selling tat? I think His sugaryness was bang on.

[Prudie]

I suppose we are not allowed to whisper that in fact those who sell things like this on the beaches of the Med are invariably black?

[sp1814]

I think it was strange coming from Sugar who vociferously (and rightly) demanded that the Labour Party address Antisemitism, especially after Corbyn offered support to Mear One and his disgusting mural.

I get that he saw his post as a joke, and as a joke it makes sense...it’s just not a great joke.

[ToraToraTora]

Frankly I'm amazed Spain hasn't sorted this, it must be effecting tourism.

[-SharonA-]

Saw this earlier and along the same lines, is it racist to say the Croatian team look like the Europeans that rifle through our rubbish bins at home??

[kvalidir]

It's casual racism, and I think most people of any minority experience things like this several times per month, something white folks find harmless and jokey but which are at the least the propagation of stereotypes and at worse meant to be demeaning and offensive. Do I personally get offended if someone says something like 'Stop being such a Jew' if I haven't offered to pay for something, no actually I don't, but I can understand that it would upset other Jewish people so any wise person would simply try to avoid it in the first place.

[sp1814]

TTT

‘affecting’.

[jackthehat]

Given his notoriously thin skin when he perceives Anti-semitism raising its ugly head, he might have done better to just apologise and take it down than spend a couple of hours blustering that it was 'funny' and bemoaning a lack of a sense of humour of those who didn't find it funny...

[sp1814]

-SharonA-

//is it racist to say the Croatian team look like the Europeans that rifle through our rubbish bins at home??//

I think so.

Just imaging the meme.

So, it would be the Croatian team pictures behind some dustbins with the tag line - “Last time I saw them, they were rifling through the bins behind my house”.

[sp1814]

JTH

That’s what I’m thinking...if someone were to post a picture of the Israeli team to him, with the tag line, “Last time I saw these Jews, they were robbing me blind”, would he giggle thinking that it was hilarious?

[Sqad]

sp1814.......but nobody is talking about bloody Croatians.
I didn't know Croatians rummaged in refuse bins.
I do know that beach combers in Majorca are BLACK.

[andy-hughes]

jack - // Given his notoriously thin skin when he perceives Anti-semitism raising its ugly head, he might have done better to just apologise and take it down than spend a couple of hours blustering that it was 'funny' and bemoaning a lack of a sense of humour of those who didn't find it funny... //

This is another of the downsides of 'social media.

Years ago, no one had the technology to mock up such a picture, and distribute it to the world in a nano-second, so this nonsense would not have arisen.

With the power to do so, comes some responsibility, and someone of Lord Sugar's intelligence ought to know better than this stupidity.

Banging on that peopple who don't like it have no sense of humour does nothing to alleviate criticism, far better would have been to concede that it was ill-judged, and take it down.

As kvalidir quite correctly points out, it is casual racism, and right behind an acceptance of casual racism on the basis that it meant to be funny, comes a door open to the acceptance of more serious racism, on the basis that it's not that big a deal.

Actually Lord Sugar - it is a big deal, so act your age, accept some responsibility, and stop whining.

[sp1814]

Sqad

I was responding to -SharonA-, who brought up Croatians.

That’s why I addressed my answer to -SharonA-.

[naomi24]

//Labour MP Dawn Butler said she would be writing to the House of Lords Commissioner for Standards and the BBC calling for an investigation.//

If only THAT^ were a joke!

[Sqad]

sp1814...LOL...OK, my mistake.

[sp1814]

Hmmm...you know what?

I don’t think it’s actually rascist. When I saw it, I just rolled my eyes. However, I think that Lord Sugar needs to be careful online because you cannot make accusations about Antisemitism on month, and then send out something that can be thrown back at you with an accusation of racism the following month.

[Baldric]

Good grief, there really are some sensitive souls about.

[fiction-factory]

>"I suppose we are not allowed to whisper that in fact those who sell things like this on the beaches of the Med are invariably black? " (Prudie's words)

I don't see a problem with that. It is true in my experience.

But it doesn't follow at all that all/most black people sell things like this on beaches