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Telling Jokes

Interesting set of exhibits at the Museum of Failure. This politically correct doll from the 60s that managed to scare the little girls it was targeted to serves as a good reminder of political correctness can get to a point of crazy, stupid and even scary. This article about "xenophobic" jokes and being good neighbors in Europe is a great counterpoint to the culture of correctness. 

I grew up in India at a time when it was perfectly normal to make jokes about people from another state who spoke another language and celebrated holidays on a different schedule. It was equal opportunity and people got credit for making the most obnoxious jokes about each other. As a Bengali, it was expected that I would tell a good joke about my people so others could up the ante from there. There was a certain degree of pride involved it setting a high bar. We all strove to do that. 

I cannot recall a single time when any one of us was offended by these jokes no matter who told them - it was just good fun, self-deprecation and being called out on stereotypes that defined each group. None of the jokes were meant to be a personal attack on anyone. Being able to say them, made us feel comfortable with each other, appreciate what we had in common and forge strong friendships. It made us laugh at the stereotypes but also encouraged us to be improve ourselves. I cannot imagine us having to mind our manners, worry about offending someone - I don't think we would have the kind of easy, free-flowing relationships we developed over the years if there were such constraints imposed on our interactions. 

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