Tuesday, December 14, 2004

AN UNFUNNY JOKE

The piece of advice below appeared under the heading "College Survival Guide" in The Pointer, the student newspaper of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point on November 4, 2004, p.4. There is a shot of the page concerned up here at the moment.

"Vengeance. Killing yourself is sissy and it doesn't do anything to fix the problem. Instead, why don't you go on a killing spree? I pet you can take out fifteen for sixteen republicans before they gun you down. Duke, youd be like a heroe"


If you were a freshman student, how would you take that? I think you would see it as at the very least expressing hatred of Republicans. And given the many attacks on Republican campaigners in the recent Presidential election, you might even be tempted towards some violence towards Republicans.

But it was all a joke, we are told. What an hilarious joke! Substitute in the above sentence "black" for "Republican" and you will see how funny it is! Quite clearly it is in fact hate-speech and should be treated like any other instance of hate-speech. It is not being so treated, though. Even the campus Republicans have been fairly meek and mild about it. See here. But given the prejudice against them on campus I guess they have to be.

No comments: