at least compared to guys like chris rock, bill hicks, george carlin, richard pryor etc. to list some really great american comics...
although i apologise if i missed the mark. humour is very subjective. everyone has their own ideas about what is and isn't. :)
its all subjective though.
the point i was aiming at, and obviously missed, is that what he does with the dead terrorist puppet, whist obviously a very strong stereotype, playing on other stereotypes, doesn't offend me like this does.
the more i try and rationalise this irrational emotional response, the more i am convinced it is the implications. there is something prejudiced about claiming that arab terrorists are arabs and terrorists, but its by definition the case. so lampooning the concept on that idea, whilst it looks like it should be offensive on the surface, really is not... but there is definitely something wrong about using stereotypical 'arab' names to enhance a perception of dishonesty as part of a joke trying to make a point about who you should trust, and who you should not.
EDIT: To be clear I'm not condoning casual racism. It's just that while I wasn't aware of a middle eastern stereotype about sleezy used car sales, I was aware of the one no one mentioned about the uncles which was pretty much direct.
"you thieving arab" etc.
it think its there due to piracy and the barbary wars... as a guess
i also think i am the only one who really took any issue, and its half-hearted at best. i know i shouldn't be offended - but i am.
First, if it was "Honest Steve", I assume you wouldn't see it as racist? Or "Honest Mary", the same? If so, how about "Honest Vinnie"? Is it only when the name suggests a specific ethnic or racial group that it feels racist to you? Only certain such groups?
That actually reveals a bigger problem. If "Steve" and "Mary" are 'normal' names, but "Achmed" (and maybe "Vinnie") is 'weird'/'noticeable' to you, then that's a hidden assumption that "normal" = "white middle class American". That's not good.
The second major issue is that there's a subtext to this joke. The joke is that no one in the US would call a new CA "Honest Achmed", precisely because it looks... odd. In other words, the joke is on the people that find it odd - including the same people that think it might be a racist joke. That it feels 'odd' is wrong; it shouldn't. But in our society, it does feel odd. That's not the joke being racist - that's society being biased. When you call the joke racist, you're completely missing the point, and shooting the messenger.
Am I saying stuff like this can never be racist? Of course not. It could easily be. If a TV show always picks a black person for the "random criminal of the week", that's racist. Likewise, if every time we needed a random name of "new CA" it was an Arab-sounding one, that would be racist. In other words, the pattern matters. When a TV show or a recurring joke constantly focuses on one group, for no reason, that's very possibly wrong.
But of course, we don't constantly use Arab names for "new CA" jokes. There isn't such a pattern. This is just a one-off joke. One that actually makes fun of the racism you're worried about.
Worrying about racism is a good thing. But seeing racism where it isn't is not, it's the opposite.
Context matters - and this context, of technologists discussing the security posture of a web browser, is heavily dominated by your "white middle class American".
"Honest Steve" might well have racist overtones in a different context, one where Steve can be used as a shorthand for a stereotypical outsider. And "Honest Achmed" wouldn't on, say, the streets of Cairo.
I'm not shooting the messenger, because I'm not shooting anybody. Calling out casual racism as I see it should not be construed as a personal attack on the speaker, because it is both unintentional and so pervasive.
That's not the joke being racist - that's society being biased. When you call the joke racist, you're completely missing the point, and shooting the messenger.
So are Irish Jokes are just a clever way of pointing out ingrained societal racism, too? I don't think so.
i'm not entirely comfortable that this bothers me given the seemingly innocent intent either... but it does. the joke is as much on it being 'honest' as it is 'achmed' from my perspective... and thats a bit off.
1.) never seen an arab transliterate the name this way. ahmed, ahmad and akhmed... but the k tends to symbolise a different letter (and sound) present in the arabic too. (so this turns out to be a flawed piece of thinking)
2.) the first time i saw this spelling was as 'achmed the dead terrorist', which has biased me. (p.s. i find that very funny, and i think the difference is that the comedian is specifically mocking a group of people who definitely exist vs. using an arab name to imply terrorism [or dishonesty or incompetence... or anything])
i'm sure its not meant with any particular ill will towards arabs, but i can't shake that feeling that this is some casual racism...