This week I came across this commentary in a college newspaper by a male writer asserting that sexist jokes are sometimes acceptable. The writer makes clear that he opposes discrimination. He goes on to say that sexist jokes aren’t offensive because we all agree, for example, that the idea of determining the right to vote based on gender is absurd. And, he says, “as humans, we laugh at the absurd.”
Implicit in his argument is the idea that the post-modern liberal audience that predominates on some college campuses shares a set of assumptions about equality. But if that’s so, why are post-modern racist jokes not funny or acceptable to this group? Maybe because most educated liberals agree that racism is still alive and well in America.
And here is the key, I think. Many educated, liberal men appear to believe that our country has moved beyond sexism. Maybe that’s why men are more likely to tell people who confront sexist remarks to “lighten up.” Most women—post-modern or not—know better.
Steve
