Is that funny or vaguely racist…?

[droomph]

Do you often try to test the boundary between "funny" and "offensive"?

[Arago]

I don't test the boundaries, but I use racial slurs and things like that in my everyday conversations with the people I care most about and don't feel ashamed at all for doing so. Historical context and meaning of the words aside, they're just words to me and I don't see the point in changing the way I act because of people getting offended over them. Plus I think it's a huge stigma and taboo and wouldn't be as serious if more people did it in a lighthearted way.

[Sweets Witch]

I have terrible luck with this and it's always over petty stuff like calling someone "dude".

[Arago]

I have terrible luck with this and it's always over petty stuff like calling someone "dude".
How is dude in any way offensive?

[curiousnathan]

Nope. I not so much am scared of the consequences, I just don't want to take the risk of offending someone. With that said, I'm certainly not one that changes themselves to ensure they don't offend anyone, all the time. I'm considerate of other people's feelings, but I don't go completely out of my way to wrap cotton wool around them.

[Sweets Witch]

How is dude in any way offensive?

In this specific scenario, it turns out that I told a hardcore feminist to "Relax, dude" because she was getting upset over someone saying something that she didn't like. It was the straw that broke the camel's back, pretty much. I got an earful about how I shouldn't be calling women "dude" or "bro" because they don't share the male privilege that I have and I'm part of the reason why women are so oppressed in Western society.

I've thought about this a lot and pretty much came to the conclusion that everything offends at least one person in the world.

[♣Gawain♣]

I don't often play jokes to anyone. I wouldn't dare though to test it, although my "jokes" turns out to be frank criticisms.

[Nearsighted king of Ice]

I tend to do that a lot, I even venture in to the world of sexist jokes...usually they don't end well

[outfox]

How is dude in any way offensive?

My mom gets upset when I call her that. "I'm not a dude!!!" she says. I think it's an old people thing, mostly.

I believe jokes know no boundaries, and they're only offensive to whoever chooses to attach hateful connotations to them. The only standard I hold to jokes is that they should be funny.

[⊗Slenderman⊗]

I push the boundary sometimes, if I'm in a good mood and around people I know. Though the last time, the person who would be 'offended' didn't even hear my remark. The person I was talking to (who did hear it) thought it was really funny.

Around family...not so much. Specifically people on my mom's side of the family seem to think I'm an innocent-minded child. But on the rare occasion that I do, they think I'm funny (I just had to be careful as to who I joke around with).

[Aquanova]

No I don't. If I think something may come across as offensive, I simply dont say it, better safe than sorry. Then again, Im not really the type to joke around that much.

[Esper]

What kind of person would try to offend people? I don't want people offending me. I especially wouldn't want someone to try to offend me.

[Pryze]

I can appreciate all forms of jokes. Racist, Sexist, ect ect. Unless it's used as an insult, I don't mind.

[Kura]

No, I rarely ever intend to offend someone.. :c Against me though, my reaction depends on my mood or if I see it as thinly masked as trying to actually offend me, or if it's a genuine joke.

[Katholic Nun]

I don't think the question is asking whether people try to intentionally be offensive. It's asking whether we test the boundary to see if people will find it funny even though it's not politically correct.

I don't make a habit of it, though I've taken risks before. Most of the time they pay off but on the rare occasion you do have somebody who just laughs uncomfortably and then you move on quickly and hope it doesn't colour the rest of the social engagement.

[Sammi]

Hell no. I'm actually the exact opposite: I try not to be offensive, if I can.

...sometimes I am though. Not everyone's perfect. >__> <__<

[Yoshikkko]

I'm not really trying to be offensive but I know I can, so I limit risky jokes and comments to my close friends who I know take it as a joke and don't really care anyway. But to me a joke is a joke, so yeah.

[Oryx]

I don't think the question is asking whether people try to intentionally be offensive. It's asking whether we test the boundary to see if people will find it funny even though it's not politically correct.

When you're well aware that people are upset by something you've said and you don't care and continue to do it because you think your opinion on what is offensive is more important than their opinion on what is offensive, then you are intentionally being offensive.

If it wasn't obvious from that reply, I'm not the type to go around making jokes that I know are offensive to people, because...I just don't think it's right. I might make a bad joke every once in a while to my mom/boyfriend, but once it gets beyond that, I won't say something that toes the line because I care about other people being upset. If I was upset by something, I would want other people to care.

[LilJz]

A lot of my jokes are racist jokes. But people knows I'm not racist, I just pop out jokes here and there and they find it funny. I'm half asian and latino, and I even make jokes about my own race. Let's just say I got more of a morbid humor.

[Isaac]

I try my best not to be racist. I may be stubborn sometimes, but I'm a very nice person xD.

[Hannah]

I try my best not to sound racist, but whatever I do, I always sound like I hate black people. WHICH I DO NOT.