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Context is great if all people can make jokes and just say "well in context it's not so bad".
If a white person in Barkley's position makes a joke about say blacks...they'll be fired. Imus is a shock jock and he had the NAACP, Sharpon, civil/women's rights groups, etc wanting him fired for saying "nappy-headed hos". I say if we are going to protect some people from everything they consider offensive than lets protect everyone from things that are considered offensive (overweight, gay, black, Jewish, etc)
Thank you for exemplifying what a "lack of understanding context" means. "Overweight, gay, black, Jewish"? Which one is not like the others? The quality of being "black" and/or "Jewish" pertains to ethnicity (and that is a larger discussion in and of itself). It could be argued that both of these conditions are endemic, as is sexuality. Truly endemic conditions can lead to socially constructed barriers that form "enclaves" (voluntary or not) of said populations:
Now please find us some social force that has created "fat" neighborhoods all throughout the United States or anywhere in the world. Poverty as an extension of ethnicity can cause health crises which lead to obesity but ethnicity is the central factor, not obesity. "Blacks" from the rural South, the Caribbean, and from Sub-Saharan Africa can be found clustered together in NYC or suburban DC neighborhoods. Jews from the former Soviet Union, the United States, and Ethiopia can all be found in Israel based on the quality of being Jewish. The LGBT neighborhoods found in most very large American metros have diverse representation of a variety of ethnic groups. Do "fat people" of all different ethnicities, religions, or sexualities cluster together in neighborhoods or particular cities on the basis of being fat? Barkley tried to assert that San Antonio was such as city but look where that has gotten him!
Charles Barkley never was one of my favorite people...period. Yes, he may have been a good player at some point in his life, but like I tell others: fame and money are not synonymous with brains or respect.
His making fun of obesity and then making that snide remark about "churro eating" women just goes to show you what he's really like.
He seems to have forgotten that it is probably many of those "big ol women" and their families who contributed to his wealth.
You know what? Mean is mean. There is discussion of obesity as it relates to health and quality of life (not mean, we all know it affects those things). Then there is discussion of obesity in a joking, rude manner which belittles people and deliberately makes them feel bad or disrespected. That's mean. Anyone who defends the 2nd as somehow an extension of the 1st doesn't understand the difference and is probably just mean themselves.
So it's okay to make fun of obesity? I guess since he's such a slender man it's okay for him to do that. What next: make fun of invalids? mentally incapacitated?
No one told him to visit San Antonio...or to talk with the women...I'm sure he's become persona non-grata with his callous comments...
Oh...and to call the women "churro eating"...hm, sounds a little racist to me...and HE is the last person who should make those comments..
Just another crass "athlete" has been who forgets who made him wealthy...because without the fans, he would still be playing basketball or peddling himself elsewhere...
Mean? Get over yourself. It's funny. I laughed, as did many other people.
Don't like him? Turn off the television and go back to your "aww, someone hurt my poor little feelings" support group somewhere. The rest of us like humor of this sort and don't need a bunch of whiny wussies ruining it for the rest of us.
A quick side-note: it's probably been stated that only Charles Barkley could get away with this, and/or other African-Americans. I know of one white person who, if he was still with us, could get away with this--George Carlin.
It's fine to make fun of fat people, since they are in the majority in the USA. It's more like joking about stupid or lazy people, not an ethnic group.
So it's okay to make fun of obesity? I guess since he's such a slender man it's okay for him to do that. What next: make fun of invalids? mentally incapacitated?
No one told him to visit San Antonio...or to talk with the women...I'm sure he's become persona non-grata with his callous comments...
Oh...and to call the women "churro eating"...hm, sounds a little racist to me...and HE is the last person who should make those comments..
Just another crass "athlete" has been who forgets who made him wealthy...because without the fans, he would still be playing basketball or peddling himself elsewhere...
Thank you for exemplifying what a "lack of understanding context" means. "Overweight, gay, black, Jewish"? Which one is not like the others? The quality of being "black" and/or "Jewish" pertains to ethnicity (and that is a larger discussion in and of itself). It could be argued that both of these conditions are endemic, as is sexuality. Truly endemic conditions can lead to socially constructed barriers that form "enclaves" (voluntary or not) of said populations:
Now please find us some social force that has created "fat" neighborhoods all throughout the United States or anywhere in the world. Poverty as an extension of ethnicity can cause health crises which lead to obesity but ethnicity is the central factor, not obesity. "Blacks" from the rural South, the Caribbean, and from Sub-Saharan Africa can be found clustered together in NYC or suburban DC neighborhoods. Jews from the former Soviet Union, the United States, and Ethiopia can all be found in Israel based on the quality of being Jewish. The LGBT neighborhoods found in most very large American metros have diverse representation of a variety of ethnic groups. Do "fat people" of all different ethnicities, religions, or sexualities cluster together in neighborhoods or particular cities on the basis of being fat? Barkley tried to assert that San Antonio was such as city but look where that has gotten him!
It's not a debate on who has it worse. And in many cases I would say overweight people can endure more discrimination/bullying than any race or sexual orientation.
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The quality of being "black" and/or "Jewish" pertains to ethnicity (and that is a larger discussion in and of itself). It could be argued that both of these conditions are endemic, as is sexuality. Truly endemic conditions can lead to socially constructed barriers that form "enclaves" (voluntary or not) of said populations:
From a Texas Lady
