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The Great Republican Political Strategy of Insult Puerto Rico for Some Reason (lemmy.ml)

submitted 3 weeks ago by usernamesAreTricky@lemmy.ml to c/whitepeopletwitter@sh.itjust.works

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[–] Kusimulkku@lemm.ee 35 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I think it'd be subverting expectations. From the start you might think it's about the Pacific trash island that has collected there, but then it turns the other way and calls Puerto Rico a trash island. A decently funny joke imo, even if rude. I've seen the same joke being done about the UK and it did get a proper chuckle out of me.

[–] taladar@sh.itjust.works 78 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

The main difference is that the UK used to be powerful and did a lot of bad things to a lot of countries around the world. Puerto Rico on the other hand has always been weak so it feels weird for someone in a much more powerful area of the world to pick on them.

[–] cpw@lemmy.ca 67 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Good comedy can punch up, but very rarely works when punching down. Punching down is generally just bullying in disguise.

[–] Vilian@lemmy.ca 10 points 3 weeks ago

When punching up it's funny, punching down is called bullying

[–] Throw_away_migrator@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I think Anthony Jeselnik sums it up pretty well

https://youtu.be/4mCAl85hLkU?si=vwEMzE15kfHJMddV

[–] Karjalan@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago

Jeselnik is a class act. What's interesting to me is that the guy in the op, essentially has the same Roast style as Jeselnik. But the way they execute it is key.

I saw some of the ops bits from a comedy central roast, and they were really funny... But when you put him in the context of being at a trump rally wave saying stuff like this it's like "ohhh, you're not making subvertive jokes, you're just a bigot hiding behind 'comedy'"

[–] Kusimulkku@lemm.ee 18 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

It can be meaner but for a stand-up I think it could be fine, if the context is comedy and it didn't have genuine hatred behind it. In this case it's clear that it was used as a tool of hatred and not just for making a joke.

[–] Tudsamfa@lemmy.world 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't think how places used to be plays any part in how funny insulting them is. Despite being as powerful as the UK when it was last relevant and worse, I think people would still be offended if he said Japan instead. "Always OK to hate colonizers" as someone put it my butt, the internet just really wants to make fun of France and not feel bad about it.

[–] taladar@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I would say it is fair to make fun of them as long as they themselves still glorify that past.

[–] Tudsamfa@lemmy.world 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

So you would say it's fair if he had said "It's called Japan" instead? They glorify their recent past as well.

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 3 points 3 weeks ago

I'm sure a lot of folks on SEA would heartily agree, especially Chinese and Koreans.

[–] taladar@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 weeks ago

If by recent past you mean the genocides in their most recent wars with their neighbors then yes, I would say that would qualify them to be made fun of in that way. If you just mean some industrial successes in the 1980s, not so much.