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I'll see if we can get a discussion going . . .
There's way more than a 'double' standard - it's nearly infinite.
There are times and places where the 'double standard' is that white people can be as openly offensive as they like, and minorities can simply eat it, and so on for every possible combination under the sun - it is always this time and place, everything related to the context in which it is delivered.
That said, the classic "white guys drive like ______, black guys drive like _______" type of comedy isn't implicitly racist in form - in fact, many comedians of all walks of life have made fun of the differences between groups of people, without being offensive in the slightest.
However, it is always easier to poke fun at your own group - there is a lessened chance of backlash from the community you are lampooning if you are a part of it yourself, and it can be a little disarming to hear barbs from someone 'on the inside' so to speak.
To my mind, I'd like to know exactly what is meant when people describe a racial "double standard" - where do you draw the line when you define this standard? Recall that Jennifer Lopez was openly mauled in the media for improperly referring to 'her niggas' in a recent song, and she's not white. It's not a white vs. black thing here - it is a matter of respect, a matter of intent, and a matter of what is proper.
I don't think that black entertainers can necessarily get away with more than white entertainers, especially in terms of making jokes with a racial component - I just don't see it, mostly because I've seen those types of jokes done by entertainers of every color, background, and sex w/out incident and to no negative end effect.
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Hybrid Mode
