wow, sorry if i offended you. That was really not my entention whatsoever. I ama actually diagnosed with a memory disorder and had to go to special ed. My brother has aspergers syndrome. Sorry again. I'm new here and was just trying to break the ice....i thought it was funny but i guess it wasnt???

hi! actually, i think i'm the one who made up this joke. i'm her friend in the "real world" (non internet land). here's my thoughts on it.

well i definately see your point and i actually agree with you!! but i also agree with that the retarrrrrrrded joke is very hillarious!! sometimes things are funny and sad at the same time. in fact, sometimes things are funny BECUASE they are sad. like have you seen that ali g episode where he sings that "throw the jew in the well" song in the country club and all the hick christian audience sings along and claps their hands. wow, i laughed my ass off ... but at the same time i knew it was tragic and was very disturbed. in fact it was funny BECAUSE it's tragic and absurd and shocking that people in this day and age would be so happy to sing along with this overtly racist, genocidal song. (you would expect any decent human being to boo him off the stage, but no...)

but other people who see that ali g episode might also think it's funny, but not for the same reason that i do. they might laugh their ass off just because they agree with the racist things he's saying about jews. and if i was in a room full of people watching that episode, and everyone else was laughing, i might be a little suspicious and think, "hmm .. i wonder WHY they're laughing?" and i would probably be tempted to give them a lecture similar to the lecture you gave my friend.

see, since i know jocelyn, i know that when she laughs at that joke, she's not laughing at intellectually disabled people, she's laughing at the fact that this pirate father is such an asshole to his poor son .. which is sad, but also hillarious .. as the line between humor and tragedy is often so thin. i think it's one way that humans have adapted to our rather tragic existence on this planet .. i really believe humor is a survival technique. if you think about it you will notice that are considered hillarious are also very serious and disturbing. so i think we evolved to developed a sense of humor to help us cope with life's pain.

but, since you don't know jocelyn, you don't realize why she thinks this joke is funny.

it's a tricky thing with jokes like this one or the ali g one, because although they can be very funny, people have to watch who they share them with. unless the person knows me and what i'm about, they are likely to INTERPRET these types of jokes as being sincerely bigoted, even if that was not my intention. if they're ignorant (as many people tend to be) they will laugh at the bigotry of it and really enjoy the joke -- but for all the wrong reasons. and when they hear this joke being made it legitimizes and reinforces their bigotry. but, if they're a compassionate and rather enlightened person like you are, they'll just think the joke is very inappropriate.

so, me, i only share these types of jokes with close friends who i can trust to know my intentions, and who i can trust to laugh for the right reasons.

well, shawnb, i admire you for having the courage to speak up about this, as i know this kind of thing isn't easy. thank you for your compassion. i can assure you that both me and jocelyn see nothing funny about intellectual dissabilities IN AND OF THEMSELVES, nor do we find anything funny about the stigma and scorn put on their shoulders by an ignorant society.

be sure to say if you disagree.