Humor and the ability to laugh at our selves and society may be mankind's greatest saving attribute. But are there moral and ethical lines that should not be crossed? Is all speech equal? For example, what about racist jokes and humor? This category contains songs with racist or ethnical slurs.
Racist jokes may have some warped and demented element of humor to it, but what about the harm it can cause to society, specifically those directly impacted. Some of the negative consequences of racist humor can be contempt, hate, bigotry, reinforcement of stereotypes, discrimination, lost of dignity and pride, humiliation, defeated morale, low self-esteem, and in some cases, actual physical harm.
Currently, there are numerous supposedly "progressive" countries in Europe that ban and censor racist comments and remarks under the guise of hate crime laws. What is the history of hate crime laws and how did these initiatives come about? Is censorship and persecution of speech justified in some situations?
In addition, discrimination and prejudice comes in all shapes and forms. The obvious and most voiced are racial, ethnic, gender, handicaps, and religious. Other forms of discrimination that are discussed less, but exist are: age, social and class status, and aesthetic appearance such as those that are unattractive, plain, overweight, underweight, disfigured, and people with birth defects. Is it permissible to discriminate and show prejudice against such individuals just because they have less voice and power in society?
Then there is the type of resulting discrimination that is created by victims and perceived victims of discrimination and prejudice. Is justice ever served when one's own personal animosity and bitterness interferes with their ability to render objective judgment and decisions that may affect others?
Although discrimination and prejudice is wrong, it comes in all shapes and forms and is a reality of life. Can discrimination be used by individuals as an excuse for failure? Even without discrimination, there will always be obstacles in a persons path that prevents them from succeeding in life. Perhaps success is sometimes ultimately determined by ones ability to overcome difficult and diverse obstacles, even though unfair.
Should one let somebody else's prejudice and pettiness hold them back in life, or should one strive to succeed by rising above obstacles?