Margaret Cho

Okay, so after watching the Margaret Cho DVD, I thought it was hilarious. But I have to think...as students all learning about negative racial stereotypes and jokes made about different ethnicities, why is it okay for us to laugh at it? Should we have all been sitting there with furrowed brows, shaking our heads? Is it because Cho is a Korean-American woman making fun of her Korean-American mother, and in the same sort of a vein, because she is a bisexual woman making jokes about the gay community? For example, if I, as a White straight woman were to make the same jokes it would be seen as both racist and homophobic. I think it's just interesting that there is such a thick line between what is okay, and what isn't. But who gets to make these rules? Do those who have experienced racism and homophobia get to stamp a seal of approval on these things? Or as a culture have we defined what is okay by first labeling what is definitely not okay.

I see Margaret Cho as a very proud Korean-American bisexual woman who is proud of her body, her heritage, and her sexuality. And I think that pride is a beautiful thing to see. I just think all of the standards for humor surrounding her subjects are completely confusing. Maybe we should just stop trying to make rules, and instead focus on making connections. I'm sure a straight White male Republican politician could relate to Cho's discussion of her parents or some other facet of her life. We are all interconnected regardless of where we come from, who we love, and what we believe. I think if we forget dividers and focus on connectors, so much of the hate and misconception could be erased from the world.