"Tyrone": Acceptable Racism in the Form of Jokes

If you're a person who frequents Tumblr, there's no doubt that you've seen this comic (pictured to the left) or heard/seen references to it. Someone messes up and another person will undoubtedly say “Fucking Tyrone.” Sometimes, when pretending to be ghetto, you will refer to a random person as Tyrone. But have you ever put any thought into why the name “Tyrone” is being used? Why not Mike, or Bob, or Steve? Well, Tyrone is a stereotypical "black" name and by using it in such a way, you are helping in furthering the a stereotype that has seriously plagued society for years: Black men are stupid and act ghetto.

Let’s think the times you've seen thsese comics on Tumblr. Often, when there are black males in a cartoon, he's portrayed as "ghetto" - named Tyrone, wearing an oversize shirt (usually in a color associated with a gang), baggy pants, and a sideways hat. This character usually acts defiant or disrespectful towards adults or any figure of authority and refers to nearly everyone as "nigga."

These are all common stereotypical views of black youth in America but they certainly don't ring true for every (or even the majority) of blacks. So why would anyone want to further spread and support this negative stereotype? Well, for some, it's a way to "acceptably" express their racist feelings.

Racist jokes and comments made in this manner are often just accepted, and laughed at for the most part. “Tyrone” comics are reblogged with hundreds of thousands of notes, and there are constantly “Tyrone” jokes and things of the same sort of manner - jokes about Mexican people all being illegal or working in stereotypical field jobs, jokes about black women being of low moral, jokes about Middle Eastern people being terrorists - jokes about almost every race.

Are you starting to see a problem yet? Racism in any form should not be accepted. It really sickens me to see that people are helping along these stereotypes by retelling these jokes. It offends me to see racist jokes, and I know for a fact that I’m not the only one. Race related jokes are still racism, whether you choose to see it that way or not.

Does you tell any of these jokes? If you do, I hate to say it, but you are racist. You may not see yourself as such, but these jokes really make you look like a racist fool. Racism exists in many more forms than discrimination.

I have a favor to ask all of you: Please stop telling these kinds of jokes. They can be really hurtful and they’re just helping racism stay alive. In this day and age, racism should be gone, but it isn’t. Please do your fellow man a favor and stop. Trust me, more people than you know will appreciate it.