joke Archives - The Race Card Project

White Jewish girl in a bubble

February 12, 2026February 15, 2026 america, Asian, Beachwood, Black, bubble, Emily Einhorn, guilt, hate, Jewish, joke, lucky, OH, opportunity, small town, stand up, suburb, target, White girl, white guilt

Emily Einhorn,
Beachwood, OH.

Whenever there is talk about racism, a part of me feels guilty. I have lived in a small suburb my entire life. In this town, people joke you’re either black, Jewish, or Asian. I have never witnessed a racist act and I feel as if I’ve missed out on being a part of a prominent aspect in American culture. I have never felt targeted as a Jew and I have never seen any of my friends be targeted for the color of their skin. I am taught that, that is not how America really is and as ridiculous as it sounds I want to have the opportunity to stand up for what I believe is wrong. I hate feeling like a lucky little white girl.

I get sunburned in ten minutes.

March 17, 2025March 17, 2025 albino, CA, Christine Leach, genes, irish, joke, Nigeria, painful, San Francisco, SPF, sunburn, vacation

Christine Leach,
San Francisco, CA.

If the sun is intense enough, I can and have gotten sunburned in ten minutes, literally. I joke with my friend in Nigeria that I can’t visit him because it’d be too painful, physically. It’s a silly point, but one I’ve joked with friends about, who are black, hispanic, or just not as borderline albino (Irish genes) about how they don’t understand just how much SPF I need to apply to get through a vacation, or a day at the beach. Several have chuckled while saying they’ve never been sunburned.

Mainly white neighborhood, racism is normalized

August 26, 2024 Bondurant, High School, IA, joke, normalized, racism, slur, whit edemographics, white neighborhood

Eden Coy,
Bondurant, IA

I am from an area with high white demographics. In my high school, there is a small percentage of people of color. Often, walking through the halls at school I hear slurs used in everyday conversation. When a person makes a racist joke, many laugh and encourage them. There have been incidents of students doing blackface and mocking people of other communities. However, my school does little to discourage these actions. It is seen as kids just being kids. If one were to comment on the disrespectful nature of people’s actions, they would be brushed off as “it’s only a joke.” I believe racism should not be turned into a joke, and it is not ethical to bully other cultures. The normalization of racism in my community creates a negative environment. I am ashamed to hold any relation with my peers.

The “Non-Aztec” Looking Mexican

January 9, 2023January 9, 2023 CA, CBUHIS311, Christian, Claire Rainey, dark complextion, France, gay friend, joke, look Mexican, Los Alamitos, Non-Aztec, offended, Spain

Claire Rainey,
Los Alamitos, CA.

I have a friend from Spain who I adore. He is gay, I am a Christian. One day we were road tripping with our mutual friend from France. She was telling us about her new found “love” Fernando who happens to be 100% Mexican. My Spanish friend condemned her for being interested in a Mexican. I threw out the “hey I am a half bean” joke (because I am in fact 50% Mexican) and he responded with “but you are like the “non-Aztec” looking Mexican, the pretty kind! Although this comment was in my favor, I felt offended for the rest of my family and non-family who has a darker complexion. HIS311

Racism is not a harmless joke

January 14, 2021 Acworth, border, first experience, GA, Hispanic, joke, racism, school, Sofia Cuenca Rojas

Sofia Cuenca Rojas,
Acworth, GA

I am Hispanic and due in great part to my parents, who I am thankful for, I have been protected from racism for the majority of my life. And yet when someone makes what they would consider a harmless joke, safely from the other side of a wall they use to separate “us” and “them”, even when I have not personally been grievously wronged, or done what was talked about, or was even the recipient of the comment, I still remember it after 5 years.
I was in PE in the second half of the semester and there were two boys- one Hispanic like me, and one white- who were best friends. They spent all class together and were known by several other of my peers as very good friends. One day, we were all outside running the mile when the boys passed by me in conversation and I happened to overhear one of them ridicule the other for being so out of breath by saying, “Why are you so slow? You’re Mexican, you guys run the border all the time!”

That one, off-hand comment cut deep.

Why am I always Monopoly Banker?

June 26, 2020June 28, 2021 banker, Eugene, Jewish, joke, Monopoly, not a joke, OR, Sasha Feoktistov, stereotype

Sasha Feoktistov,
Eugene, OR

Jews as a minority group are put in a particularly awkward place. Because we enjoy most if not all of the privileges of being in the white majority, it makes dealing with subtle cases of bias and discrimination particularly delicate. I’m not about to make a stink about always being told “Sasha, you be the banker” when playing Monopoly, nor will I point out to an Asian colleague how offensive the statement, “Jews in America are doing fine, you’re all rich” is (my instinct is to joke, “yea we hire Asian accountants to do our taxes.”). Frankly, these are minor issues, but the discomfort with challenging these subtle slights carries over to more egregious comments about people being “Jewed” or getting “ki*ed out on.” How do you know where to draw the line? How do you stand up for yourself without playing into another stereotype of Jews throwing accusations of antisemitism at everything?

Don’t tell that joke ever again!

April 29, 2020April 29, 2020 ‏@PttSophisticate, Henrico, joke, Simone Robinson, twitter, VA

Simone Robinson,
Henrico, VA.
Submitted via Twitter: ‏@PttSophisticate

We joke, but it’s not funny.

March 8, 2019March 8, 2019 Ann Arbor, friends, funny, joke, MI, Pauline Devlin, Racist, stereotypes, Understanding Race Project, University of Michigan

Pauline Devlin
Ann Arbor, MI
Understanding Race Project- University of Michigan

This is in reference to my friends and I. I do not believe any of us would consider ourselves racist, so I feel bad when I hear people casually perpetuating stereotypes.

Making fun of Asians is not fun

September 24, 2018September 24, 2018 apologize, Asian, Asian jokes, comedy, fun, joke, Korea, making fun, not a joke, racial slur, racism, Republic of., Seungmin Shin, target, United Airline

Seungmin Shin,
Korea, Republic of.

I’ve been watching standing comedies these days, but I stopped watching it recently. I found a serious irony from those standing comedies; they make fun of Asian people a lot, and they feel no guilty, while they very carefully or never make joke about African-Americans or black people. People are very aware of racism on black people, but not really concerned about racism on Asian people. Recently, United Airline dragged their passenger because of their mistake in ticketing. They claim themselves that they chose the passengers randomly, but all 4 passengers who had to forgive their sit were Asians. Moreover, the CEO is not even apologizing for their mistake and disrespectful behavior of his employee, but rather stands for them that it was reasonable. Racism, no matter of the target race, should be eliminated from humanity.

I am the token black girl

September 9, 2018September 9, 2018 black community, black girl, CA, Chinna Ford, joke, racial slur, token, Vallejo

Chinna Ford,
Vallejo, CA.

It’s hard work being the token. You must learn to lighten the mood with an acceptable race joke every so often. When slavery is mentioned in classrooms you must ignore the peering eyes of your classmates. You must, sing, dance and excel at sports because in the words of my white colleagues “You were made for it”. I live in a white filled world where my color sticks out like a highlighter. Not only must every word or action I do speak for the rest of the black community but I am watched with close eyes. I am asked questions, that if I choose to answer, speaks for my entire race. I am my own person, not like any other. There are things I share with my black culture that do not define me as a whole. My entire life has been about my dark skin and how it sets me apart for better or worse. I embrace my blackness but I also embrace my individuality and I wish others did too.

Twitter trends hashtag white girl problems

May 7, 2018May 7, 2018 #whitegirlproblems, basic, hurtful, joke, Kaitlyn Gravatt, Monmouth University, New Jersey, NJ, starbucks, stereotype, superficial, twitter, USA, West Long Branch

Kaitlyn Gravatt,
West Long Branch, NJ.
Monmouth University

Whenever I click on Twitter I see #whitegirlproblems. How is Starbucks running out of my favorite drink a white girl problem? How is my eyeliner on one eye not matching my other eye a white girl problem? It is hurtful to be put into this stereotype that we care more about superficial things over bigger issues. The white girl problem hashtag goes more in depth with the idea that if girls are interested in something then that means they are a certain type of person. My interest in Starbucks or makeup should not make me a superficial white girl. People should not make me feel bad for my interests or make it a joke on twitter. I should not be wondering if I get on line in Starbucks or post a picture with my drink is someone going to call me a basic white girl.

Complicated, a foot in two worlds.

March 27, 2018March 27, 2018 average, both worlds, CA, complicated, foot, growing up, guilty, husband, Javiera, joke, light skin, rural, San Diego, two worlds, white person

Javiera,
San Diego, CA.

My husband often jokes that I’m not “brown” because my light skin makes me look like an average white person. But growing up in rural Missouri, I never felt like a “white” person because I was teased for my hispanic features. I’m not mixed race and was born in a Latinx country, yet somehow feel like I have a foot in both worlds since I lived in the US my whole life. I feel like white people and hispanics want me to choose a team, but being hispanic is more complicated than that; I’m technically both. Despite being percieved as white by some, I have felt discrimination and rejection for being hispanic.

I feel even more conflicted when I think about the children I will eventually have with my white husband. I feel guilty that I’m glad his/her features will most likely be white enough that he/she will not experience discrimination. I’m also sad that because my child will look white he/she won’t feel the connection to a hispanic heritage, and he/she may even feel like an outsider when around other hispanics.

How many Polacks does it take?

December 1, 2017December 1, 2017 Alexander Korycinski, joke, PA, Polacks, take, York

Alexander Korycinski,
York, PA.

I thought I was being funny

September 21, 2017 funny, I didn't realize, joke, Kathy, mortified, PA, perpetrators, Philadelphia, stereotype, upset

Kathy,
Philadelphia, PA.

I saw a student I work with wearing a baseball cap and a hoodie tied tightly around her face and I said “You’re rockin’ your perpetrator look today.” I didn’t realize I’d upset her until another staff member told me. I was mortified.

My friend says I’m messed up

March 13, 2016March 13, 2017 america, fit in, Half, Hemma Jari, Indian, joke, London, Manchester, messed up, mixed, multi-ethnic, outsider, UK

Hemma Jari,
UK.

There are less mixed race kids in the UK than in America. Although I live in Manchester, which is (outside of London) probably the most multi-ethnic city in the UK, I’m still one of the few mixed race kids in my year. People here have a tendency to ‘stick to what they know’ when it comes to race, culture etc. I’m half Indian, a quarter Welsh and a quarter English so I don’t feel like I fit fully into one category, instead being an outsider in several. I find the best way to deal with this is with humour, so I often joke with my friends that I’m ‘messed up’ (or something more explicit!)

Wow, so you speak African right?

February 9, 2016February 9, 2016 African, assume, joke, language, question, Seattle, Somali, speak, WA, Yasmin Igal

Yasmin Igal,
Seattle, WA.

Africa is a huge continent made of 1000s of languages and assuming I speak African because I’m Somali doesn’t makes no sense whats-ever. Born in America and being raised here, children use to ask me that and i thought it was a joke, but sadly it was a legit question for them.