Joke in Bad Taste

[RazzsMom]

What do you do if someone tells or emails a “joke” to you that you find offensive? I received an email “joke” and it involved (of course) a priest, a nun, a friar and a Bishop. I found it in extremely bad taste and offensive to my faith. The weird thing is, it was sent by a member of my immediate family (not my husband, just to let you know) and the person is a Catholic convert like me.

 

[SarahR]

My typical response “Not my kind of humor.”

 

[puzzleannie]

What do you do if someone tells or emails a “joke” to you that you find offensive? I

My filter catches most offensive language and puts it in junk mail for review, if it is the content rather than the languge itself I delete it and reply to the sender that I don’t accept and won’t read offensive material, and that I will block his mail if anything like that shows up again

I also tell everyone I don’t open FWD mail unless it is something I have requested or am expecting, but delete it unread. I have no time for that stuff, either.

 

[Julian0404]

You need to call it to their attention that humor can be sacreligous and sinful in nature. It is one of the “…snares and temptations of the devil.” for which we pray to be protected from in the prayer to St. Michael at the end of each Rosary.

 

[Rascalking]

My typical response “Not my kind of humor.”

Really well said by SarahR! Brief and effective, and your not being snobby or holier-than-thou.

I’m in the same boat. I defriend a cousin on Facebook (the ultimate insult ) because of their foul language and disgusting details of their personal life. No fallout yet, but I’m preparing for it.

 

[momor]

I tend to ignore those kinds of things (and give no response of any kind) unless it becomes a problem.

I have a friend who sends me a lot of those sappy e-mails that tell you to send it to 10 people including the sender and something wonderful will happen to you. I find that superstitious stuff offensive and never reply. I don’t ask her to stop because I know she means no offense and it’s not worth risking a rift in our friendship.

 

[JohnChrysostom]

“not my kind of humor” works, but I actually explain aspects of the faith for 2 reasons. One it clearly catechisis them and lets them choose not to send those types to me in the future. Eventually the smart ones figure it out on their own. I have a huge Protestant family, very anti-Catholic. That’s why I stay away from them.

 

[srlucado]

It was for such jokes that the Delete key was invented.

A “friend” sent me a bunch of anti-Catholic emails a while back.

I replied, asking her not to send me any such emails again–and I haven’t heard from her since.

Moral of the story: she wasn’t really my friend.

 

[sharmin]

My filter catches most offensive language and puts it in junk mail for review, if it is the content rather than the languge itself I delete it and reply to the sender that I don’t accept and won’t read offensive material, and that I will block his mail if anything like that shows up again.

Wow. What if that person didn’t realize you would find it offensive and was just trying to be nice by sending it to you? Do you still respond that harshly?

I always give at least a couple of times before I respond negatively. Usually, the first few offensive emails I get from someone I respond with, “Ouch. Not my type of humor!” Or I simply ignore it and erase all future “jokes” from that person without even reading them.

 

[RazzsMom]

I appreciate the conversation around my question and many of you have given me great advice. I have chosen to reply to it, stating the following: “I showed the joke to (husband) and neither of us really felt it was funny, but rather we felt it was offensive to Catholicism. Sorry. Not my kind of humor.”

I did this b/c I agree with the poster who said the person needs a bit of catechesis.

I am leaving it up to her if she wants to follow through on what I said. She knows better…and I know I will hear about it from her…it came from my mom.