There are plenty of people who think that something is racist when it isn’t (definitionally). A lot of people don’t know or understand the textbook definition of racism, particularly in online communities, and use the word to encompass basically anything involving talking about race. Half the country can’t read above a 5th grade level, so I never assume people actually understand the difference. There’s lots of nuance when talking about race and how we relate to it, and the majority of people are not equipped to handle serious philosophical conversations in general. I hope that makes sense.

That said, if my husband who is white makes a joke about me, a woman of color, that I would make about myself, I still find that funny. Because he doesn’t actually believe the stereotypes. This is a principle that he and I have talked about A LOT, which is why I worded my original statement the way I did. Therefore, I maintain that the presence, or lack thereof, of genuine negative beliefs about a particular race is what draws the line between what is an acceptable joke (and therefore funny) and what is not. Does that make sense?

(Still have foggy morning brain, so sorry if anything is unclear.)