Conversation

"JUST JOKING" / "BEING IRONIC"

Jokes are the creation of tension by the speaker (whether contextual or metatextual) and the subsequent release of tension to signal safety. Therefore jokes always make a statement about the nature of what is found to be tense and safe. You can't be "just joking".

Ex: If a white wants to tell a racist joke in a public mixed space not among friends, they are signalling they acknowledge race is tense in this context but that they personally feel safe regardless. A lifetime of race privilege bears out this asymmetry whether the speaker is sincere+misguided or cryptoracist and merely hiding behind humor.

Therefore in general, whether it's a subconscious sincerity the privileged speaker isn't aware of or conscious bigotry that's sincere but masked by the lie of "joking" is immaterial to the consequence of the action. Both show a thought -> action dynamic to bigoted material. Hiding behind irony/jokes still reveals the thinking.

Fedi is mixed and public y'all.
Garfield's thread as related: https://mastodon.social/@garfiald/101211529801119286