Jokes of all kinds of topics are made every single day whether it is made to lighten the mood or to put someone down and often fly through people’s ears.
Racism often is not obvious, as sometimes it may be presented as harmless and brushed off. Yet the casual racism is expressed through stereotypes, comments, and more. Some of these stereotypes started during the viral run of the app Vine. Many creators were making short videos using these bad stereotypes against all races. Some of which were far from the truth. These creators used their big platform to spread misinformation and many people today still use these stereotypes.
Now that these jokes have been around for a while and used, it is easy to dismiss as “just a joke,” but these comments continue to build a culture where this is normalized. With the new big app of TikTok, the creators should use their platform for good and make it clear on the harm these comments and “jokes” have on people. If creators are vocal about the harm caused by these comments and make it clear that these behaviors are not okay then, then can spark a larger conversation about the need for more responsible content. By doing this, they can raise awareness as well as model a more inclusive culture for the young audience, showing that humor can be fun while not putting people down.
There are already people doing their part and spreading the word but the problem is these people don’t have as big of a platform and must rely on the TikTok algorithm to get their video on people’s feed. With Vine the people making the stereotypes themselves were the biggest Influencers on the app. They also repeatedly made videos like that because it was deemed funny and a joke. To put it into comparison, a creator that made similar content on vine, King Bach could be compared to Charlie D’Amelio in terms of popularity.
Some may think that casual racism is “exaggerated”, is “not an issue anymore”, and creators shouldn’t focus on something that isn’t relevant and should make their regular content. But, these comments harm people and addressing it promotes a safer, more inclusive environment.
From the perspective of a Sophomore at Olympia High School, and also a person of color, I often hear these jokes and think about how untrue it is. It is not fair that anyone should be hearing these jokes and having to play it off because it is “just a joke” as they say. I believe that it starts with major creators educating the world about this topic.
