Not too long ago, I overheard the following joke, which I am reproducing here to the best of my ability.
A man on his deathbed is given a few moments with his closest business associates. He calls them close to him and says: "When I die, I ask that you put in my coffin an envelope with $100 -- as a gesture of our business relationship and the generosity that we've always shown each other." All three men readily agree and they spend the rest of the time talking about more pleasant things. When a few days later the man dies, his business associates follow-through with their promise. First one approaches the coffin and places an envelope with cash inside. When he sits down, the second associate gets up and places his envelope next to the first. Finally, the last of the men, the Jewish partner, approaches the coffin. He removes the two envelopes inside and places them in his own pocket, replacing them with a single envelope containing a $300 check.
Never mind if it’s funny. The question is: Is it racist or anti-Semitic?
And how should we decide?
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