Would you make a joke to someone about someone's physical characteristic?

Would you make a joke to someone about someone's physical characteristic?​


Didn't realize this thread was about a specific situation

But
in reference to the title;

yes, if we're buds
With close friends, that's pretty much all we do

Skin color
hair color
hair do
no hair
face
ears
height
blubber
skinniness
clothing
breath
nose size
size of other things.....

It relieves hard work
takes yer minds off tedious or horrific tasks

and.....

it's fun
 

debodun said:
At the weekday Bible study this week, the pastor felt he had to mention that if someone "different" comes to a service, nobody should call them out on it. He's trying to get a woman that is well over 6 feet tall to come to the service and she is very self-conscious about her height. No comments like "How's the weather up there?" or "Could you get in the doorway without having to bend over?" I was surprised he even had to mention it. You'd think he saw the congregation as a bunch of kindergartners.
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My cousin is over six feet tall, entered a beauty contest and won Miss St. Louis. :giggle: I thought tall was in now that people are becoming taller anyway?
 
Aunt Bea said:
IMO it says something about the pastor.

He has obviously given some thought to the fact that this woman is different instead of openly welcoming her without hesitation or reservation.

Adults should be responsible for their own behavior without having someone else setting the standard or imposing their views on them.

It reminds me of people who are somehow embarrassed by the actions of a parent or spouse.

Another adult’s behavior is no reflection on me.
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The way I see it, the pastor was paving the way for the woman to feel comfortable since her self-consciousness about her height is keeping her from joining groups.
 

He was probably just awkwardly trying to let people know that the lady was sensitive about her height, did not do it very well.

I think most people assume that tall people are proud of their height, but I guess some are not. I am well under 6 feet tall, but have always appreciated tall women (short ones too).

Sat next to Shawn Bradley on an airplane once, he is 7 ft 6 inch (2.25 m), very impressive. He was a nice guy, just joked about it a little.
 
Hollow said:
t must be tiresome having to draw attention to unusual physical things first though, in order to deflect any unwanted comments. Almost like a "yeah, I know...so don't say anything please cos I've heard it all before"
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If I was the tall lady and some Christian mentioned my stature, I'd prolly say something like 'Yeah, and I'm a midget compared to Eve'
 
Something is going on in the church and I can only speculate on what it is since my attendance has been sporadic recently because of medical issues. Some people that have been charter members have left (even some that held offices) and the pastor may feel he is losing control, so one way to maintain it is to dictate behavior. Like I said I can only guess what is going on and it may have something to do with an inter-racial couple that started attending. I can't believe such pettiness would cause an upheaval! Anyone that wanted to come to church or Bible study should be welcomed with open arms. We need members!
 
The pastor may have been well-meaning to advise the congregation of someone's else's sensitivities to being different, but at the same time it's pointing the finger behind that person's back which makes everyone look and notice something they may never have given a thought to.

His sermon should only have talked about everyone's differences as a whole and how we are called not to judge others and using scriptural reference...not using an absent member as reference.

I've always been uncomfortable with the practice in adult sunday school classes and fellowship groups to "share" about a member who needs their prayers about their issues when they aren't present. I smacks of "well-meaning" gossip to me. Only the individuals should request their own need for prayers.
 
debodun said:
Sometimes the person him/herself starts it. In the church I used to attend, there was a woman who was undergoing chemo and had lost her hair. She was always self-deprecating about it. One day I said to her, "At least you don't have to worry about having a bad hair day." She laughed and never said anything about her hair again. She passed away about 6 months after that.
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A catch with self-deprecating, though, is it can cause a person to start feeling bad about himself/herself.
Nobody should feel obligated to put themselves down just to be a step ahead of somebody else who will do it.
 
debodun said:
Something is going on in the church and I can only speculate...can only guess what is going on and it may have something to do with an inter-racial couple that started attending....
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I've never seen an inter-racial couple looked down upon in a church, but I know we all, including Christians, are sinners and anything is possible regarding everything. It's just not the norm and scripturally unfounded. God would not be pleased to say the very least, and disobeying God will come with consequences...natural consequences would be the church losing members and funding.

Regarding my answer to the title of this thread...No.
 
Lara said:
I've never seen an inter-racial couple looked down upon in a church, but I know we all, including Christians, are sinners and anything is possible regarding everything. It's just not the norm and scripturally unfounded. God would not be pleased to say the very least, and disobeying God will come with consequences...natural consequences would be the church losing members and funding.

Regarding my answer to the title of this thread...No.
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Which are you referring to- interracial couples, or being looked down upon???
 
Expected no one would admit to doing so. But thinking out of the box will go against the grain.

Sure, but not in the way the OP intended haha. First will relate, I am not one that creates and tells jokes. What I will do is blurt out things to make others laugh. Generally avoid making public fun of others but might do so in limited ways among close associates.

With "someone's physical characteristic" that would be those women in the public that for the sake of attraction have various cosmetic surgery enhancements like massive breast implants, butt lifts, etc. Also those of either gender that do gross cosmetic surgery like Michael Jackson. And will openly criticize those with gross tattoos all over their body, especially on their faces. Anything that screams, I'm a badass criminal. Also would laugh at some bizarre hairstyles.
 
The pastor is still at it, remarking at the last two services not to point out odd physical characteristics or appearance of anyone new that may come to a service. I notice fewer and fewer people at services. The pre-service Bible study used to have 11 or 12 people attend - this past Sunday there were 4. I asked the secretary for a list of the prople on the board of dircetors and the officers. There used to be 6 people on thd board, now there's three and there a new vice president and treasurer. Something is going on of which I'm unaware.
 
I am a trans femoral amputee. In college my friends called me 'Long John,' short for 'Long John Silver'. Back then nobody asked or cared whether that would be offensive. Times have changed. Social norms have changed. This pastor guy sounds pretty clueless. I have no use for people like that. The same applies to churches in general, but that's a subject for another post.
 
To answer the title question, no, I would never bring attention to someone's physical attributes unless I were alone with a nice looking guy telling him how "cute" or "sexy" he was...........lol
 
debodun said:
Like I said I can only guess what is going on and it may have something to do with an inter-racial couple that started attending. I can't believe such pettiness would cause an upheaval!
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Is this couple still there? If so, the pastor may be defending them. He obviously is hearing nasty comments being said about somebody. He’s trying to do it indirectly by calling whatever these people are saying as jokes. No loss to the church if these jokesters are the ones that left.
 
I think the problem is (and this is just speculation on my part) that many people resent the pastor telling them how to behave, especially at every service and may see him a a control freak.

But there are adult bullies just at there is with children. They pick on someone that seems different or not in as what they see as "normal" like the jock that beats up on the nerd or the popular girl dishing on the less attractive classmate.
 
I am still puzzled what is going on in that church. This Sunday, I was the only one that showed up for the early Bible study (besides the teacher who, BTW, is the third one in 2 months). In addition, there was only about a quarter of the usual attendance. Even the pastor wasn't there - we had a guest speaker instead. Even key people like the secretary and some board members weren't in attendance.
 

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