Ah, was that the gist of kkkktttt's post? I was wondering if anyone would para-phrase that for those of us not quite up to that level... Unfortunately I have seen a few shows that make fun of Japanese people...I have rarely found humor in jokes based upon stereotypes... they tend to make me feel uncomfortable... for those being make fun of...

I like Mikawa Ossan's comment "The question as I see it is, when is a joke just a joke, and when does it cross the border into racism?"

I was born half English / half American. I got the best of both worlds, yet I am an outsider to both... Both American's and English say I have a funny way of speaking... I will use English words American's have never heard of and visa versa. The people at work think it is the funniest thing on the planet... and I just don't get the humor... but I think it may have something to do with the unexpected in an otherwise boring situation... They certainly don't intend to be hurtful...

Comercialized humor on television is different though... they know exactly what they are doing and calculate the profits accordingly... I am not there so I cannot judge... but I have seen riotously funny Japanese shows that have only Japanese in them...

Maciamo, I can feel the strength of your concerns through the words you use in your posts... it is almost as if you are angry... perhaps you are expecting the Japanese people you know to act a certain way and when they don't you get frustrated... thinking they should know 'me' by now... is there no one you can talk to about it there?