If you go to England, you will hear jokes about the Irish, Scots and people from Whales. The point is that no matter where on the planet you live, people like to laugh at the differences between groups. This course does not advocate a society or a work place devoid of humor. Also recognize that what may seem funny to you is not necessarily funny to the group that the joke is about. The same holds true for every ethnic group, every nationality, religion and sexual preference.
Jokes are funny, and they have the ability to hurt people.
No one likes to think of himself or herself as being stupid, lazy, incompetent or prone to crime. Every group has a certain percentage of people who display these characteristics. None of us would like to be judged by other people in different groups based on negative and demeaning stereotypes. Therefore the first rule of the workplace is that humor that demeans another group does not belong in the workplace. The only way we as individuals can move past the stereotypes is to have more detailed files for individuals within each group.