[svachalek]

Look up minstrel shows, society has been like this for basically forever.

[blueflow]

I think if they weren't a taboo in the first place, saying them wouldn't be funny.

[bee_rider]

Was racism taboo when minstrel shows were popular? I don’t think it was…

There definitely are jokes that play with taboo subjects and derive the comedy from the sudden shock of the taboo thing. But other times people seem to just want to engage in the taboo for its own sake.