Wondering whether some thin skinned 18 year old might find it offensive. That joke, contextualized as it was AT THE TIME, should not offend a reasonable, well-adjusted person.

Jokes about stereotypes and different cultures is something that’s pretty universal the world over. Even in the Middle East, which has a reputation for - let’s call it prickliness - about cultural criticism, educated people have no issues making those kinds of jokes, and in fact it’s often an ice breaker when meeting people from different cultures. I’m sure some of those jokes wouldn’t go over so well in the slums of Islamabad, but in places like Dubai, Muscat, Bahrain—even places like Beirut, Istanbul, etc. it’s very common.

I think the larger point is that colleges and universities shouldn’t be places where people are walking on egg shells. The professor should be able to say something like “I appreciate a student telling me that he felt uncomfortable, and I’ll be sure to keep that in mind when teaching this course again next year” or something like that.
[Post edited by CharlestonSC at 11/24/2020 11:05AM]