Comedian Frankie Boyle on Jordan & Harvey.

Paparazzo

I remember the outrage on boards.ie when Tommy Tirenan made his jokes. Joe Duffy devoted a show to it. No one with downs syndrome complained, some actually supported tommy. His point was the same as Jimmy Carrs, and one I agree with. Everyone is fair game. TT said that he talked about it with downs syndrome people, they feel much better gettin joked about than being a taboo subject that everyone walks on eggshells around.

super_furry

In fairness if Jordan didn't put her kids in the public eye in order to make money, this wouldn't even be an issue. She has made her kids celebrities of a sort, in order to sell magazines.

M.J.M.C

To roughly quote frankie boyle from his latest dvd:

"is this comedian being serious? this guy up on a stage telling jokes? does he mean them? telling jokes to make people laugh, is he being serious?"

Get a firm grip of yourself. If you don't like him ignore him.
It's not like this joke was said by a news reader on the news at 9. F**k sake man!
You know what to expect from him, so be an adult and make an adult decision to either watch him or not.

Truley

The first part of the joke was moderately funny but the last bit was a bit low, even for my taste. Still, I don't think there's anything illegal about it. You have to realise alot of Jordan's publicity revolves around badmouthing other celebrities and starting feuds; so she has no real moral right to turn around and complain when she's on the receiving end of essentially the same thing. Also the fact that she deliberatlely pimps her children to the media the way she does wont go in her favour.

Lemegeton

if Frankie made the joke against a decent person there may be an issue but against jordan, who is one of the most vile things on the planet, then its hilarious.
FFS her son is disabled because she still went out and got out of her skull on booze and drugs while pregnant.

I am siding with frankie on this one

Cantona's Collars

Let's ban all jokes in case they offend somebody,everybody is a target when it comes to telling jokes-from the mother in law to kerrymen so where do we draw the line?

pickarooney

macam girl wrote: »

His comments were disgusting:(- Anyone who thinks slagging off a disabled 7 year old child, needs to go in the corner and have a word with themselves.

Same for anyone slagging off schizophrenics.



(yeah, I know it doesn't mean Multiple Personality Disorder but it scans better).

Richard Noggin

I beleive absolutely everything is fair game in comedy. It's not as if he was giving genuine criticism, he was joking.He has made a career out of this and anyone who chooses to watch his stand-up should have a thick skin. Stop wasting your time getting offended by what a comedian says.

Donal Og O Baelach

Frankie has every right to say it, and people have every right to yell "W**ker!" at Frankie as he walks down the street.

Owwmykneecap

Namlub wrote: »

Is there someone I can complain to because he's painfully unfunny in general?

Here apparently, but only if you do it in an oh so indirect way.

maximoose

I really cant stand Frankie Boyle. I dont mind "shock-humour", as has been said plenty in this thread everything should be fair game. But when its every single second of your entire routine, and it goes as far as not even HAVING a routine and just firing out random insults at people in the crowd, its just pathetic and gets old very fast

Plus DVD and show titles like:

If I Could Reach Out Through Your TV And Strangle You I Would

and

I Would Happily Punch Every One Of You In The Face...

...say it all. Attention seeking knobhead

OutlawPete

L'prof wrote: »

In fairness, if you're at a Frankie Boyle gig, you know what to expect!

Eh, that's what my post eluded to.

I don't like his stuff and so I change channel if he's on and would never attend any of his gigs

Fighting Irish

whycliff wrote: »

Is this too much, too far.

No, it's comedy

whycliff wrote: »

I pissed myself laughing when I heard him say it, but that was it I thought no more about it.

When comedians take to the stage is it a free for all, should it be??

Yes it should be,and Frankie is class

L'prof

OutlawPete wrote: »

Eh, that's what my post eluded to.

I don't like his stuff and so I would change channel if he's on and wouldn't attend any of his gigs

It did? Eh...tl;dr

EDIT: I was actually just taking issue with you saying his show needed a disclaimer. People know Frankie Boyle. If the don't like him, they won't watch him, so no it won't offend a large portion of his audience because the ones that do watch won't take anything he says too seriously!

MistyCheese

Donal Og O Baelach wrote: »

Frankie has every right to say it, and people have every right to yell "W**ker!" at Frankie as he walks down the street.

Exactly, that's what I wish people would understand about Free Speech. It works both ways. Recently there was an article in Marie Claire where the authoer wrote about how disgusting she finds obese people. The article drew a lot of complaints and some people defended the author by saying "She has a right to say that if it's how she feels." True, and other people have the right to say that they disagree.

Maybe Free Speech is so taken for granted that the concept is now majorly misunderstood. It doesn't mean that no-one is allowed to express an opinion which differs from yours, everyone has an equal right to voice their opinion. In a society without Free Speech, the author of an offending article would be arrested, not merely disagreed with by a large number of people.

walshb

Boyle was never funny. Thrives on low life controversy. He also has some neck to be slagging off people defects, the scruffy dog.

EverEvolving

As some other posters have said already, Jordan has paraded him in the public eye since he was a baby. If you're in the public eye you are fair game for comedy.

Loads of other celebrities kids get it too - Bob Geldofs, the Osbournes, jeysus - he even took the pis out of baby P and Maddie.

almighty1

EverEvolving wrote: »

he even took the pis out of baby P and Maddie.

That really is taking to too f**king far. Vile bastrad.

Rookster

Everyone is assuming Harvey is the butt of the joke because he has a disability. Maybe it is because Harvey is black and Frankie Boyle is just a racist.

Holybejaysus

almighty1 wrote: »

That really is taking to too f**king far. Vile bastrad.

I think you'll find it was Kate and Gerry who took Maddie too far. Out to sea, that is... :eek:

almighty1

Holybejaysus wrote: »

I think you'll find it was Kate and Gerry who took Maddie too far. Out to sea, that is... :eek:

Whatever, the Baby P one is disgraceful. You obviously don't have kids or only have the mental capacity of one.

Lord Trollington

maximoose wrote: »

I really cant stand Frankie Boyle. I dont mind "shock-humour", as has been said plenty in this thread everything should be fair game. But when its every single second of your entire routine, and it goes as far as not even HAVING a routine and just firing out random insults at people in the crowd, its just pathetic and gets old very fast

Plus DVD and show titles like:

If I Could Reach Out Through Your TV And Strangle You I Would

and

I Would Happily Punch Every One Of You In The Face...

...say it all. Attention seeking knobhead

Attention seeking?

I suppose yeah your right, there are loads of comedians that make it big not getting attention and playing to empty venues.

Acacia

I usually find Frankie Boyle hilarious but this just made me feel a bit uneasy, tbh. I don't think it was particularly funny. I think he probably said it for shock value more than anything else... Is that a crime? No. But it's not exactly pleasant either and I can see why people would be offended over it.

I've no qualms with him making fun of an adult public figure like Jordan. However, Harvey is an innocent child... he didn't ask to be put in the limelight and so I don't think it's very fair to mock him in such a way on national television. I'm afraid Boyle has lost a bit of respect/admiration in my eyes. I've enjoyed 'offensive' jokes myself before but I feel this was a bit of a cheap shot.

I'm sure the usual cries of " But what about his precious freedom of speech?! Bawww!" have done the rounds in this thread. I can understand that viewpoint, but I also think people, especially Harvey's mother, have a right to be offended and complain about a joke made in bad taste about a disabled child.

Owwmykneecap

Acacia wrote: »

I usually find Frankie Boyle hilarious but this just made me feel a bit uneasy, tbh. I don't think it was particularly funny. I think he probably said it for shock value more than anything else... Is that a crime? No. But it's not exactly pleasant either and I can see why people would be offended over it.

I've no qualms with him making fun of an adult public figure like Jordan. However, Harvey is an innocent child... he didn't ask to be put in the limelight and so I don't think it's very fair to mock him in such a way on national television. I'm afraid Boyle has lost a bit of respect/admiration in my eyes. I've enjoyed 'offensive' jokes myself before but I feel this was a bit of a cheap shot.

I'm sure the usual cries of " But what about his precious freedom of speech?! Bawww!" have done the rounds in this thread. I can understand that viewpoint, but I also think people, especially Harvey's mother, have a right to be offended and complain about a joke made in bad taste about a disabled child.

That is exactly what they have. What they don't have is the right not to be offended.

BlaasForRafa

Acacia wrote: »

I'm sure the usual cries of " But what about his precious freedom of speech?! Bawww!" have done the rounds in this thread. I can understand that viewpoint, but I also think people, especially Harvey's mother, have a right to be offended and complain about a joke made in bad taste about a disabled child.

She has a right to ignore him and not listen to him, she dosen't have the right to say that he can't say what he said.

Captain Darling

Sh1t comedian. No originality. I'd switch off as quick as fcuk if i saw him. There are comedians out there who are a lot funnier with better material.

I watched some of his stuff before and i thought it was pathetic. Too much like shooting fish in a barrel.

Ash.J.Williams

As much i have enjoyed frankie over the years, if someone said something about my kids, i'd feel i have the right to punch them in the face....couldn't arsed about suing or anything...i wouldn't be upset or anything....just standing up for my family

Fluorescence

Tbh I thought the joke was about Jordan and Andre being crap parents rather than an attack on the child, but I do think a lot of Frankie Boyle's jokes have gotten more and more offensive and less witty over the years. It seems he wants that shock, "look at me, I say offensive stuff 'cause I can" rather than the wittier humour he showed in early MTW shows. I liked him most of the time on MTW but I can't stand his stand-up.

Ghost Buster

I did how ever enjoy his comment that The Concert for Diana was inappropriate. It should have been a gang bang in a mine field.:D

Acacia

Owwmykneecap wrote: »

That is exactly what they have. What they don't have is the right not to be offended.

Not sure what you're getting at here. People do have the right to not be offended or find the joke funny. I'm not saying they can't find it funny if they want to.

BlaasForRafa wrote: »

She has a right to ignore him and not listen to him, she dosen't have the right to say that he can't say what he said.

How can somebody ''not listen'' to their child being ridiculed on national television? I doubt many parents would take it lightly tbh.

In any case, isn't there a middle ground between just ignoring something and demanding censorship, though?

I personally don't agree with censoring Frankie Boyle, even if it was my child he was taking a cheap shot at. I would, however, let him know I was royally p1ssed at my child being used for a cheap laugh. I doubt he would care that he offended me and I wouldn't expect or even want him to be banned/ censored/ whatever. I wouldn't be content however with putting up with his jibe just because some people found it funny.

All I'm saying is I can understand where Jordan's coming from. I'm not saying Boyle didn't have the right ( in the legal sense) to say what he did.