Where do you draw the line with comedy?

Potential-Monke

After a bit of a heated exchange with a work colleague on this very topic. Is there a line in comedy? If so, where do you draw it? Are there certain topics you personally do not find funny, or do you believe in everything being fair game? Do you think that fresh, possibly horrific incidents which happen should be excluded from comedy, or how long afterwards can it be joked about? 22.3 years maybe?

I love playing devils advocate in a range of issues, and I rarely get a kick from the joke, but rather the reaction to the joke. Sometimes this causes me to come across as a bit of a dick, but meh, don't care. The exchange myself and a colleague had came after a joke about paedophilia. Most people have probably heard a paedo joke or 2, and it is a topic that is regularly joked about. So there was a joke, we all laughed. Then there were more taboo jokes, and one I made seemed to rub one of my colleagues the wrong way.

My joke was about cancer. Said colleague had a family member who was affected by it and let their butthurt be known. They didn't really have a comeback when I said 'What if someone here was affected by paedophilia, but it's ok to joke about that?', to which the reply was 'no one here was affected...'.

Queue the outrage when I tried to defend my personal viewpoint that either everything is fair game, or nothing is fair game. That, imo, is the fairest way to handle comedy. Some people laugh at jokes that others find disgusting, and vice versa. I don't believe it's fair for people to laugh at, say, paedo jokes, but you can't make cancer jokes. Both are extremely horrible experiences, but as paedophilia is not as rampant (I hope) as cancer, more people laugh at it.

So where are your lines? I don't have any anymore, and if I think something is funny, I'll laugh. If i don't, I won't, but I won't attack the person who said it, or the people who laugh at it. I find that the comedians who play on the edge of socially acceptable are funnier, but not taking away from the 'clean' comedians either. Jim Jeffries, Franky Boyle, Richard Pryor in his day, George Carlin, etc, the ones who push the boundaries of comedy.

And I know some of those are probably hated by people on here, but comedy is a personal preference. I'm sure there are comedians other people like that I hate, so each to their own and all that.

Sonny noggs

OP, does the following ring a bell:

I stopped at 1.25. Everything was fairly ok until then, when the child wearing a dress lies on the ground and spreads his legs like a porn star... Couldn't keep watching. That's just sick.

Yamanoto

Potential-Monke wrote: »

Where do you draw the line with comedy?

Jason Byrne

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

KikiLaRue

When you're at work, I wouldn't make jokes on anything like rape, paedos, cancer etc. You're in a professional environment, it's not the time or the place. If I was you, I'd apologise to the colleague in quesion, you were out of line.

Outside of work, I have no limits on topics, but it depends what the subject and object of the joke are. I have no problem with a rape joke, but I'd probably laugh at a joke at the expense of a rapist and find a joke at the expense of a rape victim really distasteful.

Sonny noggs

Yamanoto wrote: »

Jason Byrne

That Spittle one, or that one caught without a train ticket...Maeve something of other.

c.p.w.g.w

Sonny noggs wrote: »

OP, does the following ring a bell:

I stopped at 1.25. Everything was fairly ok until then, when the child wearing a dress lies on the ground and spreads his legs like a porn star... Couldn't keep watching. That's just sick.

Brass eye is proper funny, if that offends you. You are just too sensitive

Charles Ingles

What was the joke? Let's hear it .,,,
Also only one topic is off limits when it comes to comedy and that's feminism.
Male comedians use jokes about feminism as a passive aggressive way to mock women.

Gimme A Pound

It's hard to say. There are some bad taste jokes that I'd find hilarious, and others I'd view as sh1tty form. Neither response is voluntary.

I think it's more than just the topic - other factors come into play like context, intent, audience, whose expense it's at, how clever/witty it is (as opposed to being just "wah, look at me I'm a mad yoke!)

I dislike that "either everything is funny or nothing is funny" thing though. It's stupid imo. It's like saying everything is sad or nothing is sad. What people find and don't find funny is just a case of individual preference, but I will say that jokes about e.g. child abuse don't necessarily mean the comedian is ok with child abuse or blase about it. Sometimes jokes are excellent forms of attack, and humour is a way to cope.

Equally though, there are people who get a right laugh out of being just nasty. That's where my line is, I guess. It can be blurry though.

You can tell a joke about any subject. You can't expect everybody to laugh. You can't expect that nobody will be offended, unless you stick to PG humour.

Charles Ingles

Sonny noggs wrote: »

That Spittle one, or that one caught without a train ticket...Maeve something of other.

Rte comedians don't count.
Rte roll out these "stars" forced them down our necks for years.
Fred Cook, Neil Delamare, spittle , Bernard o Shea and twink all part of the rte comedy machine

greencap

free to say whatever you like, long as its not libelous or in breach of the law.

after that its personal taste.

i'd personally not be into edgy jokes that don't leave a little time between some tragic event and the joke. proximity is the issue there.

amy schumer joking about ryan dunn at steve o's roast is a good example, you can say what you like nobody will stop you, but even in a roast people will still know good taste from bad.

J. Marston

I don't like jokes about school shootings.

Although they're usually aimed at a younger audience.

paw patrol

I generally think everything is fair game and I would be against an censorship but I did think frankie boyle was a dick when he was slagging Jordan's kid Harvey.
It was a targeted slag against somebody specific who clearly has issues and isn't able to defend himself.

Spanish Eyes

Comedy is not funny anymore. Too many trying to push the boundaries to try and make us laugh, when in fact I cringe most of the time.

I used to like it, but not so much anymore. Well the current crop anyway.

There is a lot out there from years back that were fkn hilarious without the need for breaking any boundaries.

Sonny noggs

c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

Brass eye is proper funny, if that offends you. You are just too sensitive

Nothing to do with brass eye. It is a post the OK made earlier. Seems like a double standard to me.

TheValeyard

Everything is fair game for comedy. To each their own.

I loved all comedy. Everything. But then I lost a daughter, so I switch off when dead baby jokes get said.


Comedy, like all art forms is extremely subjective, but should never be censored.

grindle

Charles Ingles wrote: »

Also only one topic is off limits when it comes to comedy and that's feminism.

Nah, some of their carry-on is well overblown, and yet...

Charles Ingles wrote: »

Male comedians use jokes about feminism as a passive aggressive way to mock women.

This is generally true. Most comedians are lazy as fúck - christ, most people are lazy as and are looking for an easy laugh or an easy way to finish whatever task they're paid for. Most feminists also being lazy thinkers (generally), they should expect criticism. There are plenty of feminists who think a man giving his thoughts these days is an insult to whatever their cause is, even if - or especially if - it's in support of their cause! Which I consider an insult to being human, as that's how I'd like to think of people rather than thinking of the opposite sex as some mystical fúckhole I'm not being granted access to.

That sort of feminism (4th wave?) is gone beyond typical chauvinist limits at this stage. Was reading some terrible **** in the Express today about a perceived dearth of feminism and female empowerment in GoT, christ - it's a fictional world but with medieval tropes, of course there's sexism! This despite most of the strong characters whether good or bad being women.

Pac1Man

There never was and never will be a comedic line that can't be crossed.

Whether they are funny or not is a different question but the subject matter can and should be about absolutely anything.

Gimme A Pound

Deleted User wrote: »

I loved all comedy. Everything. But then I lost a daughter, so I switch off when dead baby jokes get said.

Nothing could ever make me find a dead baby joke funny. Wtf...

Nor jokes at the expense of disabled people.

meeeeh

I'm not a joke person and I find people telling jokes tedious. Some stand up routines are an exception when they are well done and have something interesting to say but I much prefer people who are capable of witty conversation.
So more likely than offended or horrified I will just get bored regardless the subject.

gordongekko

Deirdre o Kane

grindle

gordongekko wrote: »

Deirdre o Kane

Ah now.

Where do you draw the line with comedy?

SEPT 23 1989

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I loved all comedy. Everything. But then I lost a daughter, so I switch off when dead baby jokes get said.


Comedy, like all art forms is extremely subjective, but should never be censored.

Totally agree

You would put the comedian through the wall but would you stop them performing

No

Irish Guitarist

I draw the line when someone is just being a prick under the pretense of telling a joke. Like Frankie Boyle and that 'joke' about Katie Prices disabled son raping her. It wasn't even a sick joke. It was just sick. Then he has the gall to whine about Jeremy Clarkson telling a racist joke.

Lord Glentoran

Leave it to Mrs O’Brien.

Like a comedy series that would appear in-universe in Father Ted, but actually ran to two series on RTÉ in the eighties.

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2016/0331/778611-leave-it-to-mrs-obrien/

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

As long as the humour is at observant and not just a sly dig at someone based on race or whatever.

Sometimes you get these really **** jokes that are 90% and 10% humour. That I can personally do without, thank you very much.

Gimme A Pound

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

I draw the line when someone is just being a prick under the pretense of telling a joke. Like Frankie Boyle and that 'joke' about Katie Prices disabled son raping her. It wasn't even a sick joke. It was just sick. Then he has the gall to whine about Jeremy Clarkson telling a racist joke.

That is the exact example I always think about. What a prick.

If there was any wit or intelligence or a point being made, but it was literally just "look at me, I'm mad!"

Katie is probably a piece of work but her son can be left out of it.

kunst nugget

Let's be honest, going on what the OP talked about in the opening post, this should really be about 'where do you draw the line when telling jokes in the workplace?'

If you go to a comedy club and someone tells a joke about cancer or dead kids or whatever, if you storm out of the place complaining about being offended then you're being a dick. I don't believe in censoring people in a situation like that.

But if you've a family member who has cancer and you're upset about it, it's probably not going to be nice to hear some edgelord colleague in your workplace making jokes about cancer. It probably wouldn't help if they start arguing with you about their right to tell whatever jokes they want when you tell them it upsets you.

It's really not about where you draw the line in comedy in that instance but when to have a little understanding of what the people around you are going through. You usually have to see these people five days a week, why be an asshat to them?

ILoveYourVibes

Potential-Monke wrote: »

After a bit of a heated exchange with a work colleague on this very topic. Is there a line in comedy? If so, where do you draw it? Are there certain topics you personally do not find funny, or do you believe in everything being fair game? Do you think that fresh, possibly horrific incidents which happen should be excluded from comedy, or how long afterwards can it be joked about? 22.3 years maybe?

I love playing devils advocate in a range of issues, and I rarely get a kick from the joke, but rather the reaction to the joke. Sometimes this causes me to come across as a bit of a dick, but meh, don't care. The exchange myself and a colleague had came after a joke about paedophilia. Most people have probably heard a paedo joke or 2, and it is a topic that is regularly joked about. So there was a joke, we all laughed. Then there were more taboo jokes, and one I made seemed to rub one of my colleagues the wrong way.

My joke was about cancer. Said colleague had a family member who was affected by it and let their butthurt be known. They didn't really have a comeback when I said 'What if someone here was affected by paedophilia, but it's ok to joke about that?', to which the reply was 'no one here was affected...'.

Queue the outrage when I tried to defend my personal viewpoint that either everything is fair game, or nothing is fair game. That, imo, is the fairest way to handle comedy. Some people laugh at jokes that others find disgusting, and vice versa. I don't believe it's fair for people to laugh at, say, paedo jokes, but you can't make cancer jokes. Both are extremely horrible experiences, but as paedophilia is not as rampant (I hope) as cancer, more people laugh at it.

So where are your lines? I don't have any anymore, and if I think something is funny, I'll laugh. If i don't, I won't, but I won't attack the person who said it, or the people who laugh at it. I find that the comedians who play on the edge of socially acceptable are funnier, but not taking away from the 'clean' comedians either. Jim Jeffries, Franky Boyle, Richard Pryor in his day, George Carlin, etc, the ones who push the boundaries of comedy.

And I know some of those are probably hated by people on here, but comedy is a personal preference. I'm sure there are comedians other people like that I hate, so each to their own and all that.

Its your intent.

Yes some jokes might hurt my feelings etc I don't say anything though. If the person didn't want to be mean i realize its just I am a sensitive person. And its good to be sensitive.

But because im sensitive i dont want to make the person telling the joke feel bad either.

And remember the best jokes don't punch up .....don't punch the underdog or people going through ****.

Punch successful people!

I am trying not to be overly sensitive though. Its very hard for me though.

buckwheat

There are limits to my comedy. There are things that I'll never laugh at. The handicapped. Because there's nothing funny about them. Or any deformity. It's like when you see someone look at a little handicapped and go 'ooh, look at him, he's not able-bodied. I am, I'm prejudiced.' Yeah, well, at least the little handicapped fella is able-minded. Unless he's not, it's difficult to tell with the wheelchair ones.

How Soon Is Now

If it makes me laugh that's good enough for me!

Mrcaramelchoc

Negro jokes.

freshpopcorn

Jokes don't really bother me at all.
In the work place you have to be careful.

When I was in sixth class Roebrt Holohan went missing and when we came back after Christmas the principal gave us this speech about how we must be afraid/erc. All I remember was people telling jokes about it.

Very interesting thread, OP.

I wonder what exactly you mean by drawing the line. From your OP, I guess you're referring to the line between good taste and bad.

For me, that choice is entirely personal and can be justified on both sides of 'the line'.

I don't think anything should be prohibited, but I recognise that from my own perspective bad taste certainly exists. And my bad taste is another man's treasure, or so I think the saying goes.

In short, let's decide for ourselves what we choose to find funny, and f*ck anyone who seeks to impose the humour police on us.

Nevertheless, that doesn't mean that public utterances should be immune from public criticism when hiding under the protective cloak of humour. By all means, make bad jokes, but don't expect to be shielded from criticism in return. Nobody should ban a bad joke, but neither ban criticism of it.

KikiLaRue

OP are you going to tell us the joke?

BeerWolf

Everyone's humour differs, no line should be drawn. That being said you need to be tactful with who you joke with.

milehip

KikiLaRue wrote: »

When you're at work, I wouldn't make jokes on anything like rape, paedos, cancer etc. You're in a professional environment, it's not the time or the place. If I was you, I'd apologise to the colleague in quesion, you were out of line.

Outside of work, I have no limits on topics, but it depends what the subject and object of the joke are. I have no problem with a rape joke, but I'd probably laugh at a joke at the expense of a rapist and find a joke at the expense of a rape victim really distasteful.

Apologise for what exactly?

Everyone knows someone who's had some form of cancer, colleague needs to grow up or grow a pair.

Life does not cease to be funny when people die anymore than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.

Capt'n Midnight

Lord Glentoran wrote: »

Leave it to Mrs O’Brien.

Like a comedy series that would appear in-universe in Father Ted, but actually ran to two series on RTÉ in the eighties.

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2016/0331/778611-leave-it-to-mrs-obrien/

Legend has it they managed to export it to Nigeria.

kunst nugget

milehip wrote: »

Apologise for what exactly?

Everyone knows someone who's had some form of cancer, colleague needs to grow up or grow a pair.

Life does not cease to be funny when people die anymore than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.

It's a work environment, it's not being down in the pub. You should have the maturity to act in a professional manner in your job and not piss off your colleagues. There's topics I won't bring up or jokes I won't say in work because I'm cognisant of the fact that they could offend.

KikiLaRue

milehip wrote: »

Apologise for what exactly?

Everyone knows someone who's had some form of cancer, colleague needs to grow up or grow a pair.

Life does not cease to be funny when people die anymore than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.

For making an insensitive joke and then starting an argument over it.

There's a difference between being at work and being in the pub with your mates, or on stage at a comedy gig. Most workplaces have some kind of dignity and respect policy, employees are expected to maintain a certain standard of decorum.

OP could well face a meeting with HR if he doesn't handle the situation properly.

lbc2019

Everyone that thinks they are all edgy and witty like Brasseye are usually unfunny people that can't judge the mood.

Yeah, yer Ricky Gervais... no, no your not.

milehip

KikiLaRue wrote: »

For making an insensitive joke and then starting an argument over it.

There's a difference between being at work and being in the pub with your mates, or on stage at a comedy gig. Most workplaces have some kind of dignity and respect policy, employees are expected to maintain a certain standard of decorum.

OP could well face a meeting with HR if he doesn't handle the situation properly.

I've reread the op post a few times and from what I can piece together there was other taboo jokes being thrown about previous to the 'cancer joke' that caused offence,
if colleague didn't take offence at those previous jokes, seems to me like diginity and respect have already gone out the window, they've surrendered their right to take offence they can't really go bringing HR into it.




Now if the 'cancer joke' was at the start of the routine and they took umbrage straight away I'd see your point.

I'd change jobs sooner that apologise to that hypocrite.


Edit: I'd like it if the op would clarify the situation more clearly. How many where present?
Location? Time? Did the colleague in question tell any edgy jokes themselves?

lbc2019

Also, OP, I thought you didn't care? Seems like you do tho.

How Soon Is Now

Ive never heard a joke that i felt offended by in fairness.


I take the piss out of ''serious'' subjects all the time.


If you find something funny no matter the subject your brain obviously has that capacity.

kunst nugget

kunst nugget wrote: »

There's topics I won't bring up or jokes I won't say in work because I'm cognisant of the fact that they could offend.

and if you should accidentally offend, then what might happen?

There's nothing wrong with being courteous, it's very commendable, but it's quite another thing to carry on in a state of concern that something you say might offend, when it clearly wasn't intended.

There's so much talk these days of snowflakes, which is an overused, mildly hysterical term. I don't think the problem lies at all with so-called snowflakes, whose very existence I doubt, but with people who barely dare to speak at all for fear of upsetting some Unidentified Frightened Objects.

People are a lot more hardy than we often assume.

kunst nugget

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

and if you should accidentally offend, then what might happen?

Then I apologise and move on. It's not that hard.

I get on well with all the people I work with and we all have a good chat and a laugh but at the end of the day I'm not employed to test the boundaries of comedy in the workplace. After working over 10 years there, I know everyone's history and issues they have so I use a bit of common sense in terms of what I might say to certain people. That doesn't mean I walk around the office perpetually afraid of accidentally offending someone.

kunst nugget

kunst nugget wrote: »

Then I apologise and move on. It's not that hard.

That's quite fair, but I wasn't so much asking about any negative repercussions for you, as someone making a potentially offensive joke, as for them. Sometimes people will be shocked by a particularly outrageous joke, and they might even articulate that shock as revulsion. But soon, being human, it is forgotten about and it causes no residual harm to anybody.

Perhaps I'm reading your post too literally, but you seem to indicate that your reaction to someone else's offence is to apologise. What if that offence is irrational, or is in bad faith?

After all, human beings are not only equal in our capacity to do great things, but in our capacity to be spiteful and nasty.

More often than not, my jokes are terrible. Sometimes they are even offensive or, at least, could be construed as such. Rarely, they might even be maliciously construed as such.

I don't really disagree with a lot of what you are saying, I think you sound very courteous. I'd just be slightly more wary than you, I think, about an encroaching passivity in humour, where we are so preoccupied with being inoffensive that we cease to find joy and laughter in even the darkest aspects of human existence.

Andrew00

Comedy and jokes about sex are the best imo