Joking about a tragedy: Is it ok to do it?

Pighead · 20-03-2008 11:14AM #1

Pighead was googling "Hot American Actresses from the 60's" last evening when he came across (:cool:) Carol Burnett. Turns out she wasn't hot at all and she had absolutely no business sharing the same page with Raquel Welsh, Janet Leigh or Natelie Wood but there was a quote attributed to her that got Pighead out of his frisky mood and into a more reflective chin stroking kind of mood.

It read "Comedy is tragedy plus time" Do you agree with this? Is everything fair game to be subjected to comedy? Is there a recommended time period you should wait after a tragedy before it becomes ok to laugh and joke about or should tragedy and comedy never mix?

Theres been a lot of jokes on boards that have been considered a bit too close to the bone regarding certain tragedies of late. The Maddie situation and 6th not getting the After Hours modding job being two that spring to mind. So is it ok to laugh about this sort of stuff or should we have more respect?

LadyE · 20-03-2008 11:16AM

No way Jose. Have a bit of respect.

Himself not getting the modding job is hardly a tragedy!!!

Karl Hungus · 20-03-2008 11:17AM

No way Jose. Have a bit of respect.

It's perfectly ok to joke about anything. There should be nothing off-limits to joke about. Everything is funny in the context of a joke.

Collie D · 20-03-2008 11:17AM

He should have seen it coming to be honest

Hail 2 Da Chimp · 20-03-2008 11:17AM

All of the above.

I think you have to wait 27 years before you can joke about something really bad...

Pighead · 20-03-2008 11:18AM

No way Jose. Have a bit of respect.

LadyE wrote: »

Himself not getting the modding job is hardly a tragedy!!!

Try telling himself that. As Pigheads neighbour once told him "One mans tragedy is another mans treasure" It was something like that anyway.

circles · 20-03-2008 11:19AM

No way Jose. Have a bit of respect.

Either everything's ok to joke about or nothing is.

Just ask the manatees...

Collie D · 20-03-2008 11:19AM

Pighead wrote: »

Try telling himself that. As Pigheads neighbour once told him "One mans tragedy is another mans treasure" It was something like that anyway.

Was he bumming you at the time?

Pighead · 20-03-2008 11:21AM

No way Jose. Have a bit of respect.

Hail 2 Da Chimp wrote: »

I think you have to wait 27 years before you can joke about something really bad...

Good stuff. Pighead has a load of jokes about the Falklands War that hes been dying to share with people. One more year to go then.

Pighead · 20-03-2008 11:24AM

No way Jose. Have a bit of respect.

Collie D wrote: »

Was he bumming you at the time?

Who said Pigheads neighbour was a he?

As Pigheads other neighbour once told him "That Collie D lads a presumptious little fcuker isn't he?"

Collie D · 20-03-2008 11:24AM

Hail 2 Da Chimp wrote: »

I think you have to wait 27 years before you can joke about something really bad...

So the Iran-Iraq war, assassination of Lennon and the biggest tragedy of all - my birth into a non-extremely minted family are all fair game.

How embarrassing, I thought it was 2007 - ah, back to bed for me

Collie D · 20-03-2008 11:25AM

Pighead wrote: »

Who said Pigheads neighbour was a he?

As Pigheads other neighbour once told him "That Collie D lads a presumptious little fcuker isn't he?"

Wasn't being presumptious. The quote was "one man's treasure" Gotta work with the fact in front of you. Oh and there's plenty of ammunition in my last post for you, fire away

Dragan · 20-03-2008 11:25AM

No way Jose. Have a bit of respect.

Karl Hungus wrote: »

It's perfectly ok to joke about anything. There should be nothing off-limits to joke about. Everything is funny in the context of a joke.

+1

thelordofcheese · 20-03-2008 11:26AM

No way Jose. Have a bit of respect.

Everything is fair game for jokes, though there is a difference between actual jokes and people just trying to be shocking/controversial.

Earthhorse · 20-03-2008 11:31AM

Karl Hungus wrote: »

It's perfectly ok to joke about anything. There should be nothing off-limits to joke about. Everything is funny in the context of a joke.

I disagree with the last part of your statement. Not everything is funny. However, nothing should be off limits, as such.

Setun · 20-03-2008 11:43AM

I heard there are things joked about in the super-sekrit Lolocaust that are so shocking they would give the average pedestrian mind cancer.

Mahatma coat · 20-03-2008 11:56AM

No way Jose. Have a bit of respect.

nothing is off limits, but there are the socially imposed limits of taste and class:)

kev_s88 · 20-03-2008 11:58AM

All of the above.

yeah you're not far off there.

Pighead · 20-03-2008 12:02PM

No way Jose. Have a bit of respect.

Mahatma coat wrote: »

nothing is off limits, but there are the socially imposed limits of taste and class:)

Give Pighead an example of what the lolocausters lol at. Do they make fun of boards stuff (like togsters posts) or is it a more general kind of lolling?

ojewriej · 20-03-2008 12:05PM

Some of you say that everything should be fair game- but would you try to make some Katie French jokes in front of her family?

I used to think that everything should be ok to laugh at too, but started to question that recently. Someone I know well, got a pretty serious health scare, was waiting for test results for two weeks. He used to be first to slag everything, so i made a crack about his illness. It didn't go down well, and I felt like crap. So that made me think. I think it all depends on your audience.

Also some jokes are always distastefull, no matter what, they also reveal ignorance of a person telling them. Negro jokes spring to my head here. I think they are quite pathetic.

Setun · 20-03-2008 12:06PM

Pighead wrote: »

Give Pighead an example of what the lolocausters lol at. Do they make fun of boards stuff (like togsters posts) or is it a more general kind of lolling?

I heard there are more LMAOs and ROFL than lols tbh

6th · 20-03-2008 12:36PM

After a certain length of time its ok.

Pighead wrote: »

6th not getting the After Hours modding job

I dont think I'll ever get over it ... oh wait.

Collie D · 20-03-2008 12:39PM

Magic and Illusion...ah I genuinely lolled

navin.r.johnson · 20-03-2008 12:41PM

Cracking a joke is essentially making what your conscious of ridiculous. It's really a matter of taste not context. If your social conscience and that of those around you are on the same wavelength then laugh at/make the gag. A good example of this tragi-comedy is the eulogy John Cleese made at Graham Chapmans funeral.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkxCHybM6Ek

Setun · 20-03-2008 12:41PM

I just heard Gerry Ryan describe the ebola virus as Vomito Negro. Should that be off-limits?

maybe we should just ban the Ryanline in general.

Pighead · 20-03-2008 12:43PM

No way Jose. Have a bit of respect.

Don't mind him 6th. Pighead for one is genuinely delighted that you've finally succeeded in achieving your long standing ambition to be a boards moderator.

Pighead hears the other boardsies giggling and saying stuff like "Magic and Illusion is probably the most pointless forum on boards" or "6th only pretends he likes magic. He's created this illusion so he can gain mod status" Begrudgers the lot of them.

Pigheads sure you'll make a wonderful mod and from now on you will be getting a lot more respect from this keyboard.

HammerHeadGym · 20-03-2008 12:49PM

No way Jose. Have a bit of respect.

Yep. Either everything is ok or you are a fucking hypocrite.

And a rapist.

Dudess · 20-03-2008 12:55PM

No I don't think everything is fair game for humour. Cracking jokes about the holocaust = being a c*nt.

Collie D · 20-03-2008 12:56PM

Dudess wrote: »

No I don't think everything is fair game for humour. Cracking jokes about the holocaust = being a c*nt.

Technically that could include naming a forum Lolocaust

DubArk · 20-03-2008 01:03PM

All of the above.

ojewriej wrote: »

Some of you say that everything should be fair game- but would you try to make some Katie French jokes in front of her family?

Nothing is ever off limits as long as you choose your audience well and you get your timing right! Don’t over analyse it. You’re hardly going to Crack a joke about Katie French in front of her family because then you’re just stupid!!

ojewriej · 20-03-2008 01:14PM

DubArk wrote: »

Nothing is ever off limits as long as you choose your audience well and you get your timing right! Don’t over analyse it. You’re hardly going to Crack a joke about Katie French in front of her family because then you’re just stupid!!

KF was just an example. What if you want to crack a gay joke? Can you be sure that no one listening is gay?

You are right though, it's all down to knowing your audience.

Joking about a tragedy: Is it ok to do it?

Joking about tragedy: Is it ok? 128 votes

Comments