Dark humour - how far is too far

Dravokivich · 13-04-2012 09:13AM

hmmm, it seems quite often the "dark" humour in AH gets misrepresented. Most of the time, it's to mock the idea of what's said within it, not to promote it.

Duggy747 · 13-04-2012 09:20AM

Everything besides paedo and dead baby jokes.

Primarily because they're shìt.

Rabidlamb · 13-04-2012 10:21AM

Humour can be found in any situation after a certain period, it's a human response to a difficult situation.
You don't make jokes about Tsunamis or Michael Jackson's death on the day they happen, there's always an acceptable reverential period before we joke about Diana on all over the radio.
After Hours would be a poor example anyway, never stray onto darker forums where anything goes if you've these sorts of sensibilities.

From a comedian POV I'd say Frankie Boyle strays a bit too far at times where Jim Jefferies or Gervais seem to get it just right.

Fizman · 13-04-2012 10:24AM

Ah there are one or two out there that provide a giggle every now and then.

dark crystal wrote: »

Personally, I don't find jokes about rape or paedophilia funny - ever. I've seen jokes in very bad taste get multiple thanks and been taken aback by what others find funny.

One good thing about paedophiles......at least they drive slowly past our schools.

fryup · 13-04-2012 10:25AM

Rabidlamb wrote: »

From a comedian POV I'd say Frankie Boyle strays a bit too far at times where Jim Jefferies or Gervais seem to get it just right.

ya, he can be OTT just for the shock value

MungBean · 13-04-2012 10:26AM

There is no line when it comes to humour. In the right context anything is funny no matter how disturbing or fcuked up.

batistuta9 · 13-04-2012 10:31AM

theg81der wrote: »

Hate all dark or crude humour and I think its just cheap. Jokes about Madeline McCann or war torn countries etc are just no where near funny, like funny left the room lifetimes ago.

forfuxsake wrote: »

Cancer isn't funny.
Aids ain't funny.
Death isn't funny.
Paedophile is definitely not funny.
Rape isn't funny.
Dead babies ain't funny.

Jokes about these things can be hilarious.

what did the blind, deaf & dumb girl get for christmas?

cancer

why did the girl fall of the swing?

she had no arms

AIDS = Ass Infected Don't Screw

Ellis Dee · 13-04-2012 10:39AM

I think anything goes. And I'm really disappointed no one has come up with a truly "sick" Titanic joke yet.:D:D:D

But, as the late Frank Carson famously pointed out, it's the way you tell 'em.:)

Shybookwormy · 13-04-2012 10:41AM

MungBean wrote: »

There is no line when it comes to humour. In the right context anything is funny no matter how disturbing or fcuked up.

I have to say I agree with this. It's all about how and when the joke is delivered... there's a little bit of funny in everything, you just have to find it.

Rabidlamb · 13-04-2012 10:42AM

Ellis Dee wrote: »

I think anything goes. And I'm really disappointed no one has come up with a truly "sick" Titanic joke yet.:D:D:D

But, as the late Frank Carson famously pointed out, it's the way you tell 'em.:)

The Irish celebrating we built a sub-standard vessel that killed 1,500 people is funny in a dark way.

forfuxsake · 13-04-2012 10:48AM

Rabidlamb wrote: »

The Irish celebrating we built a sub-standard vessel that killed 1,500 people is funny in a dark way.

The Titanic may have been built in Ireland but it was built by the British population. Our would have sunk on launch:D

azezil · 13-04-2012 10:53AM

I don't really have a line but I did feel myself and colleague may have gone a bit far this week joking about a guy who died last Friday.

I had repaired his work laptop a couple of weeks ago but while in the process of restoring his data noticed a lot of porn file names being transferred over, so I had to report it (some of it really freakin nasty!). There was a formal investigation in progress, security had taken a copy of his drive to get a full list of the contents which breach company policy.

Earlier this wee a site wide mail was sent out to inform us of his untimely demise, our conversation went like this:

colleague> well that's that solved then
me> was that porno guy?
colleague> yeah I believe so, let me check.... yup that was him!
me> hmmm, wonder if he died with his cock in his hand

We laughed.

holystungun9 · 13-04-2012 10:55AM

Did we not say 'black humour' once upon a time? Or is that racist now?

Confused in Alabama

dark crystal · 13-04-2012 11:08AM

Deus Ex Machina wrote: »

The only reason I wouldn't laugh at a joke would be because it's shït, never because of the subject matter.

Yep, and I have yet to hear a non-sh!t joke about paedophilia. In that sense, the subject matter doesn't tickle me at all.

Rabidlamb · 13-04-2012 11:15AM

There was a seriously sick joke that did the rounds last year about

Madeline McCann & Baby P

, easily the worst thing I'd ever heard.
I'm a father of 2 kids around the same age & I still laughed, I'm either depraved or humour knows no boundaries.

thebostoncrab · 13-04-2012 11:18AM

Rabidlamb wrote: »

There was a seriously sick joke that did the rounds last year about
Madeline McCann & Baby P
, easily the worst thing I'd ever heard.
I'm a father of 2 kids around the same age & I still laughed, I'm either depraved or humour knows no boundaries.

You can't post that without telling us the joke

Dudess · 13-04-2012 11:44AM

It's really down to the individual - and difficult not to be a hypocrite about. Some bad taste jokes have me in knots, others I find horrible. Generally the difference for me is clever and witty versus just being a dick, but there can be exceptions. Sometimes too, the appeal is how shocking the joke is rather than the joke itself.
You can't tell people what they should and shouldn't find funny though, it's not something they can control.

forfuxsake · 13-04-2012 11:49AM

I think jokes are fine as long as they are not about cancer, aids, alzheimers, children, death, accidents, paedophiles, terrorism,murder, rape, bestiality, religion, nationality, gender, disabled people, blind people, deaf people, overweight people, stupid people, ugly people, etc etc

Funglegunk · 13-04-2012 11:50AM

George Carlin was the man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FsfLPohZ_c

Mr.Biscuits · 13-04-2012 12:43PM

What I think some people miss is that when the joke is not at the expense of the condition/sufferer/tragic-event etc but more the circumstance, well then it's the very fact that it is not funny, which can be the reason why it is now funny.

Joan Rivers has many jokes about suicide for instance but given that she has been effected by it, I think she would be the last one to see suicide itself as being funny, it isn't and so the joke (usually) plays on that fact more than anything else.

At the end of the day it's what the premise of the joke is. If it's designed to belittle a illness, condition, tragic event or whatever - well then 99% of the time it's not going to be funny but if it's an intelligent play on words or just using an absurd slant where there is no real victim, then it can be very funny.

Some people have snooty sensibilities and the vast majority of time they are getting offended on behalf of someone else or set of people, usually who aren't even offended themselves.

TL;DR (to quote one of the best): "It's the way you tell 'em".

Jesus Shaves · 13-04-2012 12:45PM

The sicker the better

WoollyRedHat · 13-04-2012 12:48PM

--LOS-- wrote: »

I would say that suicide might be the one thing where I would draw the line

You obviously haven't seen Heathers.

frag420 · 13-04-2012 12:50PM

TwoBirds wrote: »

I'm not a huge fan of the tidal wave of jokes that inevitably come after the death of someone in the public eye. It goes for everyone - jokes about anyone recently deceased, or jokes about serious illness, not sound.

What about Tsunami jokes??

Those type of jokes are a cancer on AH!!

Dudess · 13-04-2012 12:51PM

To be fair, if people find the jokes horrible, that's simply how they feel and they're not always going out of their way to find offence. They've the right to find the jokes unfunny and tasteless just as those who have a right to find them funny.

Evie90 · 13-04-2012 01:20PM

I think there's a time and a place for dark humour and the majority of people get the timing and the place wrong so most of the time 'dark jokes' fall flat for me. In relation to what crosses the line, rape jokes are never funny imo I've yet to hear one that wasn't tasteless or just plain ****..... Like the 'there's no such thing as rape, it's just surprise sex' one is so over done and totally unfunny, I also find dead baby jokes fairly humourless.

Capt'n Midnight · 13-04-2012 07:20PM

Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.

Mel Brooks

Capt'n Midnight · 13-04-2012 07:24PM

Snowie wrote: »

I like bad taste, its funny.

A most excellent film especially when you consider it's budget www.imdb.com/title/tt0092610

Rabies · 13-04-2012 08:15PM

holystungun9 wrote: »

Did we not say 'black humour' once upon a time? Or is that racist now?

Confused in Alabama

Either can be used.

Same with movies.
Black/dark comedy.

wonderfulname · 13-04-2012 09:14PM

I only think it's in bad taste if it's actually targeting someone, those things that are called jokes but are made to be negative rather than humorous, they're not funny. I don't think that's a line though, it's just not being a dick, I haven't come across a genuine joke that I've found offensive.

44leto · 13-04-2012 09:27PM

I don't like humour that denegates another race or creed. But when that humour involves a race or creed that put down another or have a practice that in my mind is objectionable then I think the humour and comedy is needed. Take some of the practices of the islamic world.

What humour does is it ridicules, therefore it makes the perpetrators of some injustice smaller and ridicules. Therefore they may see error in their ways.

But the ultimate black humour and offensive show would be Allo Allo the holocaust. Give it time and i am sure.

Dark humour - how far is too far

Comments