'Offensive' Humor

Six6siX

Six6siX

Six6siX

Soldato
Joined
25 Nov 2004
Posts
4,789
Location
Hertfordshire
If you find certain jokes funny (think Sickipedia, Frankie Boyle type stuff), do you think that reflects on the sort of person you are?

Is it possible to appreciate a good 'offensive' joke for what it is (be it a play on words or clever with context) without believing in the subject matter? Or are the two linked on some level?

It would be silly to assume that anyone who found a joke about child molestation funny, for example, to be a pedophile wouldn't it? Then why do some people suddenly become offended when they hear a joke about it? Surely they realise it is just a joke and has no bearing on what is acceptable in real life or not?

Who needs to reassess their stance - the people who find the humor in bad taste but funny nonetheless or the people who can't differentiate between context and reality?
 
Last edited:
I don't think a joke has ever offended me. I don't feel like that makes me a bad person, I just understand that a joke is a joke, no matter how close to the mark it might be.

For the record I like Frankie Boyle, seeing him live in February next year, haha!
 
Some of the things we joke about at work I wouldn't repeat outside of the 4 walls and steel doors we have!
 
ScarySquirrel said:
I don't think a joke has ever offended me. I don't feel like that makes me a bad person, I just understand that a joke is a joke, no matter how close to the mark it might be.

For the record I like Frankie Boyle, seeing him live in February next year, haha!
Click to expand...

I'm the same, although as fatiain say's a lot of the things that we come out with probably couldn't be repeated in public :o
 
Humour can reflect on a person's prejudices. For example, a racist joke can imply prejudice. This follows the line of reasoning that humour is a form of exerting superiority over another, etc.

If we look at what a sense of humour really is, we realise that it's one of two things:

1. A coping mechanism.
2. A tool for social bonding.

Both of which have obvious evolutionary explanations.

This is why things such as 'gallows humour' exists. A dark sense of humour is a coping mechanism during troubling times.

I'm of the opinion that nothing is technically off limit when it comes to humour. Comedians are for example, a well known tool for social reflection by pointing out uncomfortable truths. For me, it comes down to the same issue of having freedom of speech: you can have the freedom, but having such a freedom implies having the responsibility that comes with it. Essentially, nothing is really off limit but be sensible enough to know when and where it is and isn't appropriate. What matters here is intent. If someone is intending to upset someone through inappropriate humour, then they're not a very pleasant person. If someone's using less than appropriate humour to point out someone's ridiculousness or foibles, then that can be forgiven.

The problem with offence is that it's usually taken by those who are offended. If someone jokes with good intent but is met with offence, then that's not really their fault and there's no point in getting worked up about it. As someone said in another thread "peeps gonna peep".

If however, said joker caused offence deliberately, then you have to ask what the real motivation for it was.
 
Last edited:
What annoys me is when people complain about something fictional being offensive.

If you find it offensive, don't watch it, 'kay?

Or when people complain about offensive language in movies and such. When kick-ass came out, people complained about the little girl swearing but didn't bat an eyelid at her gruesomely killing people.
 
Nix said:
Humour can reflect on a person's prejudices. For example, a racist joke implies racist prejudice.
Click to expand...

So me joking that my (English) colleagues are being racist when they make a comment regarding my Scottish heritage implies that I'm racist? :confused:

What about parody/satire - isn't the whole point of parody/satire to highlight/exaggerate the flaws in a position or viewpoint with the intent of making them seem ridiculous, surely you can't be arguing that someone who makes fun of Hitler* actually supports Nazi ideologies themselves?




*Yes, I just invoked Godwin's Law :p
 
Avenged7Fold said:
What annoys me is when people complain about something fictional being offensive.

If you find it offensive, don't watch it, 'kay?

Or when people complain about offensive language in movies and such. When kick-ass came out, people complained about the little girl swearing but didn't bat an eyelid at her gruesomely killing people.
Click to expand...

Fictional violence and gruesome images bad.
Bodies and violence on the 6 o'clock news fine.

People be crazy.
 
Funny enough, I got chastised for using the word "****" at work yesterday. I said it to a colleague in the context of "Stop acting like a ****". I wasn't born in this country, so had no idea that it was a bad word. I said in reply to my rebuke that I thought it was just a synonym for "retard", at which point I was also told that wasn't a polite word.

I replied by saying I would never call a handicapped person a retard, but I would use it to describe someone who is "normal" that is acting daft - heck I am one of the biggest proponents for enabling handicapped people.

The point is, a joke is just a joke. People need to stop being offended for others. You can also use comedy to bring issues into the social conscious. I won't stop my somewhat offensive humour, as those who know me, know I am one of the most understanding, compassionate, empathetic people in the world.

By the way - Mods, if you deem the words above to be inappropriate, please feel free to remove them, as I'm unsure whether they break the rules regarding swearing / offensive behaviour.
 
I think offensive humor is very case by case. A friend of mine from the USA says that our banter/jokes over here would cause wars.

That said we do come out with some pretty ****** up ****
 
Haggisman said:
So me joking that my (English) colleagues are being racist when they make a comment regarding my Scottish heritage implies that I'm racist? :confused:

What about parody/satire - isn't the whole point of parody/satire to highlight/exaggerate the flaws in a position or viewpoint with the intent of making them seem ridiculous, surely you can't be arguing that someone who makes fun of Hitler* actually supports Nazi ideologies themselves?




*Yes, I just invoked Godwin's Law :p
Click to expand...

The keyword here being 'can'. It doesn't automatically mean that it does.

You have completely misunderstood my position.

In your case, the humour would be evidence of social bonding as opposed to overt prejudice, no?
 
I can joke about pretty much anything, no matter what, but I don't think that makes me a bad person. I'm just one of these who does not get offended by anything and it makes me laugh that other people do get offended. I just think what's the point? I suppose I should probably be more careful though - don't want to hurt people's precious feelings!
 
Last edited:
ScarySquirrel said:
I don't think a joke has ever offended me. I don't feel like that makes me a bad person, I just understand that a joke is a joke, no matter how close to the mark it might be.

For the record I like Frankie Boyle, seeing him live in February next year, haha!
Click to expand...

Pretty much this to be honest.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom