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Post by tarzanontarmazepam on Oct 25, 2011 22:02:09 GMT
Are you sure it's not just because you like Peter Cook so you'll forgive him anything? I think a lot of the anger against Ricky Gervais is maybe because those people didn't care for him in the first place. I fail to see how anyone could be offended by the Spiggott sketch quite fwankly (as someone used to say). But yes, he was a God. |
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Post by everso on Oct 25, 2011 22:04:23 GMT
Don't get me wrong, I loved Pete and Dud. But there's potential in all humour for offence, I suppose. A lot depends on whether or not you like the comic in the first place.
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Post by tarzanontarmazepam on Oct 25, 2011 22:09:25 GMT
Don't get me wrong, I loved Pete and Dud. But there's potential in all humour for offence, I suppose. A lot depends on whether or not you like the comic in the first place. Remember the Fawlty Towers episode...Mrs Richardson? Some controversy of taking the rise out of the deaf I believe. It's certainly a debate that could run as to where the lines are drawn. What is completely out of bounds, and what isn't, and what crosses the boundaries but still manages to be funny. |
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Post by everso on Oct 25, 2011 22:25:48 GMT
Don't get me wrong, I loved Pete and Dud. But there's potential in all humour for offence, I suppose. A lot depends on whether or not you like the comic in the first place. Remember the Fawlty Towers episode...Mrs Richardson? Some controversy of taking the rise out of the deaf I believe. It's certainly a debate that could run as to where the lines are drawn. What is completely out of bounds, and what isn't, and what crosses the boundaries but still manages to be funny. Oh, my favourite in the whole series. No, taking the bung out of being deaf isn't as bad. Most of us end up deaf as we get older anyway! I find myself constantly asking Mr. E. to repeat what he's just said. I feel an old joke coming on: Couple in bed. He "Do you want to go to sleep, or what?" She: "What?" |
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Post by Alpha Hooligan on Oct 25, 2011 22:33:38 GMT
5 pages in and he is still a pointless, deeply unfunny, annoying tool.
AH
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Post by housesparrow on Oct 26, 2011 6:34:47 GMT
Remember the Fawlty Towers episode...Mrs Richardson? Some controversy of taking the rise out of the deaf I believe. It's certainly a debate that could run as to where the lines are drawn. What is completely out of bounds, and what isn't, and what crosses the boundaries but still manages to be funny. Oh, my favourite in the whole series. No, taking the bung out of being deaf isn't as bad. Most of us end up deaf as we get older anyway! I find myself constantly asking Mr. E. to repeat what he's just said. I feel an old joke coming on: Couple in bed. He "Do you want to go to sleep, or what?" She: "What?" A lot of us have failing eyesight when we get old too. Deafness is horrible, and cuts people out of society. People don't want to be bothered trying to communicate with someone who can't hear them. So are "disability jokes" okay only if they feature ageism too? I wouldn't rule out any subject as a potential for a joke - but only if the humour is not cruel. It doesn't have to be. |
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Post by housesparrow on Oct 26, 2011 7:04:38 GMT
On reflection, perhaps the "deaf" jokes appeal because we've all misheard things at some time or another.
Someone who mishears the odd word isn't deaf - just as someone whose eyesight is too poor only for reading or driving isn't blind. There is no reason why a "mis-seeing" joke shouldn't be as funny as a mis-hearing one.
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Post by jean on Oct 26, 2011 7:43:58 GMT
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Post by Weyland on Oct 26, 2011 8:40:53 GMT
I think a lot of the anger against Ricky Gervais is maybe because those people didn't care for him in the first place. There's definitely something in that. I had him down on the twatlist from day one, just like Blair. (Not that I'm saying he's as bad as Blair.) |
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Post by everso on Oct 26, 2011 9:00:36 GMT
On reflection, perhaps the "deaf" jokes appeal because we've all misheard things at some time or another. Someone who mishears the odd word isn't deaf - just as someone whose eyesight is too poor only for reading or driving isn't blind. There is no reason why a "mis-seeing" joke shouldn't be as funny as a mis-hearing one. Yes. I remember a cartoon strip in either The Topper or The Beezer comics in the 1950s called "Mr. Magoo" who was very short-sighted. It used to make me laugh. As you probably all know, I'm pretty short-sighted myself. A Mr. Magoo, definitely, without my specs. |
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Post by everso on Oct 26, 2011 9:07:01 GMT
Oh, my favourite in the whole series. No, taking the bung out of being deaf isn't as bad. Most of us end up deaf as we get older anyway! I find myself constantly asking Mr. E. to repeat what he's just said. I feel an old joke coming on: Couple in bed. He "Do you want to go to sleep, or what?" She: "What?" A lot of us have failing eyesight when we get old too. Deafness is horrible, and cuts people out of society. People don't want to be bothered trying to communicate with someone who can't hear them. So are "disability jokes" okay only if they feature ageism too? I wouldn't rule out any subject as a potential for a joke - but only if the humour is not cruel. It doesn't have to be. Yes. As is blindness. You can hold a conversation with someone if you are blind, but it's very difficult to instigate one. I know this because of my aunt. People talk over her (similar to people in wheelchairs). When she had to go into a residential home recently for a couple of weeks while her husband was in hospital, she found it very hard. Only one of the residents spoke to her. I'm finding it difficult to imagine a joke about disabled or abused children that wouldn't be cruel, and can't even see the point of making any sort of joke about a subject like that. |
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Post by housesparrow on Oct 26, 2011 9:44:26 GMT
It is true that the seeing person has to introduce themsleves and speak first, but that is about it. Jack's physiotherapist is blind and has a notice up asking patients to introduce themsleves when they walk in.
He couldn't do the job if he was deaf; he needs to hear what his patient is saying.
Of course there are jobs deaf people can do that need good eyesight, but they tend to be lonely ones.
Talking to a blind person probably does need a bit of extra work, but nothing like trying to have a conversation with someone stone deaf. I don't really believe you think it!
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Post by housesparrow on Oct 26, 2011 9:46:46 GMT
As for jokes about disability; you can use humour to make a point.
I can remember hearing a joke once about rape that was quite clever, and was obviously designed to make people think.
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Post by jean on Oct 26, 2011 10:50:27 GMT
As for jokes about disability; you can use humour to make a point. As in the play The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade discussed elsewhere. |
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Post by jean on Oct 26, 2011 10:58:59 GMT
I can remember hearing a joke once about rape that was quite clever, and was obviously designed to make people think. Whenever I think I might be getting too politically correct, I remember that I used to laugh at the Blagdon Amateur Rapist which made no worthy point at all (except perhaps that he wasn't very good at it). |
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Post by housesparrow on Oct 26, 2011 16:14:08 GMT
On reflection, perhaps the "deaf" jokes appeal because we've all misheard things at some time or another. .Yes. I remember a cartoon strip in either The Topper or The Beezer comics in the 1950s called "Mr. Magoo" who was very short-sighted. It used to make me laugh. As you probably all know, I'm pretty short-sighted myself. A Mr. Magoo, definitely, without my specs. I'm afraid this still makes me smile, Eve. |
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Post by trubble on Oct 26, 2011 16:36:08 GMT
Is it anything like Julie Walters in the soup sketch? |
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Post by Weyland on Oct 26, 2011 16:54:02 GMT
Is it anything like Julie Walters in the soup sketch? For the record, I think JW is a national treasure, but can't imagine why she agreed to do that crap. (Respect Ms Wood. Can't see that she's all that good.) |
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Post by tarzanontarmazepam on Oct 26, 2011 17:03:43 GMT
Not a Victoria Wood fan. She reminds me of Jennifer Saunders...'laugh at me because I'm so incredibly funny'. oops. I dare say we've invited the wrath of Trubbles again.  |
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Post by aubrey on Oct 26, 2011 17:10:45 GMT
Everso, just about all the Hill-billy jokes (and by extension, the jokes about "The Next Town Over" that aren't about how ugly the women there are) are about child abuse and incest; they are one way that child abuse was generally known about for years before it was officially recognised. In that way, it is a bit like rape in prisons: everyone knows it goes on, but from jokes and catchphrases ("don't drop the soap") rather than anything the Justice system might admit to.
Some of the jokes are quite good, as well.
Other jokes about dangers of child abuse can be seen more as warnings than anything, and so do have a purpose (sneaking information through in the guise of a joke): the bloke in the cinema with a duck on his lap - but is it a duck? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Punchline of a Hill-billy joke (it is my contention that you don't need the build up, as all the information you need is contained in these 11 words):
"Wow! You're much better than Paw!"
"That's what Maw always says."
I'll have to think about disabled jokes, though: I'm sure there can be funny ones. The last time (maybe the only time) I laughed so much that I threw up was at a joke about a Narcoleptics' Society meeting, where they had three people to take the minutes. It probably wasn't even a joke, at that.
Back to the Brass Eye programme, and how the Daily Star is supposed to have reported it:
(from Wiki)
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A.P.P.S
S C 
