Is it ok to joke about anything...

[Ammi]

..there are some very controversial comedians whose humour can often offend people and whenever there is something very tragic happened, there are often texts/emails etc and things on the internet, which are very cruel but is that acceptable humour..?....do you feel there are 'off limits' or when it comes to comedy, anything is ok..?..

[AnnieK]

Everyone's perception of comedy is quite different I think. It always amazes me how quickly the jokes get out when someone dies or there is a big news story, within minutes I usually have text message with "jokes".

The comedians who just do shock factor humour don't do it for me but they are successful so people must find them funny...

[Ninastar]

Yes it is. Freedom of speech

People get offended way too easily nowadays IMO

[Ninastar]

There's things that I don't find funny and everything cause its sick but I never get offended or sad about it

[lostalex]

It depends what you mean by "okay". Do you mean should it be illegal to joke about certain things? or do you just mean in terms of politeness? or political correctness? Morally okay?

Obviously offending people is not nice, but I wouldn't say it's morally wrong or should be illegal.

As long as you are not threatening people.

I think the mohammed cartoons are the big example, is it wrong to do something that offends muslims, knowing that muslims will overreact and get violent? Personally I side with freedom of speech. The only ones to blame for violence are the people who commit violence. I don't think you should blame or censor comedians or artists at all just because some people will be offended.

[Ammi]

It depends what you mean by "okay". Do you mean should it be illegal to joke about certain things? or do you just mean in terms of politeness? or political correctness? Morally okay?

Obviously offending people is not nice, but I wouldn't say it's morally wrong or should be illegal.

As long as you are not threatening people.

I think the mohammed cartoons are the big example, is it wrong to do something that offends muslims, knowing that muslims will overreact and get violent? Personally I side with freedom of speech. The only ones to blame for violence are the people who commit violence. I don't think you should blame or censor comedians or artists at all just because some people will be offended.

..no, I don't mean in terms of making it legal/illegal but that is a good point because I don't think it's something that could be legislated against..but more what people's personal thoughts/opinions are..whether for them 'in the name of comedy' anything goes type thing because even with awful/tragic etc instances..it kind of 'lightens' them and it's not something that is meant as such, just a comedic observation of something...

[Shaun]

There's a real and vehement opposition to jokes about rape, I've noticed online. I find it a weird taboo, given there are many other equally heinous crimes.

I personally can take some relish in shock-humour but equally tire of comedians that rely upon it too much (see: Frankie Boyle).

And I do fear the death of freedom of speech. Well, it's already arguably died. People being imprisoned for distasteful tweets (I saw someone got community service and fined for an ill-timed joke about Lee Rigby, something like "if I saw someone wearing a [t-shirt brand he was wearing] i'd probably decapitate him too"... obviously in poor taste, but wholly undeserving of criminal action when so many worse death threats and intimidations go unnoticed on Twitter).

[Kizzy]

I have an issue with so called 'black humour' it's distasteful and only those who have never been touched by the subject matter could feign to find 'humour' in it.
Insensitive and shocking material I would say is never funny.

[Ammi]

There's a real and vehement opposition to jokes about rape, I've noticed online. I find it a weird taboo, given there are many other equally heinous crimes.

I personally can take some relish in shock-humour but equally tire of comedians that rely upon it too much (see: Frankie Boyle).

And I do fear the death of freedom of speech. Well, it's already arguably died. People being imprisoned for distasteful tweets (I saw someone got community service and fined for an ill-timed joke about Lee Rigby, something like "if I saw someone wearing a [t-shirt brand he was wearing] i'd probably decapitate him too"... obviously in poor taste, but wholly undeserving of criminal action when so many worse death threats and intimidations go unnoticed on Twitter).

..yeah, I read about that case, it was a young female wasn't it..?..her flippant remark was in reference to a bad fashion sense thing and I think she made it without the full realisation of what happened because it was very shortly after the incident...it's kind of like the on/off button, if you don't like certain humour/find it offensive etc then don't watch it/read it..I also think that it's controversial because it hits on sensitive subjects so there will always be people who say have a disabled child for instance..(just a random example..) who may take it personally and feel that it's completely unacceptable because it hits too close to home..but then any subject can be be personal to someone, no matter what it is...

[lostalex]

I remember after 9/11 they took the late night talk shows off the air, and there was a question as to when was appropriate to have any comedy on TV after 9/11. It wasn't even about making jokes about 9/11 but making any jokes at all. It was almost as if no one should be laughing about ANYTHING for a week after 9/11. Even comedy that had nothing to do with 9/11.

It was like if you watched anything other than news for that first week it was disrespectful. It was very weird.

[thesheriff443]

on the subject!, joking about anything, it seems on here there are double standards on the matter of being gay or gay jokes, a gay guy can go ott with a joke to another gay guy on here but when someone like my self who has no hang up's about gay people has a joke with a gay member its seen as me having a dig at gays and I got infracted which lead to a ban!
just to add the person I was joking with knew I was joking.

[Shaun]

Yeah... I just think there can't really be any grey areas on this topic. You can't say jokes about being a dwarf or ginger or camp are okay and then object to a joke about a recent dead celebrity, or fat people... there are just too many different examples and too many possibilities for offence that you just have to let it be.

Mood affects everything, sometimes you'll object to comedy because you're going through a break up, or have lost your job. Emotional impulses are too immeasurable to have any serious influence on the law, or should be anyway.

In the case of offensive humour (for example, Ricky Gervais' monggate) there's also the issues of context and linguistics. What one might deem an unacceptable word today, we may shrug off in a decade or two. What we deem acceptable today can have really dark and horrible etymology: a good example is the colloquial use of "lame" to mean something uncool. It obviously originates from being disabled and "lame". That seems to go unnoticed, but largely because language changes and takes on different new meanings... I don't think anyone uses "lame" to mean anything other than rubbish or boring, now.

But obviously when a group of people with no choice on their predicament are in that situation, it's more complicated. I don't really see a massive issue in using the N word or '********t' in appropriate context, but when used as an insult it's obvious.

I just guess there're too many unquantifiables: intent, context, taste, offence. But that should mean we are more hesitant to hand out criminal punishment.

I lean more to the belief sometimes that anything goes. Anyone can say any sort of racist, homophobic nonsense they like. That is true freedom of speech. Only when it gets to intimidation and clear threatening behaviour should the law intervene. But I don't know...

[lostalex]

I think there are boundries when you are making fun of something that you are not a part of. For instance, I may make fun of my own family, but if someone else makes fun of my family, even if they are making fun of them for the same things i've made fun of them for, it's not the same thing. It's offensive. I can say whatever i like about my brother or my mom or my dad, but if someone else makes fun of them, I get very defensive.

The same is true for race or sexual orientation.

Like if you are a child of an immigrant family, maybe your parents have an accent, and you make jokes about your mom's accent. If someone else made fun of your moms accent it would be very different.

Is it a double standard? yes. But you can understand why. It's just how humans are.

[Kizzy]

Think there are two separate subjects here, internet trolls who make banal comments on tragic incidents and 'shock jock' comedians.
Neither deserve a platform as they feed from the misery of others, ask someone who has been raped if they find jokes about it funny.
Yes they have the right to say it and there are those who enjoy black humour, those who don't share that can switch off yes, however it doesn't sit right with me and I can't find the humour in mockery of this type.
So for me yes there are some things that should be off limits and never deemed humorous subject matter.

[Ammi]

I think there are boundries when you are making fun of something that you are not a part of. For instance, I may make fun of my own family, but if someone else makes fun of my family, even if they are making fun of them for the same things i've made fun of them for, it's not the same thing. It's offensive. I can say whatever i like about my brother or my mom or my dad, but if someone else makes fun of them, I get very defensive.

The same is true for race or sexual orientation.

Like if you are a child of an immigrant family, maybe your parents have an accent, and you make jokes about your mom's accent. If someone else made fun of your moms accent it would be very different.Is it a double standard? yes. But you can understand why. It's just how humans are.


..I don't think that's double standards though because they would be directing that 'joke' at your mum or someone personally and people can only really do that when they are familiar with that person and know they will take it in humour..for me it would only be double standards if someone was generally joking about say a specific accent which you happened to have and you took offence to that, yet maybe you would joke about something else that you found amusing, I don't know, that could be anything couldn't it...so then it becomes this thing about whether anything should be joked about because it will always offend someone..so would it just be best to never joke...but then there would be no balance to all the horrible/tragic/unfortunate things that happen in life, both to individuals and the world in general....

[joeysteele]

I think there are boundries when you are making fun of something that you are not a part of. For instance, I may make fun of my own family, but if someone else makes fun of my family, even if they are making fun of them for the same things i've made fun of them for, it's not the same thing. It's offensive. I can say whatever i like about my brother or my mom or my dad, but if someone else makes fun of them, I get very defensive.

The same is true for race or sexual orientation.

Like if you are a child of an immigrant family, maybe your parents have an accent, and you make jokes about your mom's accent. If someone else made fun of your moms accent it would be very different.

Is it a double standard? yes. But you can understand why. It's just how humans are.

I agree with this.

I don't necessarily see it as double standards though, families can have banter all the time.
Then however, for outsiders to the family to 'joke/comment' on the same things is at the very least inappropriate so I feel you would be right to get defensive. I would too.

[Kizzy]

''The same is true for race or sexual orientation.''


I don't believe it's right for race or sexual orientation too though, that to me is a whole new ball game than just some general mockery of an individual.

[Kazanne]

I have an issue with so called 'black humour' it's distasteful and only those who have never been touched by the subject matter could feign to find 'humour' in it.
Insensitive and shocking material I would say is never funny.

100% agree,there are enough things to find humour in without resorting to jesting about the murder or death of someone,If a comedian is 'proffesional'he/she would not need to resort to that anyway.

[Ammi]

100% agree,there are enough things to find humour in without resorting to jesting about the murder or death of someone,If a comedian is 'proffesional'he/she would not need to resort to that anyway.

..the thing is though Kaz, for me this is where it gets difficult/complicated...I've read and heard some quite harsh 'jokes' about say the death of people like Margaret Thatcher/Saddam Hussein and quite a lot of people have 'joined in' with those jokes because there's obviously controversay surrounding certain people..but if certain things were off limits as it were, then who would 'police' it, how could it be policed because humour is subjective to everyone and everyone creates their own personal boundaries of what they find humourous, which depends on a lot of things and like Shaun said, it can depend on things happening/happened in your own life as well..so that's where the on/off switch comes in..?..you create your own on/off switch....

[Livia]

on the subject!, joking about anything, it seems on here there are double standards on the matter of being gay or gay jokes, a gay guy can go ott with a joke to another gay guy on here but when someone like my self who has no hang up's about gay people has a joke with a gay member its seen as me having a dig at gays and I got infracted which lead to a ban!
just to add the person I was joking with knew I was joking.

I think that gays can take a gay joke much further than a hetero can. In the same way, I feel only Jews can joke about the Holocaust and only black people can use the N word. You've got to be grown up about stuff and think about your words. If people care going to claim the right of free speech, they have to understand that with rights come responsibilities.

[lostalex]

I think that gays can take a gay joke much further than a hetero can. In the same way, I feel only Jews can joke about the Holocaust and only black people can use the N word. You've got to be grown up about stuff and think about your words. If people care going to claim the right of free speech, they have to understand that with rights come responsibilities.

well gays and disabled people have just as much right to joke about the holocaust since they were just as much victims as the jews were... but I agree with the sentiment of your post.

A rapist making a rape joke is not the same as a rape victim making a rape joke. Even if the joke is word for word exactly the same. It's just not the same.

I could not go up on a stage and do a chris rock stand up routine word for word as a white man. It's just not the same. It's hard to explain exactly why it's different, if it's the exact same words, but it is not the same.

It's kind of like photographs. the context that a photo is taken is important. You can see a beautiful picture of a sunset, there are millions of them out there. BUt a photograph of a sunset taken by some random stranger just trying to take a nice photograph is not the same as a photograph of a sunset taken by your grandfather the day before he died.

They just mean different things, even if they seem the same, look the same, they are still just different. It's the context.

[Livia]

well gays and disabled people have just as much right to joke about the holocaust since they were just as much victims as the jews were... but I agree with the sentiment of your post.

When people joke about the Holocaust it is usually at the expense of the Jews. If you Google for Holocaust humour, you're not going to find too many pictures of gays and disabled people being persecuted, starved and gassed. But let's not turn this into a competition to see who's the biggest victim.

[lostalex]

When people joke about the Holocaust it is usually at the expense of the Jews. If you Google for Holocaust humour, you're not going to find too many pictures of gays and disabled people being persecuted, starved and gassed. But let's not turn this into a competition to see who's the biggest victim.

In a way the fact that gays and disabled people are not mentioned in jokes about the holocaust is and of itself incredibly offensive.

[Livia]

In a way the fact that gays and disabled people are not mentioned in jokes about the holocaust is and of itself incredibly offensive.

LOL... Shut up Alex.

[Jamesy]

I think it depends on who you are aiming the 'shock' humour towards. Most comedians get away with it because that is their humour, and the people viewing them will already be aware of the extents their humour goes to. So no one gets offended as such.

I used shock/dark/sarcastic humour a lot. Although I limit it depending who I'm around. I know with my closest friend I can easily tread into dark grounds with my humour, as we both share the same type of humour. But with other friends I wouldn't dare use the same humour as I know I will easily offend them.

People like to joke about their own 'groups' though. I had work experience last week with the NHS and a patient who was Chinese was told to "open your eyes wide for me please" and he replied with "I can't, I'm Chinese". I didn't know whether to laugh or not. :P

[Kazanne]

..the thing is though Kaz, for me this is where it gets difficult/complicated...I've read and heard some quite harsh 'jokes' about say the death of people like Margaret Thatcher/Saddam Hussein and quite a lot of people have 'joined in' with those jokes because there's obviously controversay surrounding certain people..but if certain things were off limits as it were, then who would 'police' it, how could it be policed because humour is subjective to everyone and everyone creates their own personal boundaries of what they find humourous, which depends on a lot of things and like Shaun said, it can depend on things happening/happened in your own life as well..so that's where the on/off switch comes in..?..you create your own on/off switch....

I understand that Ammi ,I just think there are certain things you don't jest about such as the murder of a child( and it does happen)I also didn't find the jokes about Lady Diana funny and people like her,innocent people who have never done any harm I suppose,i don't expect it to be policed,i just don't find some of it funny.

[Livia]

I understand that Ammi ,I just think there are certain things you don't jest about such as the murder of a child( and it does happen)I also didn't find the jokes about Lady Diana funny and people like her,innocent people who have never done any harm I suppose,i don't expect it to be policed,i just don't find some of it funny.

Who's going to draw the line though? Who's going to say, no one can joke about Pricess Diana because she was good, but it's okay to say what you like about Margaret Thatcher because she's bad? How bad do you have to be before it's wrong to make a joke about someone?

[Tom4784]

I hate people that take offense to comedy, like seriously, rethink your priorities in life. I find Frankie Boyle to be a repetitive bore but I typically love jet black humour. No jokes will ever offend me because I think it's just a waste of energy to get upset over something so unimportant.

[lostalex]

I don't mind racist humor.

I don't like homophobic humor though.

[Ammi]

I understand that Ammi ,I just think there are certain things you don't jest about such as the murder of a child( and it does happen)I also didn't find the jokes about Lady Diana funny and people like her,innocent people who have never done any harm I suppose,i don't expect it to be policed,i just don't find some of it funny.

...I agree with you Kaz, there are lots of things that I personally don't find funny and I can't really say that I find many comedians funny, although that isn't because of their type of humour because I hardly ever have found a comedian funny in the past...but for me I just don't take part in it because I don't think that there can be any boundaries, just your own personal boundaries of not listening to certain comedians etc...something will always be sensitive to someone, depending on their own personal experiences...and even things that shock the world, someone will always feel that it isn't within their own personal boundaries to make light of it in some way....

[Livia]

I don't mind racist humor.

I don't like homophobic humor though.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Alex. I will remind you that you said this next time someone says something slightly negative about the USA and you have a full-on, diva-style breakdown.

[Apple202]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Alex. I will remind you that you said this next time someone says something slightly negative about the USA and you have a full-on, diva-style breakdown.

:joker::joker::joker:

[Roy Mars III]

yes nothing should be off limits

[lostalex]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Alex. I will remind you that you said this next time someone says something slightly negative about the USA and you have a full-on, diva-style breakdown.

I think it applies to my feeling about people criticizing the USA though Livia. What i've been saying in this thread is that when it applies to you, you get offended. When i said, if someone jokes about your family, you take it personally, even if you make the same jokes TO your family. It's not the same.

I am one of the most critical people of US foreign policy and of America when i am talking to other Americans. But when I am on a British website obviously I don't like hearing British people criticize the US. That was my whole point.

Just like if hear straight people criticizing gay people, I will be more sensitive than when i hear gay people criticizing gay people.

That was my whole point Livia. that's why I was making the point, it's okay for you to make fun of your own family, but it's not nice when you hear someone else make fun of your family.

I feel like you haven't listened to anything that i've said in this thread.

[Livia]

I think it applies to my feeling about people criticizing the USA though Livia. What i've been saying in this thread is that when it applies to you, you get offended. When i said, if someone jokes about your family, you take it personally, even if you make the same jokes TO your family. It's not the same.

I am one of the most critical people of US foreign policy and of America when i am talking to other Americans. But when I am on a British website obviously I don't like hearing other people criticize the US. That was my whole point.

Just like if hear straight people criticizing gay people, I will be more sensitive than when i hear gay people criticizing gay people.

That was my whole point Livia. that's why I was making the point, it's okay for you to make fun of your own family, but it's not nice when you hear someone else make fun of your family.

I feel like you haven't listened to anything that i've said in this thread.


I have listened Alex. You said, and I quote:

"I don't mind racist humor.

I don't like homophobic humor though."

You freak out when someone talks negatively about the US. I understand that, you're American... but you can't then claim to be okay with racist humour! Now stop getting so wound up, you daft Yank x

[lostalex]

I have listened Alex. You said, and I quote:

"I don't mind racist humor.

I don't like homophobic humor though."

You freak out when someone talks negatively about the US. I understand that, you're American... but you can't then claim to be okay with racist humour! Now stop getting so wound up, you daft Yank x

That was obviously meant to point out the hypocrisy that we ALL have Livia.

Obviously I was making a joke, that it's silly that i'm more offended by homophobic humor, (because i'm gay) and i'm not really offended by racist humor (because i'm perceived as white)

You didn't get the irony.

But it's true, i can easy laugh off and ignore racist humor because it doesn't directly offend me, but i can get irate and angry about homophobic jokes, because it feels like a personal attack.

I obviously understand the hypocrisy there, and i was pointing it out because we ALL have that kind of hypocrisy. We ALL get more offended when it's something that affects us personally.

[lostalex]

I think you're still annoyed that i pointed out that the holocaust doesn't just belong to jews, and actually jews have not done a good job of educating people about the horrors done to homosexuals and disabled people, and in fact in some ways have hijacked the holocaust to make it seem like it was ONLY about jews.

More people need to be educated about the full spectrum of the horrors of the holocaust, cause it wasn't just about jews. Homosexuals were just as terrorized and suffered just as much discrimination as jews during the holocaust and they deserve equal acknowledgement and remembrance.

[Livia]

I think you're still annoyed that i pointed out that the holocaust doesn't just belong to jews, and actually jews have not done a good job of educating people about the horrors done to homosexuals and disabled people, and in fact in some ways have hijacked the holocaust to make it seem like it was ONLY about jews.

Really? jews have hijacked the holocaust. Are you ****ing serious?

Between 5-15,000 gay men were imprisoned. Over a million Jewish Children died. I'm so very sorry you don't get a big enough mention.

I'm leaving this thread now Alex.

[lostalex]

Really? jews have hijacked the holocaust. Are you ****ing serious?

I'm leaving this thread now Alex.

let me ask you a question before you go... Do you think that the public is as aware that homosexuals and disabled people were just as persecuted as jews during the holocaust?

[lostalex]

Really? jews have hijacked the holocaust. Are you ****ing serious?

Between 5-15,000 gay men were imprisoned. Over a million Jewish Children died. I'm so very sorry you don't get a big enough mention.

I'm leaving this thread now Alex.

ohh, ONLY 15 THOUSAND gay men???

oh my bad. I didn't realize that it was ONLY 15 thousand gay men.

Stupid me. 15 thousand, well that's hardly anything at all, I guess it's silly to even mention such a small number as 15 thousand.

[Livia]

let me ask you a question before you go... Do you think that the public is as aware that homosexuals and disabled people were just as persecuted as jews during the holocaust?

Yes, I think the public is very much aware than not only Jews were persecuted in the Holocaust. The Jews themselves give special mention to it on Holocaust Rememberance day. I know how many people died...

6 million Jews,
2 million non-Jewish Poles,
500,000 Roma Gypsies
200,000 disabled people
15,000 homosexual men
2,000 Jehovah's Witnesses


I found your comment that the Holocaust has been been "hijacked by the Jews" distasteful and disrespectful.

[Livia]

ohh, ONLY 15 THOUSAND gay men???

oh my bad. I didn't realize that it was ONLY 15 thousand gay men.

Stupid me. 15 thousand, well that's hardly anything at all, I guess it's silly to even mention such a small number as 15 thousand.


Never once did I say that it was an insignificant number.


And back on ignore you go.

[lostalex]

livia with the meaningless threats. 10 minutes ago she said she was done with me and done with this thread, ohh, look she BACK!, and now she's done with me again.

Livia's imaginary ignore list.

She's perfectly happy when i'm criticizing MUSLIMS... isn't she? but the minute I criticize JEWS, i'm back on the fake ignore list.

Grow up Livia.