Dark Humor and Shock Comedy – How far is too far?

**Frownland** · 03-19-2012, 09:12 PM

I think dark humour is able to stretch the band a bit further since it makes light of a negative side of life, a current tragic event, etc. while shock humour is funny only for its inappropriate vulgarity.

Plus, fazstp, that's what made me the weird guy amongst my friends who is hilarious only to two or three other people. There's a lot of awkward silence following these jokes, but me and those who get my jokes are together, we have one hell of a ball.

LoathsomePete · 03-19-2012, 09:26 PM

One of the key differences that makes death a more accepted subject of dark humour is that it is an event that everyone will experience. Nobody is immune to it, and while it make come sooner for some who don't deserve it, and longer for others that do, in the end everyone will die. That universal fact makes it something that we will all think about at one point or another in our lives as is something we have to come to terms with.

I would say that subjects like rape, abuse, and genocide fall more in lines of what Frownland said about shock humour, or saying something that is so shocking that you laugh, not because you think it's genuinely funny, but to help assuage the awkwardness of the subject matter. Dead baby jokes are a perfect example of this. Not clever in any real sense or even witty, just take some horrible act and inflict it on something we are hardwired to protect and nurture.

Forward To Death · 03-19-2012, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoathsomePete

One of the key differences that makes death a more accepted subject of dark humour is that it is an event that everyone will experience. Nobody is immune to it, and while it make come sooner for some who don't deserve it, and longer for others that do, in the end everyone will die. That universal fact makes it something that we will all think about at one point or another in our lives as is something we have to come to terms with.

I would say that subjects like rape, abuse, and genocide fall more in lines of what Frownland said about shock humour, or saying something that is so shocking that you laugh, not because you think it's genuinely funny, but to help assuage the awkwardness of the subject matter. Dead baby jokes are a perfect example of this. Not clever in any real sense or even witty, just take some horrible act and inflict it on something we are hardwired to protect and nurture.

I sort of tend to disagree, George Carlin is notorious for making fun of suicide. Christ he has an entire album on the subject titled "Life Is Worth Losing" and he's genuinely funny. It might have shock value, but I think the harshness of life and human behavior is funny in a sadistic sense. I think you're sort of laughing because of how ****ed up humanity really is.

I do definitely agree that some of it revolves around shock, though.

Mrd00d · 03-20-2012, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoathsomePete

One of the key differences that makes death a more accepted subject of dark humour is that it is an event that everyone will experience. Nobody is immune to it, and while it make come sooner for some who don't deserve it, and longer for others that do, in the end everyone will die. That universal fact makes it something that we will all think about at one point or another in our lives as is something we have to come to terms with.

I would say that subjects like rape, abuse, and genocide fall more in lines of what Frownland said about shock humour, or saying something that is so shocking that you laugh, not because you think it's genuinely funny, but to help assuage the awkwardness of the subject matter. Dead baby jokes are a perfect example of this. Not clever in any real sense or even witty, just take some horrible act and inflict it on something we are hardwired to protect and nurture.

I tell ya, the first time I heard "What's the difference between pizza and a baby? I don't fark the pizza before I eat it" I laughed so hard. I told my friend and he had zero reaction and another I told laughed hysterically goin "so wrong, so wrong" but laughing nevertheless. I feel like I'm beyond that kind of humor, but when I think about even that joke I still grin like an idiot. Maybe it's nostalgia of being a teenager. I dunno. I do know I am extremely desensitized to violence and the realm of dark humor...

Paedantic Basterd · 03-19-2012, 10:13 PM

I think the biggest deciding factor in whether or not to tell a joke in poor taste is your audience. The key to getting away with black humour is to know your audience and when it's appropriate to toe the line.

Forward To Death · 03-19-2012, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

I think the biggest deciding factor in whether or not to tell a joke in poor taste is your audience. The key to getting away with black humour is to know your audience and when it's appropriate to toe the line.

This is also true, though sometimes it's not common sense. I have a jewish friend who laughs at holocaust jokes, and tells some of the best ones I've ever heard. Sometimes it takes being embarrassed to figure out what your audience finds tasteful/distasteful.

Paedantic Basterd · 03-19-2012, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forward To Death

This is also true, though sometimes it's not common sense. I have a jewish friend who laughs at holocaust jokes, and tells some of the best ones I've ever heard. Sometimes it takes being embarrassed to figure out what your audience finds tasteful/distasteful.

I think it does just take common sense, honestly. I know which of my friends I can tell a rude joke to, and I didn't discover it through trial and error. I observed their sense of humour, the jokes they've told and the comedies they enjoy, and have concluded where to draw the line. I would tell an off-colour joke to my best friend, but I wouldn't stand up in a bar and say it without expecting backlash.

Forward To Death · 03-19-2012, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

I think it does just take common sense, honestly. I know which of my friends I can tell a rude joke to, and I didn't discover it through trial and error. I observed their sense of humour, the jokes they've told and the comedies they enjoy, and have concluded where to draw the line. I would tell an off-colour joke to my best friend, but I wouldn't stand up in a bar and say it without expecting backlash.

It's different for everyone though, life throws you curveballs in a lot of different ways. Some people have outrageous sense of humor but will get defensive about some random thing. I don't think common sense applies all the time.

Paedantic Basterd · 03-19-2012, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Forward To Death

It's different for everyone though, life throws you curveballs in a lot of different ways. Some people have outrageous sense of humor but will get defensive about some random thing. I don't think common sense applies all the time.

The point I am ultimately trying to make is that you don't tell an offensive joke to a varied and unknown group of people, and then get butthurt when you piss them off.

That's the royal "you". I don't intend for you to feel that I mean this personally.

Alfred · 03-19-2012, 10:15 PM

I'm definitely a fan of dark, shocking humor, so I'm not exactly sure where I draw the line.

03-19-2012, 09:12 PM	#1 (permalink)
Frownland SOPHIE FOREVER Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: East of the Southern North American West Posts: 35,541	I think dark humour is able to stretch the band a bit further since it makes light of a negative side of life, a current tragic event, etc. while shock humour is funny only for its inappropriate vulgarity. Plus, fazstp, that's what made me the weird guy amongst my friends who is hilarious only to two or three other people. There's a lot of awkward silence following these jokes, but me and those who get my jokes are together, we have one hell of a ball. __________________ Studies show that when a given norm is changed in the face of the unchanging, the remaining contradictions will parallel the truth. d e a f b o x

03-19-2012, 09:26 PM	#2 (permalink)
LoathsomePete Cardboard Box Realtor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Hobb's End Posts: 7,648	One of the key differences that makes death a more accepted subject of dark humour is that it is an event that everyone will experience. Nobody is immune to it, and while it make come sooner for some who don't deserve it, and longer for others that do, in the end everyone will die. That universal fact makes it something that we will all think about at one point or another in our lives as is something we have to come to terms with. I would say that subjects like rape, abuse, and genocide fall more in lines of what Frownland said about shock humour, or saying something that is so shocking that you laugh, not because you think it's genuinely funny, but to help assuage the awkwardness of the subject matter. Dead baby jokes are a perfect example of this. Not clever in any real sense or even witty, just take some horrible act and inflict it on something we are hardwired to protect and nurture. __________________ Last.FM 101 Albums That May Not Change Your Life, But I Really Like And You Might Too

03-19-2012, 10:15 PM	#10 (permalink)
Alfred one big soul Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 5,096	I'm definitely a fan of dark, shocking humor, so I'm not exactly sure where I draw the line. __________________ LAST.FM / VINYL COLLECTION / RYM

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03-19-2012, 10:13 PM	#5 (permalink)
Paedantic Basterd Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 5,184	I think the biggest deciding factor in whether or not to tell a joke in poor taste is your audience. The key to getting away with black humour is to know your audience and when it's appropriate to toe the line.