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

DoctorSoft · 03-20-2012, 12:10 AM

Honestly to me, I find it pretty hard to get offended by stuff like this. Some people get offended too easily. If a jokes funny, im gonna say it. If that offends people, thats fine, but please remember that lots of people nowadays, arent offended easily and find dark humor funny. But of course it depends on the audience. I'm not gonna be making dead baby jokes at a friends grandparents house.

Paedantic Basterd · 03-20-2012, 12:11 AM

If I stopped being courteous on this forum, it would be a disaster for everyone. Believe me, it's tempting some days.

anticipation · 03-20-2012, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

Interesting, so not flaunting your nude body in front of your grandmother is the source of societal norms perpetrated by the government?

No. I see a difference between practical courtesy and superfluous courtesy. For instance; at one time it was "common courtesy" to open doors for women, pull their seats out, light their cigarettes for them, in short, live their lives for them. In the past it was unthinkable to drive past a stranded motorist with a flat tire without stopping to help them simply because it was "the right thing to do". While I have no qualms with these actions within their context I do however see a gap in the logic that supports the maintenance of old ideas. Not only are common courtesies in constant flux, they are victims of a value system that is so arbitrarily placed in our minds despite any grounding in reality. At least my reality. There are those who may claim that "common courtesies" are timeless; that respecting the sensibilities of others is something that should be always undertaken but in all honesty it doesn't make a bit of difference whether you tell your boss to go **** himself or that you think his toupe looks nice... Life will go on regardless of what you say and do. Moving forward is a mark of progression, keeping hold of ideologies based on the way you'd like things to be instead of the way they actually are is in my opinion stagnation.

Practical courtesies, like opening the door for someone who is carrying 50+ lbs. of produce, or holding the door open for someone with a disability, is common sense to me because I recognize the symbiosis of human life. I'm not afraid to tell anyone what I think but only if I think it will have a purpose. I don't go spouting off about how I hate X people because Y and Z, but not because I'm respecting their sensibilities. It's because I have no purpose in telling a group of strangers my feelings towards them. It gets me nowhere.

Mrd00d · 03-20-2012, 01:10 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...

Howard the Duck · 03-20-2012, 01:28 AM

all I know is you can spout any kind of junk about "sensitive" topics and i'm the least bit offended

but show me graphic found images, on the other hand......

hip hop bunny hop · 03-20-2012, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anticipation

I think he's referring to the notion that endorsing an egalitarian ideology is somehow akin to having "faith" in organized religion, which of course is utter stupidity.

Eh?

I chose my words carefully; the Atheists who annoy me are those who've a devout faith in egalitarianism. I find this stupid and annoying.

Obviously, not all who endorse egalitarianism have a devout faith in it.

Howard the Duck · 03-20-2012, 02:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hip hop bunny hop

Eh?

I chose my words carefully; the Atheists who annoy me are those who've a devout faith in egalitarianism. I find this stupid and annoying.

Obviously, not all who endorse egalitarianism have a devout faith in it.

i find Atheists to be more into secular humanitarianism

Guybrush · 03-20-2012, 04:01 AM

I think one can joke about most subjects, but it depends on context and offensive jokes should be delivered with some sort of charm. An offensive joke which is not funny is only offensive.

Howard the Duck · 03-20-2012, 04:27 AM

i'm more "diplomatic" than "courteous"

racist jokes will appeal to some of my frens, sexist jokes to some

no one understands Holocaust jokes cos it's too remote and we were never taught that in our history lessons here

the really mega-offensive jokes only few frens can take - i used to quote verbatim from shock joke comics like Viz and was usually roundly scolded for it

mr dave · 03-20-2012, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fazstp

I am notoriously bad at judging what the right circumstances are. I don't know how many times I have made a joke that nobody has understood and have been completely embarrassed by the time I have explained to people what I meant and why I thought it was funny.

In that case you might want to keep this Mark Twain quote close to you.

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt"

That's not a matter of self censorship or oversensitive courtesy. It's a reflection of personal discipline and an ability to read others. Time and place for everything, if you're not absolutely sure it's time, then it isn't.

The biggest fundamental issue with delivering jokes and witty one liners is the underlying justification for the comment in the first place. A real comedian understands how to add a comment that will colour or shape the current subject in a funny way, a jokester will just make a comment to get people to notice him. One is hilarious, one is annoying.

As for that whole atheist / egalitarian shenanigan. I've met far more atheists faithfully thumping their science books than I've met bible zealots. Little is more annoying than hearing a 'free thinking genius' patronizing a crowd because they don't automatically adhere to their textbook world views. Ever try presenting a different belief to one of those? The black and white universe view is amazing.

03-20-2012, 04:01 AM	#38 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	I think one can joke about most subjects, but it depends on context and offensive jokes should be delivered with some sort of charm. An offensive joke which is not funny is only offensive. __________________ Something Completely Different

03-20-2012, 12:10 AM	#31 (permalink)
DoctorSoft Rocket Appliances Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 1,335	Honestly to me, I find it pretty hard to get offended by stuff like this. Some people get offended too easily. If a jokes funny, im gonna say it. If that offends people, thats fine, but please remember that lots of people nowadays, arent offended easily and find dark humor funny. But of course it depends on the audience. I'm not gonna be making dead baby jokes at a friends grandparents house.

03-20-2012, 12:11 AM	#32 (permalink)
Paedantic Basterd Music Addict Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 5,184	If I stopped being courteous on this forum, it would be a disaster for everyone. Believe me, it's tempting some days.