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

Sneer · 03-20-2012, 07:52 AM

I think Janszoon said it best, it's all about context. There are various factors implicit, such as the skill of the comedian, the catalyst for said humour, the audience and the tone of the joke. For example, the Brasseye episode on Paedophilia was fantastic because of the fact that, looking into the subtext, it was a critique of the British media and its tendency for whipping up moral panics as a means of increasing circulation and viewing figures. It uses black humour in an intelligent, nuanced way to explore a greater topic. Dr Strangelove is another example of this.

On the other side of the coin, you have the post that kicked off this whole shit storm. It was crude, unintelligent and tasteless.

I wouldn't say there's a line, more a slope.

Howard the Duck · 03-20-2012, 08:22 AM

on the furthest side of the coin, you have people taking the internet too seriously

some obviously share the view I'm Kiki Kannibal or something like that

The Fascinating Turnip · 03-20-2012, 08:34 AM

I think the question is that this was clearly not a one-off situation. The joke itself wasn't particularly funny but were it an unprecedented remark, the reaction would surely not have been what it has, this far. The problem is that Il Duce constantly manages to work his own sexual preferences, let's say, into each and every post he makes, whether it be about music or furniture - and it doesn't really seem like he does it for the comedy value.

I have absolutely no problem with dark humour if it's done well. This is obviously quite redundant and rather subjective, but I'd say what makes dark humour acceptable is when you can tell that it wasn't just used as an excuse to spew prejudiced views. In fact, I'd say that most of the time, dark humour is used to criticise people who actually adopt such views.

Howard the Duck · 03-20-2012, 09:38 AM

well, i can't help being a subversive saboteur

sorry, was too preoccupied with Japanese girl group AKB48 and their panty-flashing antics on video to come up with a rejoinder

**Goofle** · 03-20-2012, 09:55 AM

Dark humor about dark humor done badly, done well. <---- that sentence makes sense when I read it back, so I shall not edit it.

Howard the Duck · 03-20-2012, 10:32 AM

crap comedy is what I do best

if i could do it well, i'd do it for a living

iluvwubs · 03-20-2012, 02:00 PM

I don't think there is a line at which any joke, if it is purely a joke, becomes morally disgusting. I think there is a very relative line at which such jokes become distasteful and/or offensive. I personally have joked about everything from the death of madeleine mccann, to rape and murder. However, i try to be selective about my audience. For the same reasons those jokes may really bother, or even disturb someone else, there are jokes that would deeply offend me. While i don't believe a joke in and of itself is morally disgusting, i believe telling certain jokes to people, whom you know will have an adverse reaction, is morally wrong.

Would you go up to a veteran with ptsd and tell him a joke about some people getting blown to pieces by an IED in afghanistan? In my eyes, that would be morally wrong. Just like a veteran may suffer from ptsd due to the things they have experienced in war, a woman who has been raped is very likely to have ptsd as well, and telling a rape joke to a woman who has ptsd for that reason will have a very adverse emotional impact.

I'm sure there are more current statistics, but a survey conducted in 1998 by the National Institute of Justice & Centers for Disease Control & Prevention showed that 1 out of every 6 women in America had been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. So, taking that into consideration, if you were to make a joke about rape in an environment where such jokes weren't to be expected there is a very strong possibility that you're telling it to a woman who has been raped. just my two cents.

CanwllCorfe · 03-20-2012, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duga

Referring to the argument that inspired this thread...if Canwll made a rape joke I might be so surprised he did that I would probably laugh. A lot. Other people are on thin ice and should really watch what they say.

I have tons of good rape jokes.

Not really, but I do love black humor, as well as anti jokes. And other stuff too. I don't think there's a "too far", unless as others have said, it's in the wrong context. Luckily a lot of people in my family, except for a small few, can handle anything. That helps a LOT.

Stephen · 03-20-2012, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr dave

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.

Yeah that's my usual approach but often that means an entire evening spent completely mute. I have real issues in reading other people especially in complex, chaotic social interactions where there is a lot going on. It takes a lot of concentrated effort for me to simply follow a conversation when there is a lot of background noise. Sometimes I get tired of the effort and just have a "****-it" moment and put something out there without the usual consideration. Mostly I regret it immediately

.

Not that what I say is generally offensive. Just that not many people know where I am coming from even after my attempts to explain myself.

03-20-2012, 07:52 AM	#41 (permalink)
Sneer Let it drip Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 5,430	I think Janszoon said it best, it's all about context. There are various factors implicit, such as the skill of the comedian, the catalyst for said humour, the audience and the tone of the joke. For example, the Brasseye episode on Paedophilia was fantastic because of the fact that, looking into the subtext, it was a critique of the British media and its tendency for whipping up moral panics as a means of increasing circulation and viewing figures. It uses black humour in an intelligent, nuanced way to explore a greater topic. Dr Strangelove is another example of this. On the other side of the coin, you have the post that kicked off this whole shit storm. It was crude, unintelligent and tasteless. I wouldn't say there's a line, more a slope. __________________ LastFM Sneer's Emporium of Sound Fright Team radio show

03-20-2012, 08:34 AM	#43 (permalink)
The Fascinating Turnip Moper Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 510	I think the question is that this was clearly not a one-off situation. The joke itself wasn't particularly funny but were it an unprecedented remark, the reaction would surely not have been what it has, this far. The problem is that Il Duce constantly manages to work his own sexual preferences, let's say, into each and every post he makes, whether it be about music or furniture - and it doesn't really seem like he does it for the comedy value. I have absolutely no problem with dark humour if it's done well. This is obviously quite redundant and rather subjective, but I'd say what makes dark humour acceptable is when you can tell that it wasn't just used as an excuse to spew prejudiced views. In fact, I'd say that most of the time, dark humour is used to criticise people who actually adopt such views. Last edited by The Fascinating Turnip; 03-20-2012 at 08:46 AM.

03-20-2012, 02:00 PM	#47 (permalink)
iluvwubs Groupie Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: america Posts: 47	I don't think there is a line at which any joke, if it is purely a joke, becomes morally disgusting. I think there is a very relative line at which such jokes become distasteful and/or offensive. I personally have joked about everything from the death of madeleine mccann, to rape and murder. However, i try to be selective about my audience. For the same reasons those jokes may really bother, or even disturb someone else, there are jokes that would deeply offend me. While i don't believe a joke in and of itself is morally disgusting, i believe telling certain jokes to people, whom you know will have an adverse reaction, is morally wrong. Would you go up to a veteran with ptsd and tell him a joke about some people getting blown to pieces by an IED in afghanistan? In my eyes, that would be morally wrong. Just like a veteran may suffer from ptsd due to the things they have experienced in war, a woman who has been raped is very likely to have ptsd as well, and telling a rape joke to a woman who has ptsd for that reason will have a very adverse emotional impact. I'm sure there are more current statistics, but a survey conducted in 1998 by the National Institute of Justice & Centers for Disease Control & Prevention showed that 1 out of every 6 women in America had been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. So, taking that into consideration, if you were to make a joke about rape in an environment where such jokes weren't to be expected there is a very strong possibility that you're telling it to a woman who has been raped. just my two cents. Last edited by iluvwubs; 03-20-2012 at 02:03 PM. Reason: grammar