The future of "offensive" jokes
Discussion
What is the future of "offensive" jokes?
To me, the list of people & things you can joke about without upsetting someone seems to be getting smaller by the day.
Will we end up only being able to joke about straight, white men? Or will free speech prevail and ensure that everything is fair game for a joke?
To me, the list of people & things you can joke about without upsetting someone seems to be getting smaller by the day.
Will we end up only being able to joke about straight, white men? Or will free speech prevail and ensure that everything is fair game for a joke?
Mainstream offensive comedy is long dead. You'll get cancelled in a moments notice for even mocking or imitating an accent. Look how quickly we are now eradicating evidence of old television shows, movies or songs with humour or lyrics containing something that somebody or a group may find mildly offensive.
We are exceptionally wet behind the ears now as a nation, sadly.
We are exceptionally wet behind the ears now as a nation, sadly.
I think the problem is that so many hang on to old stuff like On The Buses and Bernard Manning, they had a good laugh 30/40/50 years ago and cant understand why it isn't ok any more.
Apparently todays "So Called comedy" is not funny at all, so stuff like Father Ted, The Inbetweeners, Greg Davies, Friday Night Dinner, Ricky Gervais, The Office, Jimmy Carr etc etc is not remotely funny ?
Could it be as its not sexist, racist and homophobic ?
Have watched On the Buses and by and large its a pile of old crap, met Bernard Manning back in about 1992 ish, im on the right, PHer Dirky Dirk on the left,
But by god his comedy, though it had its moment, its aged terribly and I am not super PC but even then it made me cringe, but he was charm personified and of his time, he did tend to take the piss out of everybody but cant defend it these days.
We form memories based on the time we see things and if its ok then, its difficult to adapt and accept its not ok any more as it shakes your value system and some folk just cant accept it, its like how some think old computer games or cars are just so much better, in some ways they have charm but objectively, they are a bit poo in a lot of ways.
So, anyone says any different, act like a wounded animal shouting "SNOWFLAKE" at anyone who doesn't agree that Benny Hill was hilarious.
I think comedians have to be cleverer these days, more sophisticated than jokes about "Poofs" and "Darkies".
Apparently todays "So Called comedy" is not funny at all, so stuff like Father Ted, The Inbetweeners, Greg Davies, Friday Night Dinner, Ricky Gervais, The Office, Jimmy Carr etc etc is not remotely funny ?
Could it be as its not sexist, racist and homophobic ?
Have watched On the Buses and by and large its a pile of old crap, met Bernard Manning back in about 1992 ish, im on the right, PHer Dirky Dirk on the left,
But by god his comedy, though it had its moment, its aged terribly and I am not super PC but even then it made me cringe, but he was charm personified and of his time, he did tend to take the piss out of everybody but cant defend it these days.
We form memories based on the time we see things and if its ok then, its difficult to adapt and accept its not ok any more as it shakes your value system and some folk just cant accept it, its like how some think old computer games or cars are just so much better, in some ways they have charm but objectively, they are a bit poo in a lot of ways.
So, anyone says any different, act like a wounded animal shouting "SNOWFLAKE" at anyone who doesn't agree that Benny Hill was hilarious.
I think comedians have to be cleverer these days, more sophisticated than jokes about "Poofs" and "Darkies".
I think it depends very much on the context of the joke.
Laughs at the expense of a group don't particularly fly now, but I'd say that those intended as "laughing with" will only catch flak from the wokest of twitter progressives (Who will usually be shot down by the less-triggered members of their own groups once they've left their echo chamber)
Laughs at the expense of a group don't particularly fly now, but I'd say that those intended as "laughing with" will only catch flak from the wokest of twitter progressives (Who will usually be shot down by the less-triggered members of their own groups once they've left their echo chamber)
It's a very old and regurgitated topic, but don't forget Jim Davidson. For some awkwardness watch him V Brian Dowling for what can happen when dinosaur meets Snowflake. As said some of the old school comedians were close to the line back then, confined to WM clubs, lads nights out and just look uncomfortable now, but even in recent years we've had Little Britain who to many were fantastic, but wouldn't be allowed on TV these days.
I think comedians like Peter Kay and Bill Bailey are more popular now as their humour is of a different type and topic.
Politics and politicians haven't been frowned upon yet!
I think comedians like Peter Kay and Bill Bailey are more popular now as their humour is of a different type and topic.
Politics and politicians haven't been frowned upon yet!
J4CKO said:
I think the problem is that so many hang on to old stuff like On The Buses and Bernard Manning, they had a good laugh 30/40/50 years ago and cant understand why it isn't ok any more.
Apparently todays "So Called comedy" is not funny at all, so stuff like Father Ted, The Inbetweeners, Greg Davies, Friday Night Dinner, Ricky Gervais, The Office, Jimmy Carr etc etc is not remotely funny ?
Could it be as its not sexist, racist and homophobic ?
I think comedians have to be cleverer these days, more sophisticated than jokes about "Poofs" and "Darkies".
Firstly your 'today's' was in the case of The Office and Father Ted twenty or more years ago, the Inbetweeners ten. And you're saying Jimmy Carr doesn't do sexist jokes? Eh? Part of his act is a scale of offensive jokes ffs, from rape to the holocaust.Apparently todays "So Called comedy" is not funny at all, so stuff like Father Ted, The Inbetweeners, Greg Davies, Friday Night Dinner, Ricky Gervais, The Office, Jimmy Carr etc etc is not remotely funny ?
Could it be as its not sexist, racist and homophobic ?
I think comedians have to be cleverer these days, more sophisticated than jokes about "Poofs" and "Darkies".
The shows you list are funny (I'm glossing over Greg Davies here). But The Office had jokes about race and disability which would probably not be 'acceptable' these days. Little Britain have admitted as much in their case, because although framed differently they had plenty of jokes about 'poofs and darkies'. The Inbetweeners was exclusively white so wouldn't meet the diversity bar now.
So half the shows you cite as modern wouldn't be made in the modern age. Mostly because they were (supposedly) the very things you think they weren't, albeit in a less overt way than 70s comics. You sound like someone who wants to be seen as woke but haven't quite got the full memo. Report to the BBC for re-education.
Personally I think everything and anyone should be fair game.
technodup said:
Personally I think everything and anyone should be fair game.
Everything and everyone still are fair game. You have the right to joke about anything. But you don't have the right to demand venues or TV give you a platform for stuff they feel the public no longer have an appetite for. It seems to me the biggest complainers and most offended are those offended by the fact that others are offended by their material. You tell a joke, that's your right. Someone else doesn't like it, that's their right.
People bang on about cancel culture, but from what I can see, most of the time, it's consequence culture. Nobody will give you a platform and that's a consequence of what you wish to say on that platform.
For me, if something is funny, then it's funny, regardless of it being offensive or not.
I certainly know when a joke is 'wrong', but that doesn't stop it from being funny. There can be humour found in death, tragedy, cancer, race, sex etc...
I've noticed for a while now that comedy on TV is quite dire these days, there's nothing really funny anymore. I can't think of a single comedy show that might become a future classic like Python, Backadder, Young Ones etc. etc. Every now and again a new style of comedy sweeps over, and for me they have always been very very good, and worth the change, but I can't think of any current comedy that fits the above. It's just so called 'comedians' doing the same TV quiz show routine, each show the same as the others.
Frankie Boyle was probably the last offensive comedian, but he wasn't exactly offensive. With comedians like Leigh Francis (Keith Lemon) apologising for his Michael Jackson & Craig David acts in the wake of BLM, comedy is now effectively dead.
I certainly know when a joke is 'wrong', but that doesn't stop it from being funny. There can be humour found in death, tragedy, cancer, race, sex etc...
I've noticed for a while now that comedy on TV is quite dire these days, there's nothing really funny anymore. I can't think of a single comedy show that might become a future classic like Python, Backadder, Young Ones etc. etc. Every now and again a new style of comedy sweeps over, and for me they have always been very very good, and worth the change, but I can't think of any current comedy that fits the above. It's just so called 'comedians' doing the same TV quiz show routine, each show the same as the others.
Frankie Boyle was probably the last offensive comedian, but he wasn't exactly offensive. With comedians like Leigh Francis (Keith Lemon) apologising for his Michael Jackson & Craig David acts in the wake of BLM, comedy is now effectively dead.
J4CKO said:
Apparently todays "So Called comedy" is not funny at all, so stuff like Father Ted, The Inbetweeners, Greg Davies, Friday Night Dinner, Ricky Gervais, The Office, Jimmy Carr etc etc is not remotely funny ?
I think comedians have to be cleverer these days, more sophisticated than jokes about "Poofs" and "Darkies".
Those comedies are not todays comedies though are they? Most of them are around 20 years old now.I think comedians have to be cleverer these days, more sophisticated than jokes about "Poofs" and "Darkies".
As for using the words 'poofs & drakies', I don't think those words have been used in TV comedy for a long time.
But it's not about comedians not being able to use words like that, it's more about them appearing to be overly cautious about making humour that might be offensive against someone, or someone being offended on behalf of someone else.
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