Comedy Central channel..Madeleine McCann

[hollielouise66]

Half listening to/watching some wanky comedian on Comedy Central that DH was watching when I heard him (the comedian) start talking about Madeleine McCann and making jokes. The audience was all laughing along. Did anyone else hear it? I was so shocked. DH muttered something about it 'not being in great taste' but didn't seem as stunned as I was. How can it be ok in any way to get laughs like that? It seemed so, so wrong to me. Surely some things are totally off limits...it made me feel sick.

People will be along in a minute defend it. Fwiw I agree. I’ve been thinking about comedy and how things aren’t off limits or shouldn’t be (aka if you laugh at x you can’t be offended at y) but I think it’s the difference between jokes about a faceless group/body/idea and an individual. For me, anyway.

I struggle with this. I understand comedians who have defended "offensive" jokes in the past. I can see their point of view. But as soon as you take that comedy off of a stage, I think it's a big no. The same joke made by a non-comedian in a non-comedy setting. So my opinion seems hypocritical.

I think quite often in that type of comedy people laugh along in a shocked/horrified 'oh my god I can't believe he just said that' way, rather than honestly finding it hilarious.
I agree that some topics should be off limits. I can't watch Frankie Boyle or Ricky Gervais because some of the things they've joked about are abhorrent to me. But humour is subjective so I suppose there are people who find that type of thing funny.

That just sounds foul to me. Some things cannot be joked about.

Sounds like the sort of thing Frankie Boyle would do.

I don't understand at all either OP.
What's funny about child kidnap and quite likely pain and death?
It's just sick to joke about it.

Vile.

There is nothing. Absolutely. Nothing, that would make this ok.

No decent person would cross that line to tell it or laugh at it.

It's not ok.
A personal tragedy like that simply isn't ever going to be funny, and laughing at it doesn't show you've got a good sense of humour ... rather the reverse.

was that live at the apollo if so its a 14 year old episode

@RampantIvy

Sounds like the sort of thing Frankie Boyle would do.

I was watching a clip of him on YouTube recently. He's definitely unhinged

Some of the stuff he said about Michael Jackson was uncomfortable

I'm not a fan of censorship in any form, but what could actually be funny about a young child's murder?

Totally agree with @GreyhoundG1rl
Vile and shameful

That's awful..beyond words

@GreyhoundG1rl

I'm not a fan of censorship in any form, but what could actually be funny about a young child's murder?

I would have said the same about child abuse and I would defend “Paedogeddon,” on Brass Eye. Because there were important satirical points about mass hysteria and mob justice. But essentially, at points, it was laughing at aspects of child abuse.

However, that doesn't give crass, stupid, arsehole comedians who have no depth or a satirical bone to their bodies to just use tragedy to shock people into laughing defensively. That makes us all worse.

Which means I don't think you can ban whole subjects. But you also can't say, 'only joke about this if you are making important points'. That leaves you with free speech, even though sometimes it's horrible.

There are plenty of comedians I don't like as I don't find their "humour" funny, DH watches Jimmy Carr and Frankie Boyle for example and find them pretty vile. Much worse than you've described. I guess this just touched a nerve for you.

I think we are more exposed to that sort thing now with YouTube etc. I wouldn't even see that sort of stuff pre internet. Similarly though DH has shown me footage of some of the "comedians" who his parents watched years ago and they were vile too and a lot were on mainstream TV. It's always been around and it's differing opinions of what people deem appropriate to make a joke about.

It's very dangerous ground to start censoring comedians, (where do you stop? Who decides the limit?) as you are then moving into the realms of restricting free speech.

The best thing to do is vote with your feet/keyboard and not watch or pay to go.

It's very dangerous ground to start censoring comedians, (where do you stop? Who decides the limit?) as you are then moving into the realms of restricting free speech.

The best thing to do is vote with your feet/keyboard and not watch or pay to go.

Yes. I suppose sometimes people would carry on listening so they can properly criticise / complain to the broadcaster or venue after. Or put up with Boyle on mock the week because the rest of the teams were funny.

I suppose freedom of speech can be part of the solution - heckling or booing has been a traditional way to let the performers know they're not funny.

Well, there's free speech and there's free speech - it has to involve some sort of consideration and responsibility.
I'd argue that none (or very few) of us support total free speech. Would you allow racist jokes? Jokes about rape, that normalise or encourage rape? Incitement to violence? I doubt it. So no absolute free speech.

PP's have mentioned laughing (or not) at certain subjects or taboos, but this is different: it's about an individual - a child who has been subjected to something beyond horrific, and her heartbroken family.

But humour is subjective so I suppose there are people who find that type of thing funny

I guess there must be, but whether or not this is funny (it's not) is not really the point.

Why are people under the illusion that we have free speech?
If I stood in the high street today and shouted racist, terroristisc, homophobic speech I would be removed and possibly arrested!

Why are people under the illusion that we have free speech?
If I stood in the high street today and shouted racist, terroristisc, homophobic speech I would be removed and possibly arrested!

We do have free speech in the UK, but it comes with the big caveat to follow laws around hate speech. Everything you've described is illegal under hate speech. And terrorism would probably come under threatening behaviour too.

We've got free speech.... With exceptions.

I personally think comedians are ok to get laughs however they want to get laughs. Sort of tells you everything you need to know that the audience did laugh and didn't all heckle and boo.

There's scientific and psychological studies that look into why we (yes, all of us) find vulgar things funny. Plenty of theories around online.

We've got free speech.... With exceptions

So... we don't have free speech then!

(Sorry, you're right I'm being facetious.

Free speech does not mean we can say absolutely anything.)

I kept thinking suppose her parents happen to flick to that channel and see an auditorium full of people sipping on their wine and laughing at a situation that involved their missing daughter. I know it's unlikely but you never know. It made my stomach churn.

Well... we can say anything but in the knowledge that there may be consequences. An appropriate consequence for nasty 'comedians' might be that they get booed and heckled (though of course they're just the types to be bullies who you'd have to be quite brave to heckle) , or that they find that they get fewer bookings. I don't mean 'cancelled' - just that they might expect some venues or broadcasters wouldn't be so keen on them.

I agree with you. I've had to watch comedians at live shows before making jokes along these lines and it is uncomfortable. I don't think any of the audience are finding it particularly funny.

I think you also have to be a pretty lame comedian to have to resort to certain 'shock' subjects to get a laugh. Talented comedians don't .