Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Jimmy Carr Holocaust ‘joke’

195 replies

PurpleParrotfish · 04/02/2022 17:46

Just seen this on Twitter.
'”No one ever wants to talk about the thousands of Gypsies killed by the Nazis, because no one wants to talk about the positives”
twitter.com/jrc1921/status/1489586961656516608?s=21
That would be the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Romany and Gypsies in death camps, maybe up to 1.5 million. Fucking hilarious.

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 05/02/2022 09:35

@PuppyMonkey

So he can get away with saying whatever offensive thing he wants because it’s in a section called “career ending jokes” and it’s just him being post modern and ironic?Hmm

I just find it weird that a thought like that joke would even enter his head tbh.Confused

Its analagous to a chef presenting a 'career ending menu' of turds on a plate. Hmm

The fact that something is presented in the form of a joke doesn't make it a joke.

The analogy fails because this show undoubtedly won't be career ending for Carr - and he knows it. He knows he can get away with 'jokes' about the genocide of gypsies. It's not brave, or interesting. It's cynical.

cakeorwine · 05/02/2022 09:35

I wonder if people defending Jimmy Carr would also defend Bernard Manning or Jim Davidson if they had made this joke - and used the argument about raising awareness and dark humour?

PuppyMonkey · 05/02/2022 09:40

The analogy fails because this show undoubtedly won't be career ending for Carr - and he knows it. He knows he can get away with 'jokes' about the genocide of gypsies. It's not brave, or interesting. It's cynical.

Spot on.

RandomDent · 05/02/2022 09:45

@cakeorwine

I wonder if people defending Jimmy Carr would also defend Bernard Manning or Jim Davidson if they had made this joke - and used the argument about raising awareness and dark humour?
As I watched it this thought began to creep into my head. Some of the jokes were cutting and funny, and often drew in the audience, then insulted them. (The rape one does exactly that) But lots of them were lazy jokes that I realised I would have been annoyed about if Jim Davidson had been telling them.
cakeorwine · 05/02/2022 10:01

I get it if someone from such a community made such a 'joke' . It would come from them talking about the issues that have affected their community.

Jim Davidson wouldn't get away with this. Jimmy Carr might. But he's not from the Roma community.

Maireas · 05/02/2022 10:06

@Octomore

When people say "X is offensive about everyone", the word 'everyone' doesn't tend to include educated straight white middle class men. Mainly because that group has never been subject to mass slaughter, rape or slavery, so there are no horrific topics to joke about.
Exactly this.
cakeorwine · 05/02/2022 10:20

I remember reading a study about the effect of listening to sexist / racist / homophobic jokes on people who were sexist / homophobic / racist and how being in an audience, hearing people laugh and find them amusing reinforced the belief and attitudes of people towards the targeted minority group.

Which is obvious really. If you are in an audience and you find people laughing at and reinforcing beliefs about something, it's going to reinforce your belief.

You don't want to ban such things - but it's obvious that some comedians can help reinforce the beliefs of someone in the same way that people pushing negative propaganda can as well.

KimikosNightmare · 05/02/2022 11:22

@Ylvamoon

His comment is not a joke for sure. It can be classed as a offensive. BUT it got us talking / thinking about other groups that were victims of the holocaust.
Seriously? Without Carr's help we wouldn't know there were other victims?

Are people really so ignorant? Well I suppose there is Whoopi Goldberg who clearly is.

cakeorwine · 05/02/2022 12:12

Nadine Dorries :

"Ms Dorries suggested the government could legislate to stop comedy people find offensive being shown on streaming platforms. "We're already looking at future legislation to bring into scope those sort of comments," she told the BBC.

Asked about a previous Tweet where she said "left-wing snowflakes are killing comedy", Ms Dorries replied: "Well, that's not comedy."

So - she wants to stop jokes being made that people find offensive but thinks that left wing snowflakes who get upset about things are killing comedy?

Who gets to define what is offensive and should be banned from platforms

OhWhyNot · 05/02/2022 13:25

I don’t want comedy or any arts to be censored

But there are comedian who will use their comedy/jokes to uphold their beliefs and often their followers will feel the same way

I heard Russel Kane tell some Bernard Manning jokes mother in law sexist type jokes to a crowd unknown to them he even used a mock northern accent and said the punch line in the same way. The right on crowd loved it

So it’s interesting who is acceptable too

I don’t think JC is being hateful many many comedians have made jokes about what many consider unacceptable George Carlin (how he would have managed the last few years would have been very humorous), Joan Rivers, Chris Rock

Class also comes into it and university educated mc comedian telling offensive jokes will be

I think it’s the intention behind the joke

Agrudge · 05/02/2022 20:39

@MyGlassKeepsLeaking

Jimmy Carr isn't funny, clever, or witty. He's crude, crass, and he's just a twat
Opinions vary
Shehasadiamondinthesky · 05/02/2022 20:41

I loathe Carr he is a smug self satisfied twat who thinks he is funny and clever when in fact he is neither. I cannot stand the sight of him.

Grumpsy · 05/02/2022 21:04

At the end of that joke, people forget to mention a couple of things:

  1. His mentioning of people never forgetting the horrors of the Holocaust - essentially keeping it alive ensures that you never forget
  2. Highlighting the other minorities that are forgotten about when talking about those who were murdered during the Holocaust - the joke highlighting the minorities who were also slaughtered

Personally I don’t agree with censorship of comedy, there is a difference between something that is said with seriousness and belief than something said in jest, and something said in a way where it is not in belief but highlighting wider issues.

Agrudge · 05/02/2022 21:31

People know what they are getting with Jimmy carr.

Dont like it ,dont watch it.

It really is that simply

CPL593H · 05/02/2022 22:20

@Agrudge

People know what they are getting with Jimmy carr.

Dont like it ,dont watch it.

It really is that simply

By this reckoning, anyone can say anything they like in public, in books or on film, however anti Semitic/racist/homophobic and that excuse can be used. The law says different.

In this case, I very much doubt actual laws were broken but Jimmy Carr willingly put himself in the frame for the criticism he's getting. He's got a First from Cambridge, after all, so should be capable of a bit of critical thinking about his actions and their consequences.

HailAdrian · 05/02/2022 22:31

I don't care for him but you guys don't actually think he finds anything about the Holocaust funny?

ErrolTheDragon · 05/02/2022 22:39

@HailAdrian

I don't care for him but you guys don't actually think he finds anything about the Holocaust funny?
No, he's just cynically using it for whatever reason.
megladon2020 · 05/02/2022 22:39

@TheLightSideOfTheMoon

I used to watch him and laugh () but the last few just made me feel really uneasy. Maybe I’ve grown up?

^^
Me too. I used to really rate him. Saw him live several times but I now don't find a lot of his jokes funny. My dh says I've lost my sense of humour- I think I've grown up and am more enlightened and aware especially since being a mother.

ErrolTheDragon · 05/02/2022 23:01

My dh says I've lost my sense of humour- I think I've grown up and am more enlightened and aware especially since being a mother.

No, your sense of humour has improved by becoming less indiscriminate and more discerning of what's funny and what's just crass or manipulative.

Titsywoo · 05/02/2022 23:11

This is how he has always been though. Very offensive jokes. Lots of people like them. This Netflix special came out over a month ago so why are people suddenly making a fuss now? Something to do with the Whoopi Goldberg comments maybe? He clearly doesn't think the gypsy deaths in the holocaust were a positive thing.

Yet noone is talking about the horrendous "jokey" texts of the met police that came out this week. Lets concentrate on cancelling a comedian instead.

ErrolTheDragon · 06/02/2022 07:57

Yet noone is talking about the horrendous "jokey" texts of the met police that came out this week

Don't be ridiculous, of course they are. Hmm

DGRossetti · 06/02/2022 10:17

This is how he has always been though. Very offensive jokes. Lots of people like them. This Netflix special came out over a month ago so why are people suddenly making a fuss now?

Because it took them that long to get it ?

ErrolTheDragon · 06/02/2022 10:21

Probably because, even if we all had Netflix, we wouldn't have watched Carr, so obviously wouldn't be discussing it until someone else happened to raise it.

Thoosa · 06/02/2022 10:24

@RandomDent

I am not defending him. However. It is part of his “let’s see how many offensive jokes I can get away with” stand up on Netflix. I did watch it. I can’t decide whether it was good or not, that line was one of many offensive jokes about very uncomfortable topics. Carr’s point/justification is that it is a joke about a terrible thing, not the terrible thing itself. He said that a lot through the show. I suppose it can spark the debate: where is the line?
That all sounds like a terrible idea for a television programme, TBH.
DGRossetti · 06/02/2022 10:49

@ErrolTheDragon

Probably because, even if we all had Netflix, we wouldn't have watched Carr, so obviously wouldn't be discussing it until someone else happened to raise it.
Many years ago, Harrow Council (or it may have been London Transport) commissioned a mural for Harrow on the Hill station.

It was a pastoral scene, harking back to Harrows greener past. And had two cows whose positioning did make it look like they were kissing.

Obviously this was local paper dynamite and indeed ran as a "story" after the robberies rapes and murders.

A week later, they published a letter from a resident in Kenton who by their own admission "never goes into Harrow town". However on this occasion they simply "had" to visit in order to be outraged and shocked.

That was one of many instances when I started developing a sense that I really don't give a fuck what you think. It's not unconditional. And it's not uncalculated. But if you really have to go out of your way to find offence then your views aren't really relevant. Ultimately you are starting to stick your nose into what other people should, or should not be doing. Which was used as justification for all sorts of -phobias in the past.

Jokes that work in one room may not work in another. And unless you know the famous quote about comedy, you're probably in the wrong room.