to feel that nothing is off limits comedy wise?

[Heathcliffscathy]

when I think of things that have really made me laugh some of them would be VERY offensive to some groups (mostly religious, and I believe in god)...I'm thinking about Sarah Silverman, Dennis Leary's no cure for cancer, Chris Rock etc etc.

Comedy is about offence to a certain extent isn't it as the funniest things are the ones that are closest to the bone, laughter relieves anxiety and therefore the graver and most serious something is (like the nazi's for eg) the funnier it can be (vis the producers for eg).

Dave Allen had it in for Catholics and my catholic mother used to weep with laughter at him. Derek and Clive take the piss about Cancer to great effect.

Now there are some 'comedians' that I think are shit: Bernard Manning springs to mind...but I don't think that banning them or censoring or protesting is the way forward, just don't view!

There are threads on here regularly about topics that mner's feel are off limits to comedy, most especially special needs. But I'm pretty sure that many special needs adults wouldn't appreciate being singled out as something that cannot be a source of humour...the ability to laugh at oneself including the tragedies and limitations of our lives is really important isn't it?

I maybe totally wrong, and maybe it's only ok if it is a special needs person doing it?

Important to remember that Ash Atalla - who is disabled and in a wheelchair - is Ricky Gervais's producer and that many of these situations - like the fire drill one - are suggested by him as he has experienced them.

Nope. Dp thinks you can't tell people what to laugh at apparently. And yet yesterday she did.

"Humour is personal. You can't tell people what they're allowed to laugh at,. We live in a western democracy ( I think ??)

Maybe you'd feel more at home in Communist China?"

Perhaps she's subtly coming out as a communist? I'm unclear.

it's not always about education... most of the comedians making 'close to the bone' jokes are intelligent and educated individuals. most of their audiences are average middle class punters who appreciate alternative comedy.

it's the attitude that anything is 'fair game', despite how immoral, offensive and hurtful their material might be.

and i'm a major fan of dark comedy but i understand that as a society we should protect people who can't protect themselves.

Sorry Cold Comfort, joan rivers is NEVER funny

Censorship worked to stop racism. It was society's message to everybody that racism was wrong and out of bounds, and society practiced what it preached, and broadcasters stopped giving a public platform to it. This sent the message out to the public and educated the public.

There are thousands of racists still out there, and if these programmes were still on TV, then they would feel comfortable in airing their views in public. But they have been taught by society that this is out of bounds, and peer pressure and society doesn't tolerate it, and therefore they are more wary of airing their views in public. Racists aren't educated by do-gooders telling them to be nice. It is fear and sanctions that prevent them from being openly racist.

Cowards, who want to pick on people, have now moved on to other targets. Many of these cowards are in fact right-on politically correct comedians, who are not racist but think it is still ok to attack other vulnerable targets.

The target that they are all allowed to pick on are ginger people. Even Harriet Harman, and whatever politically correct Labour speechwriter wrote her script, felt it was ok to joke about the extinction of ginger rodents.

The problem with most jokes about disability (and the current trend for rape jokes) is that they are intended to be offensive and upsetting to people with the least power and to play to the prejudices of people with more power. They are very like the old racist humour of Bernard Manning in style and intention. The BBC would quite rightly not tolerate (ie censor) white comedians making jokes about the laziness of 'niggers', but sadly jokes about the ugliness and uselessness of disabled people are still considered perfectly OK. They are totally different from the humour involving disability in The Office.

evilddead, I know, I was very surprised! She was on Radio 4 talking about his death and she was mordantly funny. And I normally find her completely painful.

It wasn't a joke about suicide, it was an unacceptable offensive post directed at another poster.

he'd just commented that his mother had recently died and the response he got was;

' did she commit suicide '

I'm guessing that was thought to be ok because he was a suspected troll.

blinks do you think going to university or being middle class makes people more aware of racial issues? In the seventies I bet they all lived in fairly white upper class areas. "Education" is not all about school.

Now a days people need to educate those who don't know about disabilities because unless you work with the disabled, are disabled, or have a disabled child. You probably won't know shit about it. I know I don't

What claig said.

but DP in your world anything goes....

I will ask again
so DP would you like people making jokes at your dc's expense, however much it hurt them and led to them being bullied, would you still get the joke?

It was a joke, in terribly bad taste, dp.

But you found it offensive. As is your prerogative. But you can't argue that offensive jokes are fine As long as you don't find them offensive

That is silly.

I don't know, I think censorship just leads to the usual "It's PC gorn mad!" bull shit spouted by DP types that we're all sick of hearing about. It also give the Sun readers fuel for their fire and creates a bigger back lash against the people it should be helping.

theevildead2- your post makes little sense.

i didn't mention school or university specifically, just that most alternative comedians are intelligent and educated... that's a fact.

and what is there to get? disabled people deserve respect and to be protected from bigotry, just like everyone else. you don't need to be related/close to someone with a disability to know that.

this comes down to sensationalism and ticket selling. comedy is an uber competitive industry with comedians constantly striving to out do each other so they can make a name for themselves. audiences have therefore begun to get used to and expect material to be somewhat offensive.

On mumsnet we have to stick to certain guildlines. There's a time and a place for sick jokes. A parenting forum, when a poster has just revealed his mother has recently died, is not the place. If I hand over £40 to go and see Frankie Boyle - I have paid to be offended. My choice.

It did actually. Re-read it darling.

I am a Daily Mail reader, and I am not politically correct like Harriet Harman, but I don't think jokes about ginger people are OK. I think PC has gorn mad in many areas, and it is the lefties who have done this for their own purposes, but who then think it is OK to make jokes about ginger people.

Making jokes about disabled people is nothing to do with challenging PC, it is about common decency. I bet most Daily Mail readers would agree with me, and I would guess that the right-on comedians like Gervais and Carr are most probably right-on left-wing politically correct types.

darling?

YOUR post did, mine did not. don't call me darling you patrionising twat

twat is higly offensive to many people.

Dp he revealed it after an outpouring of rather unpleasant abuse at various posters. It was said as a put down response to a comment about how his mother must be proud of his behaviour.

Perhaps I am horribly cynical but it didn't come across as a genuine response, rather a knee jerk comment made by the op.

But it's all down to interpretation.

But I wouldn't censor you by reporting you to MNHQ

i couldn't give two shits what you do.

and he was banned by mn hq

I'm glad to hear that 2shoes. His views were abhorrent on that thread about disabled parking.