To think that Frankie Boyle is a despicable human being?

[MiniEggsinJanuary]

Just flicked on to an old episode of Mock the Week to find Frankie Boyle. I had forgotten about him and why he was so controversial so I googled and read the Wikipedia section on controversy about him. I knew he was a racist bigot but didn't realise he also made fun of disabled children. Please tell me I am not being unreasonable to think that he doesn't deserve the fees he must get when his programmes are repeated on Dave?

[Flobbadobs]

RG also supports animal rights among many other charities, he's still deeply unfunny and arrogant though. I think its the arrogance that puts my back up. He's been told he's hilarious far too many times.

[BumBiscuits]

Arf at Hammy. I'm sure there are plenty tax paying scumbags out there!

[blindworm]

His lawyer admitted that you could call his humour vile or offensive.

[Flobbadobs]

Just done some Googling and found an interesting fact. Did you know Barack Obama made a joke about the Paralympics? Or is that different?
articles.latimes.com/2009/mar/21/nation/na-obama-special-olympics21

[threesocksmorgan]

I allways assume the people who like him and RG most would be jim davidson fans as well

[FreudiansSlipper]

wonders if frankie boyle is reading this and sneering

there have been many comedians that outrage, chris rock, larry david, george carlin, billy connolly (not so much now) and richard pryor either you like it or do not but it gets people talking about it and that is often the point

[Branleuse]

I LOVE frankie boyle.

[FreudiansSlipper]

no i am not a jim davidson fan

i get the difference between trying to hold a mirror up to society and laughing at that and expressing vile racist and sexist views

[Buddhastic]

I 'unfollowed' RG due to a 'joke' about a terrorist and paedophiles. There's just some things you don't joke about.

[threesocksmorgan]

so taking the piss out of disabled people is ok, but being racist isn't
how weird

[Mehrida]

Saw FB at the festival before he was famous. It was, and still is, the closest I've ever come to walking out a gig in disgust. I hate his 'jokes' about people with disabilities, paedophiles and poor Rebecca A.

However, he is not racist. Can you find a racist comment from him anywhere or are you assuming that because he's vile he's automatically racist?

As he says himself, he's not ready to be racist yet because he's not finished hating white people.

[ICBINEG]

There is a massive difference (in intent if nothing else) between people day in day out telling rape/racist/disablist jokes and sniggering with their mates and FB doing it in front of millions and so obviously sneering at anyone for laughing.

There is massive good done by hauling these vile opinions out of the dark corners and sticking them in the limelight. I would not watch FB if I thought for one second he actually held any of the opinions the face value of his comedy might suggest he does.

[Cherriesarelovely]

I think he IS trying to be "ironic" but it is still offensive. I have a BIL who is the same, a genuinely nice guy who thinks it is funny to make outrageously racist jokes about my DP when we are out. It's not that he really is racist, he claims he just likes to shock, but to all intents and purposes people who don't know him don't know that and are consequently horrified. My DP and I find it incredibly embarrassing.

Also I do think there are some things that shouldn't be joked about and cannot understand how any jokes about disabled/ill children or missing children can be justified.

I think people have every right to object to FB. Just as we might object to the things spouted by the BNP etc. It is a debate that goes beyond changing channels when he is on.

[Cherriesarelovely]

ICBNEG so the whole point of his telling these very shocking jokes is to sneer at the people who subsequently laugh at them?

So, as a right on FB fan at one of his gigs what are you meant to do?

[FreudiansSlipper]

what Ice says

Jim Davidson hates anyone that is not white

Joan Rivers has joked about her own husbands suicide, 9/11 very soon after not everyone found it funny not everyone is meant too (good clip,of her on YouTube telling a heckler why she jokes about the things she does)

[ICBINEG]

I think the big question is does he do more good than evil by what he does?

Does seeing FB spouting bile make the average gutter lurker feel more bold in expressing their racist/disablist/pro-rape opinions, or does the rain of fire and public discussion of exactly why those opinions are so wrong and offensive give them pause for thought?

I don't know the answer to that. My gut instinct is that I personally find it easier to challenge shit when i encounter it when I know the newspapers are full of outrage about inappropriate comments...

[IrnBruChew]

I find some of his material funny.

I read once that he loves shocking people and that sharp intake of breathe people do when shocked then they laugh knowing its wrong to laugh. Weird way to get your kicks I suppose.

[threesocksmorgan]

I think you are kidding your selves, pretending that he is really a nice misunderstood guy , who actually cares.
the reality is her is a think as shit person, who makes money out of his sick"jokes"
he has no social conscience. he is no different from Jim d and his ilk.

[Branleuse]

frankie boyle isnt racist although i don't think there is anything off limits for being the butt of his jokes. The guys a genius

[Cherriesarelovely]

ICBINEG I do know what you mean and I don't think he or my BIL are racist but some of the jokes he has made at the expense of vulnerable children....well, I just cannot imagine how he thought that would help?? Take his joke about Katie Price's son, when he wrote that joke surely most people would think "I am making a disgusting joke at the expense of a young person whose life is already incredibly challenging and who has no voice with which to defend themselves" not to mention how abhorrent it will be for his family. In what way was he being "clever" there?

[ubik]

I think the difficulty is that we can sit around stroking our chins and agreeing that Frankie Boyke is holding a mirror up to society, that he is merely highlighting the prejudices of his audience who laugh at his jokes and the joke is on the people buying the tickets.

But if you are the parent of a child with Downs Syndrome and you see the audience laughing at the 'joke' then all the intellectual wankery in the world isn't going to make up for the anger and fear for your child that you will experience as a result.

Yes he is highlighting prejudice, but at the same time there is a danger that he is enabling these attitudes.

I remember him remarking that after the smoking ban, every crappy bar in Gladgow has a table and chairs outside, and that parts of the city now resemble Paris after a nuclear war. He can be very funny.

[Cherriesarelovely]

Yes ubik that pretty much sums it up.

[EuroShopperEnergyDrink]

He's not a bloody misunderstood guy- you're just clearly not clever enough to get it if you take things at face value. He is holding up a dark dirty mirror to society and mocking racist, homophobic and sexist beliefs.

In regards to the mirror case- which none of the anti-Frankie Boyle brigade seems to know what it was about...the Mirror used one of his jokes to associate him as a racist in one of their stories.

The joke was MTW 'Things you wouldn't hear in a government department'

FB - 'Hello, Ministry of Defence? This is the department of n*gger bombing!'

Anyone with a brain can see that that's social commentary on our imperalist society, that has throughout history exploited people of colour all over the world. It was actually lifted from a direct quote from a minister whose name escapes me. If you genuinely think it means that he wants to bomb black people, just shoot yourself- now. Please.

[EuroShopperEnergyDrink]

The only thing I will say is- that it's dangerous when people don't see it as a social commentary, which breeds the UniLad and other low humoured groups where people try and be as funny as possible. Some people aren't mature enough to not take it at face value- that goes for those who seem to think that FB is rapist who hates disabled people, and those who think the act of raping and disabled people are funny.

That's why I'd be very concerned about a young teenager watching it. It's a mature, sick breed of humour that needs to be understood to be truly found funny.