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Original poster

To think that Frankie Boyle is a despicable human being?

189 replies

MiniEggsinJanuary · 29/01/2013 23:06

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?

OP posts:
threesocksmorgan · 30/01/2013 12:54

really so I am not clever enough to get it (pmsl) so how clever do you have to be to make jokes about disabled people????

Cherriesarelovely · 30/01/2013 12:54

No Euro many of us do "get it" but we are still questioning whether his approach is useful or whether it unfortunately validates the veiws of people who don't realise that he is being ironic. Plus it does not explain all his offensive material. Not to say that at other times he isn't extremely clever and funny but unfortunately for me the vile "jokes"about children with disabilities are reason enough not to watch him again

LucilleBluth · 30/01/2013 13:12

EuroShopperEnergyDrink absolutely agree.

It's quite frightening and sad that people don't see the inner workings of what he does. I find him funny, I have cringed and closed my eyes during some of his stuff but I understand that I'm not just watching a guy spouting hatred for the sake of it, another similar comedian is Louis CK, I love him and how he defends his use of the word faggot......not that I would ever use it of course but it is very funny.

ICBINEG · 30/01/2013 13:17

Oh there is definitely value in debating whether or not his method is effective or too exploitative etc. But starting off from he is a vile sick person really is silly. He clearly isn't.

I do feel maybe there is a better way than taking a pop at a child with severe disabilities. On the other hand if taking that pop stops my neighbours child with severe disabilities from getting so much abuse on the streets then it's a tough call. The child and family he insulted was possibly better able to defend themselves and bear it than the vast vast majority of families and children in such positions.

Gah I really don't know. I know I couldn't do what FB does, I have tried the odd ironic "yeah coz all students of race behave in stereotype way " when colleagues have strayed off piste over coffee and it has 100% hit rate of causing them to knock it off but about a 50% hit rate of being told to remove the stick up my ass....

JennyPiccolo · 30/01/2013 13:27

There's a Frankie Boyle thread about once a fortnight these days. I quite like him. He does write for other comedians so you should maybe check, if you hate him, that you haven't been laughing at his jokes all along.

ouryve · 30/01/2013 13:49

I thought the office was genius, until it became clear that he wasn't really acting in it.

Wallison · 30/01/2013 14:58

EuroShopper, I think that people had the same reservations about the Alf Garnett character. We can now, in these more supposedly 'enlightened' times, look at it as a brilliant piece of social satire. But at the time there were people who thought he was telling it like it is for the honest everyday workers etc. and so there were also worries that such folk didn't get the joke and just saw it as validation for their own views.

KirstyoffEastenders · 30/01/2013 15:03

I love Frankie, especially when he offends the confused.

DontEvenThinkAboutIt · 30/01/2013 15:32

I am curious to know if anyone thinks the 'joke' about Katy Price's disabled son was not offensive?

I think it was disgusting and nasty and I can't believe anyone thinks otherwiseConfused

Yes Frankie is clever and yes he can be funny but that 'joke' among many others was really nasty. I watched it when it was first aired and was stunned as soon as I heard it. I was expecting Frankie to push boundries and make me cringe a bit but I didn't ever expect to hear a disgusting joke about a disabled child. Sad

He has never even apologised for saying it.

BumBiscuits · 30/01/2013 15:39

IMO the Harvey gag was not about Harvey, it was about his mother. It would have never happened if she wasn't so keen to whore her kids in particular one with SN to the media.

DontEvenThinkAboutIt · 30/01/2013 15:42

BumBiscuits. So you think the joke about Harvey was OK then?

AnyFucker · 30/01/2013 15:50

I am not going to reproduce it here, because it is vile

But the "jokes" about Harvey are not funny, not even in a dark and ironic way

If anyone has forgotten them, they are on his Wiki page

BumBiscuits · 30/01/2013 15:50

I see it for what it is. I like Frankie Boyle but that doesn't I find each and every thing he's says is funny. I'm not offended by that joke, even slightly, however.

AnyFucker · 30/01/2013 15:51

BumB, a particular "joke" he made was about Harvey, not Katie Price.

JennyPiccolo · 30/01/2013 15:51

The joke was about the two aspects of the Katie Price 'brand' that she has sold to get where she is. Her sexuality and her children, in particular her special needs child. More or less every story covering Katie price mentions these two things, but obviously not together, like Frankie Boyle did. The point is, that it's ok for price to endlessly flog these two aspects of her life, but it's not ok for someone to joke about it.

I didn't find it a particularly funny joke, but I got it.

I think in a way it's done Boyle a service to be cut from mainstream telly. His humour seems much sharper these days.

BumBiscuits · 30/01/2013 15:52

Meant to add that Katie Price/Jordan's exploitation of her kids (and Peter Andre and others like them) bothers me much, much more than words uttered by a comedian.

threesocksmorgan · 30/01/2013 15:53

so making jokes about disabled children is clever??
naming the child is ok if his mum is deemed bad.

really are people that thick.
dress it up how you like, try to defend the it how you like, try and make your self fill better as you laugh as his 'jokes"
but the truth is he is a bully, no better than the one in the street or school.
he is a not clever. if he was I am sure he would not need to make "jokes" about disabled people

BumBiscuits · 30/01/2013 15:54

I disagree anyfucker .

I've seen the joke on telly and at a live gig and I'm happy with my interpretation of it, thanks.

AnyFucker · 30/01/2013 15:57

I don't like celeb's exploitation of their kids either. It still doesn't make what he said right, or OK. BumB, are we talking about the same "joke" ?

MrsReiver · 30/01/2013 15:59

I found Heat's "Harvey's going to eat me" stickers much, much more offensive.

BumBiscuits · 30/01/2013 15:59

Yawn, yes.

LottieJenkins · 30/01/2013 16:00

If i see any of (i will not print his name)'s books i either turn them over or cover them with other books!

threesocksmorgan · 30/01/2013 16:01

they are all vile, the mother, heats jokes, but it doesn't make FB alright cos he made a joke about a severely disabled child by name.
what kind of thug thinks that is ok

DontEvenThinkAboutIt · 30/01/2013 16:03

I am stunned that anyone can defend the Harvey joke, absolutely stunned. I don't care who it involves but 'jokes' about a named child having to restrained from raping someone is very, very sick.

I don't think much of Katie Price who does but I think it is great to see a child with disabilities getting airtime. Much better than hiding him away. Sad

andubelievedthat · 30/01/2013 16:25

and on the 7th day , the lord said" thou shall not tune into/find f.b (comedien) jokes funny, go on mumsnet and moan like fuck," because that is all , yes all, you will do.