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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to find this " Best Gag of the Edinburgh Festival in poor taste?

418 replies

speakout · 19/08/2019 21:04

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-49389208

I have seen and read this "joke " repeated several times on TV in the past few days and find it in very poor taste. Newsreaders on TV have been chuckling. Tourette's can be a serious and debilatating condition and sufferers have huge challenges in everyday life. Surely we are a bit more grown up these days than to poke fun at people with a neurological condition?
Is is just me being stuffy?

OP posts:
Italiangreyhound · 21/08/2019 02:01

And yes, it is offense too.

MeowTseTung · 21/08/2019 02:12

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-49394802

This is the archive of the ten funniest jokes at the festival over each of the last ten years. Amongst them you'll find by no means veiled jokes about anorexia, suicide, mass murderers, ADHD, fat-shaming and bullying. None of these created any sort of reaction at the time.

Interesting how times change. Although this year's winner is a pretty shite joke, it's not nearly on the same level of offence as some previous years' offerings.

LiveInAHidingPlace · 21/08/2019 02:26

I have ADHD and I wouldn't be offended by a joke that made a play on words about it.

Whether it's offensive or in offensive is kind of neither here nor there because what should we do? Ban him from repeating it?

There are plenty of things I do find offensive but shit puns based on names of conditions isn't one of them.

escapade1234 · 21/08/2019 02:31

It’s such a lame joke. How did it win? I much prefer what he said in his acceptance.

"This is a fantastic honour but it's like I've always said, jokes about white sugar are rare, jokes about brown sugar... demerara."

Lifecraft · 21/08/2019 08:17

Re the joke about the Eton themed calendar, I'm sure there are people who went to Eton who haven't got a dad, or who were successful without their dad's input, who would find that joke very offensive.

It's stereotyping people who went to Eton, in a negative way.

BertrandRussell · 21/08/2019 08:21

“I'm sure there are people who went to Eton who haven't got a dad, or who were successful without their dad's input, who would find that joke very offensive”

You know what? I’m sure there aren’t. And so are you.

BertrandRussell · 21/08/2019 08:23

“Whether it's offensive or in offensive is kind of neither here nor there because what should we do? Ban him from repeating it?”
No. Just not legitimise making jokes about neurological conditions by saying it was the best joke at the festival.

Batqueen · 21/08/2019 08:35

It’s a play on words, not a particularly funny one but still doesn’t suddenly mean that people don’t think that Tourette’s is a difficult illness to have. My friends and I always make fun of the hard things in our lives as it makes them easier to deal with including my friends Tourettes, my diabetes, and several other long term illnesses.

Laughing together keeps us resilient.

Batqueen · 21/08/2019 08:36

*is NOT a difficult illness to have

LiveInAHidingPlace · 21/08/2019 08:37

lifecraft yes, it's about time someone stuck up for the Etonians. With all they've been through, they need our support.

BertrandRussell · 21/08/2019 08:43

“lifecraft yes, it's about time someone stuck up for the Etonians. With all they've been through, they need our support.”

It was also an old Etonian who made the joke.

BertrandRussell · 21/08/2019 08:45

“My friends and I always make fun of the hard things in our lives as it makes them easier to deal with“

Good. I think this is quite a common reaction.

Lifecraft · 21/08/2019 09:24

“I'm sure there are people who went to Eton who haven't got a dad, or who were successful without their dad's input, who would find that joke very offensive”

You know what? I’m sure there aren’t. And so are you.

You don't think there's a single kid whose dad died whilst he was at Eton? And who could find that joke upsetting. Not one, out of the thousands of boys who have gone thru Eton. Wow!

JacquesHammer · 21/08/2019 09:27

You don't think there's a single kid whose dad died whilst he was at Eton? And who could find that joke upsetting. Not one, out of the thousands of boys who have gone thru Eton. Wow!

Quite sure if his dad had died, the inheritance would have still got him through Eton so dad still did his bit Wink

Lifecraft · 21/08/2019 10:05

Quite sure if his dad had died, the inheritance would have still got him through Eton so dad still did his bit

Maybe, but his dad wouldn't be around to get his contacts to open doors for him when he started working.

The bottom line is that the joke is about kids at Eton getting a free pass to success in life, and that cannot be true in all cases.

Plus, going to Eton isn't a choice for the child involved.

Ultimately, most jokes have the capacity to upset someone somewhere. Offense isn't given, it's always taken.

JacquesHammer · 21/08/2019 10:08

Well isn’t it lucky you were around to explain the joke so seriously otherwise we wouldn’t have got it Grin

Offense isn't given, it's always taken

Not always true.

Lifecraft · 21/08/2019 10:09

You can find whatever you like to be funny and I can choose to judge you for it if it involves ridiculing vulnerable people.

Absolutely right, although on MN, we are often told that no one should judge anyone for anything.

Lifecraft · 21/08/2019 10:10

Offense isn't given, it's always taken

Not always true.

Examples please. You may be right, but I can't think of how.

TheYeaSayer · 21/08/2019 10:14

Arguing that the Eton joke could be offensive is ridiculous and, much as I hate this Mum’s net cliché, disingenuous.

If you think ”they didn’t choose to go to Eton” is somehow on a par with the lack of choice about being born with a lifelong debilitating condition then you’re a fucking idiot.

And those who are saying “It’s just a play on words” it’s not: it’s relying on an inaccurate trope about the behaviour of people with Tourettes; one which has, over the years made sufferers the butt of many such ignorant jokes.

DGRossetti · 21/08/2019 10:19

The one about the stolen anti-depressants was far funnier.

But what about the offense to people with depression ?

"This is a fantastic honour but it's like I've always said, jokes about white sugar are rare, jokes about brown sugar... demerara."

What about diabetics ?

Gilead · 21/08/2019 10:21

What about is not helpful, nor relevant.

Italiangreyhound · 21/08/2019 10:29

Isn't the rule of thimb of it affected you, you can joke a out it. So if the old Etonian made a joke about Eton, fine, if the florets guy had Torrents, fine etc.

Tourettes is a really awful syndrome so I don't find it funny but it's also an awful joke!

Italiangreyhound · 21/08/2019 10:31

I've got Diabeties and am not offended by jokes about sugar or carbs!!

I grew up in the 70s with mother in law jokes! We don't really have then any more. Most comedians seem to take piss out if themselves and that seems right!

GetOffYourHighHorse · 21/08/2019 10:50

Whether a 'play on words' or not, using the fact some with Tourettes syndrom shouts out random words as a 'joke' is not funny in the slightest.

I wonder if he'd said something about needing a wheelchair in a shit 'play on words' if people would have thought it was funny.

'OK- i’ll start. Not neurological conditions unless the person telling the joke has that condition.'

This ^. If he had Tourettes then it might have been funny. Laughing at himself like the voiceless man did who won BGT last year. Not laughing at others. The fact many think it's 'just a joke' is depressing.

DGRossetti · 21/08/2019 10:52

What about is not helpful, nor relevant.

So you say ....