Jokes - are they a thing of the past?

[WhenDanMetHelen]

Growing up in the 1960’s … humour was all around but nowadays it’s difficult because it’s based on different parameters that can’t touch on stereotypes etc …

Modern day examples sound funny but apart from the World’s Funniest Joke (as told by Monty Python) it was so funny that everyone who read it, allegedly died laughing, a lot of comedy we’re told is funny - just isn’t -

I read a joke online last week;
If you go into a bathroom as an American and Come out of the bathroom as an American … What are you while you’re in the bathroom?

ANSWER:
European!

What kind of jokes (these days) make you laugh?

They are on here!

‘Growing up in the 1960’s … humour was all around but nowadays it’s difficult because it’s based on different parameters that can’t touch on stereotypes etc …’

Do people really make less jokes today than they did in the 60s? Surely, If anything, we seem to have more access to a variety of humour these days?

Dunno, I find everyone humourless these days

At work were not allowed to joke about anything...it's all politically correct

Unfortunately we also have more access to a list of things we ought to be offended by, thereby making almost every joke offensive.

People will find offence with bloody everything these days. Even look at the likes of Friends TV show, people are dissecting the jokes, the plots, the casting and becoming "so offended" by it. We'd defo have no comedy shows like Father Ted if it was to be written these days!

If they aren't highly offended, then they are getting triggered by it. 🙈

@Confusion101 I agree.
I find people under the age of Forty to be humourless and dour.
They look for offence in absolutely everything.
Can't say this, can't joke about that. Oh fuck off!
Drives me mad.

My grown up kids & I giggle at everything & constantly tell jokes.. maybe it's all behind closed doors now!
As for tv comedy - forget it, not to my taste. I watch bits of old stuff online - Dave Allen, that kind of thing - bloody hilarious.. The Two Ronnies Four Candles - introduced my kids to that, they love it.. Rowan Atkinson being an alien.. :-)

I can confirm that this one is still getting a lot of milage out of the under-tens!

Knock Knock
Who's there?
You're a p-
You're a p-who?
Haha, you said "you're a poo!"

And that they still get hilariously frustrated by my classic go-to:

Knock knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana who?

Knock knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana who?

Knock knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana who?

Knock knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana who?

Knock knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana who?

Knock knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana who?

Knock knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana who?

Knock knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana who?

Knock knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana who?

Knock knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana who?

Knock knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana who?

Knock knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana who?

Knock knock

Who's there?

Banana

Banana who?

Knock knock

Who's there?

Orange

Orange who?

Orange you glad I didn't say banana!

I never found Monty Python funny and I’ve never managed to raise even a smile whilst watching Mrs Brown’s boys.

I like Ricky Gervais and Jimmy Carr style jokes.

With comedy in general I think there is nothing funnier than confusion … so stuff like Ali-G is hilarious to me. When he says something ridiculous and you can see his Victim looking confused wondering whether he’s serious or not 😂

What do you call a Boomerang that doesn’t come back?
A stick

What type of things would you joke about if given free rein @mackthepony ?

Blackadder would never get off the ground these days…..

YANBU. Everyone’s offended by something these days.

Okay, you’re offended. But so what? Who cares? You are welcome to be as offended as you wish.

Jokes are still around, there is not less humour, its just that our understanding of what is/isn't acceptable to laugh at has altered alongside the boundaries of what is/isn't acceptable in general society. There has always been a line, some comedians will skirt very close to it and even occasionally hop over it but very few ignore it entirely. Back in the 60s racism, homophobia, ableism, etc were all permissible in society and so humour reflected that - is that what you're wanting a return to?

I agree. My grandad used to tell us jokes every time we saw him. Just knew them off top of his head.
Now, no one seems to tell jokes, especially young people. There also seems to be less comedy shows on TV, such as sitcoms. Everything seems more serious.

There are literally entire TV channels dedicated to comedy and I could rattle off the names a dozen or more relatively recent comedy shows.

The trouble with political jokes is they get elected.
Abd they sure as hell stop being funny then.

I'm over the hill. I'm glad comedy is more social commentary and intelligent. It's more enjoyable to me that way. I'm neither woke nor dour.

I was watching a documentary rthe the other day, it was all about penguins. Fascinating. They were talking about why penguins can't fly and the reason is, it's because they're chocolate biscuits.

😂😂 still makes me giggle.

I have quite a dry sense of humour which comes across as sarcastic to some people, but I still make my nieces and nephews laugh and can still make my 50 year old sister pee her pants laughing, which pleases me 😁

I'm rubbish at remembering jokes so have none for the thread. If I want to watch something funny (to me) it will be reruns of The Fast Show or Frasier. I’m also watching This Country again and loved Stath Lets Flats and also Gimme Gimme Gimme

I remember having a video night (back in the 80’s) with someone I’d just started seeing and I told him how funny Steve Martin was. We watched The Lonely Guy, which I still think is funny. Totally left my date cold, he thought it was a horrible film, so that was the end of that!

It’s probably fair to say that I have the sense of humour of a teenage boy, despite being in my mid 50’s. Actually just remembered that a woman my age did a really loud fart in M&S last week and made herself jump, which made me snort (there but for the grace of God and all that…)

I read that in Viz when I was about 12!

Growing up in the 1960’s … humour was all around but nowadays it’s difficult because it’s based on different parameters that can’t touch on stereotypes etc …

what you're saying is that in the 60s (and later, and now) a lot of hilarious jokes were based on racism, sexism, homophobia and generally punching down. And now the people who tell those jokes, and laugh at those jokes are being told in no uncertain terms to shut their traps.

Tim Vine (for example) can do half an hour of one liners that do none of those things and are hilarious.

Or is your OP just another way of having a dig at the "snowflake" generation who are offended at everything? I was born in in the mid-60s. I have never found racist, sexist, homophobic or "stereotype" jokes particularly funny. (eg blonde jokes, irish jokes etc)

I think it would, it's just too good not to be. Anyone remembering the last episode? Still brings a tear to my eye. That's the gold standard of great comedy isn't it, makes you laugh AND cry...

I find people under the age of Forty to be humourless and dour.
They look for offence in absolutely everything.
Can't say this, can't joke about that. Oh fuck off!
Drives me mad.

warning: here follows examples of "humour" from the 70s which i am using to illustrate what these goons are talking about

OK here's a popular joke that i remember hearing (and not laughing at) in the 70s:

what do you do when an epileptic has a fit in a bath?
Throw the washing in

fucking side splitting.

why do Blondes write TGIF on their toes?
so they know how to put their shoes on (toes go in first)

Irish jokes aplenty, which I'm not going to articulate.

So you can all fuck off with your "people under 40 are humourless" unless you can point at a genuinely funny joke that doesn't rely on punching down or stereotypes, that the majority of under 40s don't find funny.

Here's a trial joke:
What do you call an alligator in a vest?
An investigator

As far as I can see there are no great comedians today. The two Ronnies, Morecambe and Wise, Dave Allen, Ken Dodd, Frankie Howard, all gone now. I do love watching The Vicar of Dibley still, but aways a bitter sweet experience when I think of Emma Chambers.

This i my favourite joke, but you need to be over 50!

Why has an elephant got big ears? (answer at bottom of post).

In response to a PP, no I don't like Ali G etc. Sacha Baron Cohen is brilliantly clever and I do think his characters are funny but I can't bear jokes which have a 'victim ' - often an unsuspecting member of the public who don't realise he's not for real. I just can't laugh, even when he's at his cleverest as Ali G, Borat etc.

Answer: Because Noddy wouldn't pay the ransom.