Jimmy Carr - The End?

[Deleted member 16999]

ffs! What line, we’ve been told and I’ve given examples of some saying there are NO LINES! ie NO SUBJECT OFF LIMITS

Have you ever been to a “Comedy Club” or an “Open Night Mic”? Or are you restricting the debate to just high profile comedians?

And why are you answering on others behalf? Let those who made the statements answer!

 

[Swango1980]

ffs! What line, we’ve been told and I’ve given examples of some saying there are NO LINES! ie NO SUBJECT OFF LIMITS

Have you ever been to a “Comedy Club” or an “Open Night Mic”? Or are you restricting the debate to just high profile comedians?

And why are you answering on others behalf? Let those who made the statements answer!

Capital letters do not make your point make any more sense.

You are the one talking on others behalf. You are just making rubbish up. I asked you to highlight where others have said this. You didn't, you couldn't. I'm simply saying I have not seen anybody anywhere say what you have alleged. I am not speaking on their behalf, I was simply asking you to show the evidence.

Btw, I clearly said I agreed with the bit "no subject is off limits", so why on earth are you putting that in capital letters, I do not know. I didn't have issue with that. As I said, it was what followed. When dealing with sensitive issues, I am sure there are billions of way that a joke could be told that would be offensive to just about everyone, and that "society" would not find it funny. That the comedians would not have enough fans to become successful, as most would find them truly offensive. However, a great comedian has the skill to talk about any subject without doing this. That doesn't mean that no one gets offended at all. It is not as if there is a point at which everyone in the world is offended, and then told slightly differently no one is.

So, I am happy if you simply retract the second half of the statement, the bit you clearly do not want to back up.

And yes, I have been to live local comedy gigs, does this make any difference?

 

[phillarrow]

I've been trying to work out in my head how this style of comedy works, usually when walking the dog, driving in to work etc. Mulling it over, how would I explain it etc. I kind of knew what I wanted to say but just couldn't get my explanation right. I read your post and you have nailed it. It doesn't judge the joke, or the reaction, simply explains the mechanics of it and the reactions people have. Top post

Thanks, but I can't take any credit for it. It's what Hannah Gadsby explains in Nannette, and why her deliberate choice to set up the tension but then refuse to relieve it is so powerful. Jimmy Carr himself is a real student of comedy and has talked openly about the mechanics of jokes and why they work. As a self-confessed nerd, I find this kind of stuff fascinating. Anything that helps to explain aspects of human nature that are often taken with a pinch of salt is fascinating to me.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Capital letters do not make your point make any more sense.

You are the one talking on others behalf. You are just making rubbish up. I asked you to highlight where others have said this. You didn't, you couldn't. I'm simply saying I have not seen anybody anywhere say what you have alleged. I am not speaking on their behalf, I was simply asking you to show the evidence.

Btw, I clearly said I agreed with the bit "no subject is off limits", so why on earth are you putting that in capital letters, I do not know. I didn't have issue with that. As I said, it was what followed. When dealing with sensitive issues, I am sure there are billions of way that a joke could be told that would be offensive to just about everyone, and that "society" would not find it funny. That the comedians would not have enough fans to become successful, as most would find them truly offensive. However, a great comedian has the skill to talk about any subject without doing this. That doesn't mean that no one gets offended at all. It is not as if there is a point at which everyone in the world is offended, and then told slightly differently no one is.

So, I am happy if you simply retract the second half of the statement, the bit you clearly do not want to back up.

And yes, I have been to live local comedy gigs, does this make any difference?

There is a tree in the Amazon thats sole purpose is to make the oxygen you breath, I suggest you go find said tree and apologise to it.

 

[Swango1980]

There is a tree in the Amazon thats sole purpose is to make the oxygen you breath, I suggest you go find said tree and apologise to it.

OK, we'll accept that you believe what you said, and that I know you are talking rubbish and are now trying to spout irrelevant nonsense (and now personally offensive to me) so you don't have to back up your silly statement. We can now move on thankfully

 

[phillarrow]

I think you're both 'missing' each other?

Paul said that the line "Nothing is off limits in comedy" suggests that some truly vile subjects that almost everybody would find repulsive are okay as long as someone somewhere laughs. He's backed that up by proving that people have said that first bit - that nothing is off limits.
Swango, you are focusing solely on the last few words, which suggests that you are viewing this sentence as "Anything is funny as long as one person laughs."?? But that's not what Paul was saying. His reference to someone laughing is simply linked to the purpose of comedy. Unless someone is 'supposed' to laugh, by definition it's not comedy.

Paul (clearly in my view) wasn't saying that anything is funny as long as someone laughs. He wasn't even saying that others had said that. He was saying that others had said that any topic is fair game for comedy...which they had.

At least that's how I read those posts. No need to fall out over it.

 

[Swango1980]

There is a tree in the Amazon thats sole purpose is to make the oxygen you breath, I suggest you go find said tree and apologise to it.

Nice one. You rage about offence, and then make a statement indicating I am a waste of oxygen and would be better off being starved of oxygen resulting in my death. And why? What is the context? It is simply because you made a rubbish statement, cannot back it up and so change the subject effectively saying I'd be better off dead.

Am I offended? Yes. Will I complain and ask for the statement to be deleted and for you to be kicked off this forum? Absolutely not. I appreciate (hope) you genuinely would not have me killed if you had that power, and you are simply frustrated about this particular discussion.

 

[3offTheTee]

Have not read the whole thread and have no intention of doing so.

However if Carr had said afterwards that it was a joke said on the night for the audience and he did not mean to offend, it that is actually the case which hopefully it is, the majority would be happy.

An apology to the people he offended would also help.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

I think you're both 'missing' each other?

Paul said that the line "Nothing is off limits in comedy" suggests that some truly vile subjects that almost everybody would find repulsive are okay as long as someone somewhere laughs. He's backed that up by proving that people have said that first bit - that nothing is off limits.
Swango, you are focusing solely on the last few words, which suggests that you are viewing this sentence as "Anything is funny as long as one person laughs."?? But that's not what Paul was saying. His reference to someone laughing is simply linked to the purpose of comedy. Unless someone is 'supposed' to laugh, by definition it's not comedy.

Paul (clearly in my view) wasn't saying that anything is funny as long as someone laughs. He wasn't even saying that others had said that. He was saying that others had said that any topic is fair game for comedy...which they had.

At least that's how I read those posts. No need to fall out over it.

Thank you.

 

[Swango1980]

I think you're both 'missing' each other?

Paul said that the line "Nothing is off limits in comedy" suggests that some truly vile subjects that almost everybody would find repulsive are okay as long as someone somewhere laughs. He's backed that up by proving that people have said that first bit - that nothing is off limits.
Swango, you are focusing solely on the last few words, which suggests that you are viewing this sentence as "Anything is funny as long as one person laughs."?? But that's not what Paul was saying. His reference to someone laughing is simply linked to the purpose of comedy. Unless someone is 'supposed' to laugh, by definition it's not comedy.

Paul (clearly in my view) wasn't saying that anything is funny as long as someone laughs. He wasn't even saying that others had said that. He was saying that others had said that any topic is fair game for comedy...which they had.

At least that's how I read those posts. No need to fall out over it.

Of course, it is a sensitive topic which can lead to sensitive debates. And, I get what you are saying. I just wanted to clarify that we both agree that people say no topic is off limits, as you say that is not disputed. However, that doesn't mean these people are saying anything the way in which this topic is used is acceptable so long as one person laughed (again, to clarify, I have not interpreted anybody as thinking this from the posts I read, but they can clarify themselves). That is not the justification for "any topic is off limits". The justification is what the context is in which the comedian takes. If only one person in the world laughed (with billions hearing the joke), then without even knowing what that joke is about, I could pretty much decide that, at best it was an awful joke, and at worst it was truly offensive, both in the topic and in the context it was told.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Thanks, but I can't take any credit for it. It's what Hannah Gadsby explains in Nannette, and why her deliberate choice to set up the tension but then refuse to relieve it is so powerful. Jimmy Carr himself is a real student of comedy and has talked openly about the mechanics of jokes and why they work. As a self-confessed nerd, I find this kind of stuff fascinating. Anything that helps to explain aspects of human nature that are often taken with a pinch of salt is fascinating to me.

You should have kept quiet and we would all have though that you were some sage wise man .

Still a top post though, thank you for digging out the quote and posting it.

 

[HampshireHog]

Not sure anybody said that? Or does that interpretation help you try and justify your own stance?

I'm pretty sure if a joke was told, and just 1 person in a world of billions found it funny, it probably was not a good joke, and probably extremely offensive if it was on such a sensitive topic.

That is different to many many people finding it funny, and also respecting the fact that the vast vast majority of people laughing are actually in agreement that the event / topic being discussed was a truly dreadful thing.

You have consistently over the course of this thread stated that you consider nothing is is out of bounds for comedy and you do not have any gripe with people being offended by a subject. But you don’t like Child Rape being called out as a legitimate topic which by your definition it is.

Reaction of the room in no way validates the joke, you fill a room with fans having enjoying a show and throw in this joke you will get laughter, in that moment.

Offended has scales from someone telling you that you look like a dick in pink golf trousers right up to upset, pain and anguish. I am genuinely surprised that I am in a minority in that I don’t think it appropriate to make jokes about topics that engender high levels of distress.

There are plenty of comedy films and TV shows that have covered the Nazi’s but they do not use genocide as a punchline.

 

[Orikoru]

You have consistently over the course of this thread stated that you consider nothing is is out of bounds for comedy and you do not have any gripe with people being offended by a subject. But you don’t like Child Rape being called out as a legitimate topic which by your definition it is.

Reaction of the room in no way validates the joke, you fill a room with fans having enjoying a show and throw in this joke you will get laughter, in that moment.

Offended has scales from someone telling you that you look like a dick in pink golf trousers right up to upset, pain and anguish. I am genuinely surprised that I am in a minority in that I don’t think it appropriate to make jokes about topics that engender high levels of distress.

There are plenty of comedy films and TV shows that have covered the Nazi’s but they do not use genocide as a punchline.

I think this is partly because they understand the context, i.e. if he's doing a section of particularly offensive jokes and his audience understands that the shock value is the joke rather than the 'targets'. Whereas much of the outrage on social media is from people who have read it in isolation and out of context.

 

[Swango1980]

You have consistently over the course of this thread stated that you consider nothing is is out of bounds for comedy and you do not have any gripe with people being offended by a subject. But you don’t like Child Rape being called out as a legitimate topic which by your definition it is.

Reaction of the room in no way validates the joke, you fill a room with fans having enjoying a show and throw in this joke you will get laughter, in that moment.

Offended has scales from someone telling you that you look like a dick in pink golf trousers right up to upset, pain and anguish. I am genuinely surprised that I am in a minority in that I don’t think it appropriate to make jokes about topics that engender high levels of distress.

There are plenty of comedy films and TV shows that have covered the Nazi’s but they do not use genocide as a punchline.

True. And that does not mean that I wouldn't be offended either, I simply wouldn't state that because I hated it, then the comic should apologise and avoid the subject in the future. I'll let society decide the future of the comic, not me. All I would do is make a decision as to whether I want to watch this comic in the future, or avoid at all costs.

What I don't get is people simply saying "the holocaust should not be a topic in comedy", the end. I mean, I do get where they are coming from in terms of them not liking it and being offended on behalf of them or others, but I'd ask them not to just stop there. I'd ask, is this the ONLY thing that should not be included? Is this for everyone, or would it be OK for a Jewish comedian? What about a white German comedian, but who wanted to use the subject to poke fun at the Nazi party and Hitler? List the other topics that should be banned. Should all comics who have included any of these in their routines apologise for every joke? Do these restrictions only apply to stand up comedy, or also comical films? What about fictional horror films / dramas? How would you react to people who have laughed at these jokes, that you do not find funny yourselves? Are they bad people, misguided, uneducated, or simply seeing it in a different context?

I'm simply trying to clarify that, when such simplistic statements are made about what an individual thinks is acceptable or not, it leads to a million and one other questions about how else the world should change in their view. Even if Carr apologised, was cancelled from everything and the holocaust was banned from all stand up comedy in the future, it is not problem solved. We'd just move on to the next controversial subject and the next comedian that raises it.

And, just generally as a disclaimer (not to you specifically), I don't want to feel like I'm offending anyone when having these discussions, as I appreciate it can be a heated topic (and I've made a number of replies, so am conscious there is a lot of toing and froing and the feeling behind some of the posts) . I may call out if I think someone has made a statement that I feel is absurd / rubbish in my opinion, but that is only related to their statement, not to them as an individual. Even if people have massively different views on this, and no doubt other things, there are equally probably a thousands subjects that we could equally agree on.

 

[Orikoru]

True. And that does not mean that I wouldn't be offended either, I simply wouldn't state that because I hated it, then the comic should apologise and avoid the subject in the future. I'll let society decide the future of the comic, not me. All I would do is make a decision as to whether I want to watch this comic in the future, or avoid at all costs.

What I don't get is people simply saying "the holocaust should not be a topic in comedy", the end. I mean, I do get where they are coming from in terms of them not liking it and being offended on behalf of them or others, but I'd ask them not to just stop there. I'd ask, is this the ONLY thing that should not be included? Is this for everyone, or would it be OK for a Jewish comedian? What about a white German comedian, but who wanted to use the subject to poke fun at the Nazi party and Hitler? List the other topics that should be banned. Should all comics who have included any of these in their routines apologise for every joke? Do these restrictions only apply to stand up comedy, or also comical films? What about fictional horror films / dramas? How would you react to people who have laughed at these jokes, that you do not find funny yourselves? Are they bad people, misguided, uneducated, or simply seeing it in a different context?

I'm simply trying to clarify that, when such simplistic statements are made about what an individual thinks is acceptable or not, it leads to a million and one other questions about how else the world should change in their view. Even if Carr apologised, was cancelled from everything and the holocaust was banned from all stand up comedy in the future, it is not problem solved. We'd just move on to the next controversial subject and the next comedian that raises it.

And, just generally as a disclaimer (not to you specifically), I don't want to feel like I'm offending anyone when having these discussions, as I appreciate it can be a heated topic (and I've made a number of replies, so am conscious there is a lot of toing and froing and the feeling behind some of the posts) . I may call out if I think someone has made a statement that I feel is absurd / rubbish in my opinion, but that is only related to their statement, not to them as an individual. Even if people have massively different views on this, and no doubt other things, there are equally probably a thousands subjects that we could equally agree on.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1489911643974914051

 

[hovis]

Perfect ???
https://fb.watch/b69WghCpfc/

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Perfect ???
https://fb.watch/b69WghCpfc/

I've seen a few clips from that character online and he does make me laugh pretty much every time. I think most of us know people, relatives in particular, who make the same mishaps.