Conquer Club

There are some topics which some say cannot be touched by comedy while others say they can. Louie CK, Chris Rock, Ricky Gervais, and Jerry Seinfeld have a discussion about it in the following link (it's about a couple minutes):

link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... 7k#t=2463s



Embed

That jeselnik guy did a five minute piece on cancer that I thought was in pretty poor taste. I know he was just trying to get attention with it being his first show and all but hey what do I know my life's only been drastically affected by the disease

xeno wrote: he was just trying to get attention...

There. You've nailed 99% percent of comedy as a profession, xeno.
Ricky Gervais is somewhat unique though in the way that he seems to not care about the huge demographic that is actually driven away from him as a comic as the result of questionable material. When this happens I chalk it off to a comic's ego being bigger than his professional common sense. He also happens to be one of my favorites but he would be higher up the list if he kept some of his material to himself since while it doesn't necessarily offend me personally it no doubt makes a lot of people feel badly when they hear it.
Evidently there are no limits to comedy just as long as the comedian can maintain a jestful demeanor and the audience is sufficiently numb enough to not realize that the next joke could very well be offensive to their personal sensibilities.
Using questionable material is a numbers game it seems and the people who are turned off in the process are simply acceptable losses to the comic in his/her pursuit of success. Either that or the comic is recklessly sharing his/her personal idea of funny at the expense of others. It's a very selfish attitude any way you slice it. Just remember, its all fun and games until you get hurt.

I don't feel that there should be any limit to jokes, as whatever limit that is set is entirely arbitrary. Anything South of Bill Cosby is going to offend somebody.

I heard that Abe Lincoln had no limits to his kidding around, thusly it led to his ultimate demise!

Funkyterrance wrote:

xeno wrote: he was just trying to get attention...

There. You've nailed 99% percent of comedy as a profession, xeno.
Ricky Gervais is somewhat unique though in the way that he seems to not care about the huge demographic that is actually driven away from him as a comic as the result of questionable material. When this happens I chalk it off to a comic's ego being bigger than his professional common sense. He also happens to be one of my favorites but he would be higher up the list if he kept some of his material to himself since while it doesn't necessarily offend me personally it no doubt makes a lot of people feel badly when they hear it.
Evidently there are no limits to comedy just as long as the comedian can maintain a jestful demeanor and the audience is sufficiently numb enough to not realize that the next joke could very well be offensive to their personal sensibilities.
Using questionable material is a numbers game it seems and the people who are turned off in the process are simply acceptable losses to the comic in his/her pursuit of success. Either that or the comic is recklessly sharing his/her personal idea of funny at the expense of others. It's a very selfish attitude any way you slice it. Just remember, its all fun and games until you get hurt.

You talk about being offended like it's a physical injury. This is very bizarre to me. Is there any difference between the two in your view (other than one pertains to the body and the other to the mind) ?

I suppose you don't subscribe to the adage that "offence is taken, not given" ?

The limits of joking has to go to Lenny Bruce, not for how dirty his jokes were, but how many times they arrested him for them.

Haggis_McMutton wrote:You talk about being offended like it's a physical injury. This is very bizarre to me. Is there any difference between the two in your view (other than one pertains to the body and the other to the mind) ?

Because physical injury is universally accepted as the worst type of hurt, right? I get physically hurt quite frequently due to my lifestyle but it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I'm saying that emotional hurt is arguably just as injurious, if not more, than physical. I find it bizarre that you don't see this as a possibility.

Haggis_McMutton wrote:I suppose you don't subscribe to the adage that "offence is taken, not given" ?

No. I suppose that most people, as emotional beings, can't help but have a response to a joke that is significantly offensive to them. When I notice someone being offended in this way I have to say that I generally resent the source of the joke as a somewhat cruel person.

Funkyterrance wrote:

xeno wrote: he was just trying to get attention...

There. You've nailed 99% percent of comedy as a profession, xeno.
Ricky Gervais is somewhat unique though in the way that he seems to not care about the huge demographic that is actually driven away from him as a comic as the result of questionable material. When this happens I chalk it off to a comic's ego being bigger than his professional common sense. He also happens to be one of my favorites but he would be higher up the list if he kept some of his material to himself since while it doesn't necessarily offend me personally it no doubt makes a lot of people feel badly when they hear it.
Evidently there are no limits to comedy just as long as the comedian can maintain a jestful demeanor and the audience is sufficiently numb enough to not realize that the next joke could very well be offensive to their personal sensibilities.
Using questionable material is a numbers game it seems and the people who are turned off in the process are simply acceptable losses to the comic in his/her pursuit of success. Either that or the comic is recklessly sharing his/her personal idea of funny at the expense of others. It's a very selfish attitude any way you slice it. Just remember, its all fun and games until you get hurt.

Doesn't this criticism equally apply to Lenny Bruce?

There are no limits

And if you think there are, watch Daniel Tosh and you will be proved wrong

BigBallinStalin wrote:

Funkyterrance wrote:

xeno wrote: he was just trying to get attention...

There. You've nailed 99% percent of comedy as a profession, xeno.
Ricky Gervais is somewhat unique though in the way that he seems to not care about the huge demographic that is actually driven away from him as a comic as the result of questionable material. When this happens I chalk it off to a comic's ego being bigger than his professional common sense. He also happens to be one of my favorites but he would be higher up the list if he kept some of his material to himself since while it doesn't necessarily offend me personally it no doubt makes a lot of people feel badly when they hear it.
Evidently there are no limits to comedy just as long as the comedian can maintain a jestful demeanor and the audience is sufficiently numb enough to not realize that the next joke could very well be offensive to their personal sensibilities.
Using questionable material is a numbers game it seems and the people who are turned off in the process are simply acceptable losses to the comic in his/her pursuit of success. Either that or the comic is recklessly sharing his/her personal idea of funny at the expense of others. It's a very selfish attitude any way you slice it. Just remember, its all fun and games until you get hurt.

Doesn't this criticism equally apply to Lenny Bruce?

I'm not sure BBS, I don't know who Lenny Bruce is.
What's the comparison?

CBlake wrote:And if you think there are, watch Daniel Tosh and you will be proved wrong

Danile Tosh is a toilet-head.

Funkyterrance wrote:

BigBallinStalin wrote:

Funkyterrance wrote:

xeno wrote: he was just trying to get attention...

There. You've nailed 99% percent of comedy as a profession, xeno.
Ricky Gervais is somewhat unique though in the way that he seems to not care about the huge demographic that is actually driven away from him as a comic as the result of questionable material. When this happens I chalk it off to a comic's ego being bigger than his professional common sense. He also happens to be one of my favorites but he would be higher up the list if he kept some of his material to himself since while it doesn't necessarily offend me personally it no doubt makes a lot of people feel badly when they hear it.
Evidently there are no limits to comedy just as long as the comedian can maintain a jestful demeanor and the audience is sufficiently numb enough to not realize that the next joke could very well be offensive to their personal sensibilities.
Using questionable material is a numbers game it seems and the people who are turned off in the process are simply acceptable losses to the comic in his/her pursuit of success. Either that or the comic is recklessly sharing his/her personal idea of funny at the expense of others. It's a very selfish attitude any way you slice it. Just remember, its all fun and games until you get hurt.

Doesn't this criticism equally apply to Lenny Bruce?

I'm not sure BBS, I don't know who Lenny Bruce is.
What's the comparison?

You can talk as an expert on what 99% of comedians do and you never heard of Lenny Bruce?
Count yourself disqualified.

Haggis_McMutton wrote:

Funkyterrance wrote:

xeno wrote: he was just trying to get attention...

There. You've nailed 99% percent of comedy as a profession, xeno.
Ricky Gervais is somewhat unique though in the way that he seems to not care about the huge demographic that is actually driven away from him as a comic as the result of questionable material. When this happens I chalk it off to a comic's ego being bigger than his professional common sense. He also happens to be one of my favorites but he would be higher up the list if he kept some of his material to himself since while it doesn't necessarily offend me personally it no doubt makes a lot of people feel badly when they hear it.
Evidently there are no limits to comedy just as long as the comedian can maintain a jestful demeanor and the audience is sufficiently numb enough to not realize that the next joke could very well be offensive to their personal sensibilities.
Using questionable material is a numbers game it seems and the people who are turned off in the process are simply acceptable losses to the comic in his/her pursuit of success. Either that or the comic is recklessly sharing his/her personal idea of funny at the expense of others. It's a very selfish attitude any way you slice it. Just remember, its all fun and games until you get hurt.

You talk about being offended like it's a physical injury. This is very bizarre to me. Is there any difference between the two in your view (other than one pertains to the body and the other to the mind) ?

I suppose you don't subscribe to the adage that "offence is taken, not given" ?

It does also partly depend on the intent of the comedian.
I once heard a comedian say "did you hear about the coon who took a shit and he was so stupid he thought he was melting?"
I didn't hear the rest of his act.
Did you hear about the comedian that Jonesey walked out on in disgust?

jonesthecurl wrote:

CBlake wrote:And if you think there are, watch Daniel Tosh and you will be proved wrong

Danile Tosh is a toilet-head.

why?

john9blue wrote:

jonesthecurl wrote:

CBlake wrote:And if you think there are, watch Daniel Tosh and you will be proved wrong

Danile Tosh is a toilet-head.

why?

Tbh, I was surprised when I saw his actual stand-up routine. He was excellent. But his insipid, nasty Tosh.O show with its obsession with people humiliating and hurting themselves is dull as well as yucky. And his comments on the stuff he shows are unfunny and unecessary. The show would be as (un)funny if you just showed the clips and gave him the boot.
Personal taste of course, but that's how I feel.

And you could improve it further by removing the clips as well.

And then the credits and the commercial breaks.

jonesthecurl wrote:

Funkyterrance wrote:

BigBallinStalin wrote:

Funkyterrance wrote:

xeno wrote: he was just trying to get attention...

There. You've nailed 99% percent of comedy as a profession, xeno.
Ricky Gervais is somewhat unique though in the way that he seems to not care about the huge demographic that is actually driven away from him as a comic as the result of questionable material. When this happens I chalk it off to a comic's ego being bigger than his professional common sense. He also happens to be one of my favorites but he would be higher up the list if he kept some of his material to himself since while it doesn't necessarily offend me personally it no doubt makes a lot of people feel badly when they hear it.
Evidently there are no limits to comedy just as long as the comedian can maintain a jestful demeanor and the audience is sufficiently numb enough to not realize that the next joke could very well be offensive to their personal sensibilities.
Using questionable material is a numbers game it seems and the people who are turned off in the process are simply acceptable losses to the comic in his/her pursuit of success. Either that or the comic is recklessly sharing his/her personal idea of funny at the expense of others. It's a very selfish attitude any way you slice it. Just remember, its all fun and games until you get hurt.

Doesn't this criticism equally apply to Lenny Bruce?

I'm not sure BBS, I don't know who Lenny Bruce is.
What's the comparison?

You can talk as an expert on what 99% of comedians do and you never heard of Lenny Bruce?
Count yourself disqualified.

Are you implying that Lenny Bruce makes up more than 1% of comedians?

he certainly was a seminal figure in the developement of comedy.
comedy today wouldn't be where it is without him. Look him up.

I just want my comedian to provide a smart social commentary. Is that so much to ask

Speaking of Daniel Tosh...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxfDnq9ORIs

Funkyterrance wrote:

BigBallinStalin wrote:

Funkyterrance wrote:

xeno wrote: he was just trying to get attention...

There. You've nailed 99% percent of comedy as a profession, xeno.
Ricky Gervais is somewhat unique though in the way that he seems to not care about the huge demographic that is actually driven away from him as a comic as the result of questionable material. When this happens I chalk it off to a comic's ego being bigger than his professional common sense. He also happens to be one of my favorites but he would be higher up the list if he kept some of his material to himself since while it doesn't necessarily offend me personally it no doubt makes a lot of people feel badly when they hear it.
Evidently there are no limits to comedy just as long as the comedian can maintain a jestful demeanor and the audience is sufficiently numb enough to not realize that the next joke could very well be offensive to their personal sensibilities.
Using questionable material is a numbers game it seems and the people who are turned off in the process are simply acceptable losses to the comic in his/her pursuit of success. Either that or the comic is recklessly sharing his/her personal idea of funny at the expense of others. It's a very selfish attitude any way you slice it. Just remember, its all fun and games until you get hurt.

Doesn't this criticism equally apply to Lenny Bruce?

I'm not sure BBS, I don't know who Lenny Bruce is.
What's the comparison?

To quote Irish funster Sean Hughes: "If comedy was the Civil Rights movement, Lenny Bruce would have been its Martin Luther King".
You have to see everything in context though. Jim Davidson and Freddie Starr used to be funny (and I did see them both live), now they're just ridiculous. Racist, sexist, homophobic jokes were all the rage until the eighties; but then slavery, invasions and 'bringing Christianity to the savages' were the thing to do for many hundreds of years.
Adam Hills is currently doing a great TV show called "The Last Leg", looking at the funny side of disability - if you don't know him, he's an Australian, who has an artificial limb below the knee. Is that beyond the Pale, or okay because he's the one telling the jokes? Bob Monkhouse was telling jokes about his cancer and impending death until the end - is it okay to joke about death? Does it become okay if you're the one who's dying? Example:
The doctor rang and told me I'd not got long to live. I said "How long?" He said "Ten..." I said "Ten what, weeks, months?" He said "Nine... Eight...Seven..."

Not funny to someone suffering, or who has a relative who's suffering, yet it would have been a shame not to have heard it - then made up your own mind.

How do you know your sister is on her period?

- Your dad's cock tastes like blood.

I don't see why there should be limits. You can always walk out the door, discuss it or punch the guy if it went too far.