American audience help

[jonesthecurl]

SO, in my panto, which is absolutley family entertainment - ther will hopefully be quite young kids there - there is a joke I'm unsure about. Would parents consider this offensive?

Daisy the cow sidles up to the mayor in an affectionate way.
Jim says "what are you doing" or words to that effect.
Another character says "even Daisy can tell he's full of bull."

I'm not asking if its funny - just if it's over the line for a family show.

[Army of GOD]

I'm probably the last person to represent parents but I think it should be fine. It'll probably go over the young kids' heads.

[jonesthecurl]

That's sorta the idea of a lot of the humour in panto. There's obvious, even slapstick stuff for the youngsters and slightly more subtle stuff going on too.

[Army of GOD]

That's sorta the idea of a lot of the humour in panto. There's obvious, even slapstick stuff for the youngsters and slightly more subtle stuff going on too.

That's how a lot of cartoons and stuff I watched as a kid are. Spongebob especially. A lot of jokes that went well over my head as a kid I got a few years later.

specifically this scene

[Woodruff]

SO, in my panto, which is absolutley family entertainment - ther will hopefully be quite young kids there - there is a joke I'm unsure about. Would parents consider this offensive?

Daisy the cow sidles up to the mayor in an affectionate way.
Jim says "what are you doing" or words to that effect.
Another character says "even Daisy can tell he's full of bull."

I'm not asking if its funny - just if it's over the line for a family show.

Seems easily fine to me.

[AndyDufresne]

Bull is acceptable I'd say.


--Andy

[kentington]

I would be annoyed with it, if I brought my kids. But it depends on what age range for the family you are talking about. My kids seem to fixate on the stuff that should go over their head and ask 20 questions about it.

This is my personal opinion though and I am uptight, I just figured you wanted everyone's opinion (even the annoying prude ones).

[Ace Rimmer]

I'm very strict about what my kids watch/hear and that one would be fine.

[jonesthecurl]

Absolutely, thanks. That's the sort of thing I want to know.
It seems mild to me, but then my daughter's friend wasn't allowed to watch the series "Dance your ass off" on TV because it had the word "ass" in the title, even though they actually starred it out.
And my neighbors told their kid off because he said someone was "stupid" - a word I have never known anyone take offence at.
...and I can't ask the locals because, well, I'm hoping to sell 'em tickets and I don't want to give away the script in advance...

[Woodruff]

I would be annoyed with it, if I brought my kids. But it depends on what age range for the family you are talking about. My kids seem to fixate on the stuff that should go over their head and ask 20 questions about it.

Isn't that GREAT!?!?! <laughing>

This is my personal opinion though and I am uptight, I just figured you wanted everyone's opinion (even the annoying prude ones).

I suspect that you're actually exactly the target for his question, then. I think he's going for the "Am I going to both the uptight folks?".

[kentington]

I would be annoyed with it, if I brought my kids. But it depends on what age range for the family you are talking about. My kids seem to fixate on the stuff that should go over their head and ask 20 questions about it.

Isn't that GREAT!?!?! <laughing>

This is my personal opinion though and I am uptight, I just figured you wanted everyone's opinion (even the annoying prude ones).

I suspect that you're actually exactly the target for his question, then. I think he's going for the "Am I going to both the uptight folks?".

I guess that is true. And in all honesty I would just be annoyed but it wouldn't ruin my time. Also, I don't let my kids say "stupid" either. There are plenty of ways to call people an idiot without actually calling them a name. I want my kids to learn subtlety, we are small people so we have to be very polite even with insults.

[Woodruff]

I would be annoyed with it, if I brought my kids. But it depends on what age range for the family you are talking about. My kids seem to fixate on the stuff that should go over their head and ask 20 questions about it.

Isn't that GREAT!?!?! <laughing>

This is my personal opinion though and I am uptight, I just figured you wanted everyone's opinion (even the annoying prude ones).

I suspect that you're actually exactly the target for his question, then. I think he's going for the "Am I going to both the uptight folks?".

I guess that is true. And in all honesty I would just be annoyed but it wouldn't ruin my time. Also, I don't let my kids say "stupid" either. There are plenty of ways to call people an idiot without actually calling them a name.

We had the same rule. Well, almost. You could call someone outside of the family stupid if we were at home and no non-family members were around. In other words, it was just between us.

I want my kids to learn subtlety, we are small people so we have to be very polite even with insults.

Heh.

[Neoteny]

I'm not actually offended by "stupid" or "idiot," but, being as PC as I am, I know there are people who meet the old medical definitions for the term that have resentment toward the words being used as a negative or an insult, similar to many homosexuals who are offended when "gay" is used as a pejorative. I have tried to avoid using "idiot, moron, retard" etc. specifically out of recognition of that fact. As someone doing performance art, I would tend to give a little more leeway to allow for appropriate expression, but I've had to change my vocabulary a bit to work around it.

That said, I would have no issue with that joke, though I don't have kids, so my opinion is worth little.

[Army of GOD]

little.

this word is offensive to my people. Please refrain from saying it from now on.

[AndyDufresne]

little.

this word is offensive to my people. Please refrain from saying it from now on.

You mean, your people: Homo floresiensis?


--Andy

[PLAYER57832]

SO, in my panto, which is absolutley family entertainment - ther will hopefully be quite young kids there - there is a joke I'm unsure about. Would parents consider this offensive?

Daisy the cow sidles up to the mayor in an affectionate way.
Jim says "what are you doing" or words to that effect.
Another character says "even Daisy can tell he's full of bull."

I'm not asking if its funny - just if it's over the line for a family show.

Partly would depend on if its a farming community or not. If it is, you would almost certainly get a pass, and likely a laugh.

But if its not... I think you would have more of a risk of kids just not understanding the joke. (for a few reasons)

I am way, way tired right now, but maybe a variation on that?

[PLAYER57832]

I'm not actually offended by "stupid" or "idiot," but, being as PC as I am, I know there are people who meet the old medical definitions for the term that have resentment toward the words being used as a negative or an insult, similar to many homosexuals who are offended when "gay" is used as a pejorative. I have tried to avoid using "idiot, moron, retard" etc. specifically out of recognition of that fact. As someone doing performance art, I would tend to give a little more leeway to allow for appropriate expression, but I've had to change my vocabulary a bit to work around it.

That said, I would have no issue with that joke, though I don't have kids, so my opinion is worth little.

Not to drive this off, but I have a very different objection to my kids calling each other or friends "stupid".. basically that if they hear it enough, it tends to get absorbed as partially true, and none of them truly are "stupid".