Current Events > Should comedy be politically correct?

(+) Yeah! (+)

More and more comedy is upsetting people.
Comedians are also being targetted as not funny and malicious. Kevin Hart, SNL writer, etc. Comedians say to avoid college campuses.
Should there be sensitivity training for comedians?
Or should they be savage?

Edit: 2nd option not supposed to have a question mark ignore it
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This question is stupid.

Know your audience. Or if you don't know your audience, plan accordingly or prepare to deal with controversy.
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Offensive jokes are fine with me. The problem is when those jokes appear to be the comedians actual opinions and not just poking fun at something without regard for social etiquette.
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don't ask me
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just being offensive isnt funny.
but an offensive joke can be funny.
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SSJCAT posted...

just being offensive isnt funny.
but an offensive joke can be funny.

this
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ThyCorndog posted...

SSJCAT posted...

just being offensive isnt funny.
but an offensive joke can be funny.

this

well yeah. only SJWs and hardcore "christians" don't get that
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hollow_shrine posted...

This question is stupid.

Know your audience. Or if you don't know your audience, plan accordingly or prepare to deal with controversy.

No audience is a monolithic hivemind.

All it takes is one guy to post on the net how offensive you are.

Infact, today your audience is the whole country because of the internet.

So no, the question is not stupid, your advice is stupid.
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SSJCAT posted...

just being offensive isnt funny.
but an offensive joke can be funny.

Keyword, can be.

What happens when an attempt was made but it failed?
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ImmatureContent posted...

Offensive jokes are fine with me. The problem is when those jokes appear to be the comedians actual opinions and not just poking fun at something without regard for social etiquette.

That's still not a problem for a rational person.

It doesn't matter if they buy into the bullshit they're spouting. They're comedians...not politicians. They won't be making laws you have to adhere to.

hollow_shrine posted...

This question is stupid.

Know your audience. Or if you don't know your audience, plan accordingly or prepare to deal with controversy.

This
You tailor your routine to the event/audience. Obviously if offensive jokes are the only kind of jokes you tell then that falls on whomever booked the show, but most comedians have more than one type of joke
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darkphoenix181 posted...

SSJCAT posted...

just being offensive isnt funny.
but an offensive joke can be funny.

Keyword, can be.

What happens when an attempt was made but it failed?

it wasnt a funny joke
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eston posted...

hollow_shrine posted...

This question is stupid.

Know your audience. Or if you don't know your audience, plan accordingly or prepare to deal with controversy.

This
You tailor your routine to the event/audience. Obviously if offensive jokes are the only kind of jokes you tell then that falls on whomever booked the show, but most comedians have more than one type of joke

Ok.
What happens when everyone at your venue is pleased and laughing like crazy, and then someone uploads it to the internet and now you are all over the news because you didn't think of a wider audience?
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this is a disingenuous way of phrasing the question
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Politically incorrect doesn't bother me as much as political does.

Like, if some comedian makes fun of handicapped people, that's obviously not cool. But if their routine is about how abortion is great, I mean hell is it even escapism anymore?
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darkphoenix181 posted...

hollow_shrine posted...

This question is stupid.

Know your audience. Or if you don't know your audience, plan accordingly or prepare to deal with controversy.

No audience is a monolithic hivemind.

All it takes is one guy to post on the net how offensive you are.

Infact, today your audience is the whole country because of the internet.

So no, the question is not stupid, your advice is stupid.

This is a huge exaggeration. One guy posting about it after the fact doesn't do shit, and has nothing to do with how an audience receives you during the actual show
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SaithSayer posted...

ImmatureContent posted...

Offensive jokes are fine with me. The problem is when those jokes appear to be the comedians actual opinions and not just poking fun at something without regard for social etiquette.

That's still not a problem for a rational person.

It doesn't matter if they buy into the bullshit they're spouting. They're comedians...not politicians. They won't be making laws you have to adhere to.

They have a public platform to voice their opinions. Anyone that wishes to voice their opinions should be held accountable for those opinions.
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@averagejoel posted...

this is a disingenuous way of phrasing the question

No it isn't.

But how about you rephrase it in a way that you like?
Show me how it would be made better.

Ofc, I knew people would rather just hate on the poll than answer honestly. Smh.
That is why I gave the last option.
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darkphoenix181 posted...

eston posted...

hollow_shrine posted...

This question is stupid.

Know your audience. Or if you don't know your audience, plan accordingly or prepare to deal with controversy.

This
You tailor your routine to the event/audience. Obviously if offensive jokes are the only kind of jokes you tell then that falls on whomever booked the show, but most comedians have more than one type of joke

Ok.
What happens when everyone at your venue is pleased and laughing like crazy, and then someone uploads it to the internet and now you are all over the news because you didn't think of a wider audience?

You tell me. How many careers have been ended by something like that?
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DevsBro posted...

Politically incorrect doesn't bother me as much as political does.

Like, if some comedian makes fun of handicapped people, that's obviously not cool. But if their routine is about how abortion is great, I mean hell is it even escapism anymore?

comedy isn't necessarily supposed to be escapism. you shouldn't impose your own arbitrary standards onto something that has never attempted to fit those standards
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The point of comedy is not to uplift the audience. It can do that as a side effect, but that's not the core of comedy. The core of comedy is to be funny. People who think that it is, will consistently be disappointed in comedians.
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eston posted...

darkphoenix181 posted...

eston posted...

hollow_shrine posted...

This question is stupid.

Know your audience. Or if you don't know your audience, plan accordingly or prepare to deal with controversy.

This
You tailor your routine to the event/audience. Obviously if offensive jokes are the only kind of jokes you tell then that falls on whomever booked the show, but most comedians have more than one type of joke

Ok.
What happens when everyone at your venue is pleased and laughing like crazy, and then someone uploads it to the internet and now you are all over the news because you didn't think of a wider audience?

You tell me. How many careers have been ended by something like that?

That is my point. Saying "tailor to your audience" is bad advice in the age of smart phones.

Even if you ban phones, it can still get out.
So then it becomes a matter of being pc ir not since the idea of pc is tailoring to the whole country right?
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ImmatureContent posted...

SaithSayer posted...

ImmatureContent posted...

Offensive jokes are fine with me. The problem is when those jokes appear to be the comedians actual opinions and not just poking fun at something without regard for social etiquette.

That's still not a problem for a rational person.

It doesn't matter if they buy into the bullshit they're spouting. They're comedians...not politicians. They won't be making laws you have to adhere to.

They have a public platform to voice their opinions. Anyone that wishes to voice their opinions should be held accountable for those opinions.

"You should pay for disagreeing with me!"

There are SOME jokes that are just offensive and not funny (see: blatantly racist/hateful punchlines) but thats about it. And I mean BLATANTLY hateful.
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CrimsonRage posted...

there's room for every comedy.

offensive comedy isn't the only good comedy.

not every joke needs to be pc,

but not every joke needs to be un-pc. and some people act like that's the only jokes that should be told.

I agree
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I am watching a non PC comedy film and laughing at everything, while it is still legal.
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darkphoenix181 posted...

That is my point. Saying "tailor to your audience" is bad advice in the age of smart phones.

Even if you ban phones, it can still get out.
So then it becomes a matter of being pc ir not since the idea of pc is tailoring to the whole country right?

Ok but how many careers have been ended over something like that? That's my point. You're exaggerating the affect this actually has on comedians. If someone uploads video of their set and people get all offended over it, the comedian has an opportunity to defend himself. He doesn't have to tailor his jokes for the whole world, only to the audience in the room.
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darkphoenix181 posted...

averagejoel posted...

this is a disingenuous way of phrasing the question

No it isn't.

But how about you rephrase it in a way that you like?
Show me how it would be made better.

the question is less "should comedy be PC", more "should people be held accountable for the things they say" and "should comedians be flexible and adapt to the changing tastes of a demographic"

99% of the time, it's not that people are offended by what they say it's that they recognize the comedian as old-fashioned and tired. like a couple years ago Jerry Seinfeld claimed that he wasn't being invited to perform at colleges because people found his standup offensive. do you really think people are being offended by "what's the deal with airplane food" or do you think people are tired of hearing the same shit?

comedians relying on racist/sexist/homophobic tropes in their work are like rappers starting verses with "my name is _____ and I'm here to say"

Ofc, I knew people would rather just hate on the poll than answer honestly. Smh.
That is why I gave the last option.

I don't hate polls though. I just hate poorly constructed polls with disingenuous questions, like this one
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averagejoel posted...

99% of the time, it's not that people are offended by what they say it's that they recognize the comedian as old-fashioned and tired. like a couple years ago Jerry Seinfeld claimed that he wasn't being invited to perform at colleges because people found his standup offensive. do you really think people are being offended by "what's the deal with airplane food" or do you think people are tired of hearing the same shit?

What's with you people and just making things up?

Like literally disconnected with reality.
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AdviceMan posted...

averagejoel posted...

99% of the time, it's not that people are offended by what they say it's that they recognize the comedian as old-fashioned and tired. like a couple years ago Jerry Seinfeld claimed that he wasn't being invited to perform at colleges because people found his standup offensive. do you really think people are being offended by "what's the deal with airplane food" or do you think people are tired of hearing the same shit?

What's with you people and just making things up?

Like literally disconnected with reality.

take it up with Jerry Seinfeld
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There are some limits. Making light of tragedies is never funny.
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gguirao posted...

There are some limits. Making light of tragedies is never funny.

That's ridiculous.

All important comedy comes from tragedy and is a coping mechanism.
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SEINFELD is seen as an offensive comic now? LMAO!

SaithSayer posted...

SEINFELD is seen as an offensive comic now? LMAO!

he's not. but he thinks he is
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averagejoel posted...

DevsBro posted...

Politically incorrect doesn't bother me as much as political does.

Like, if some comedian makes fun of handicapped people, that's obviously not cool. But if their routine is about how abortion is great, I mean hell is it even escapism anymore?

comedy isn't necessarily supposed to be escapism. you shouldn't impose your own arbitrary standards onto something that has never attempted to fit those standards

Asking what comedy is supposed to be is the point of the topic.
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C_Pain posted...

gguirao posted...

There are some limits. Making light of tragedies is never funny.

That's ridiculous.

All important comedy comes from tragedy and is a coping mechanism.

It's one type of comedy, and definitely does not encompass all important comedy
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DevsBro posted...

averagejoel posted...

DevsBro posted...

Politically incorrect doesn't bother me as much as political does.

Like, if some comedian makes fun of handicapped people, that's obviously not cool. But if their routine is about how abortion is great, I mean hell is it even escapism anymore?

comedy isn't necessarily supposed to be escapism. you shouldn't impose your own arbitrary standards onto something that has never attempted to fit those standards

Asking what comedy is supposed to be is the point of the topic.

then why did you just assume that it was supposed to be escapism
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gguirao posted...

There are some limits. Making light of tragedies is never funny.

Gotta love the "That's not funny!" crowd...

Mass Effect 3 has the best perspective on jokes:
"Comedy isn't really about being nice. Sometimes it's a way to air out the ugly things people think." - Joker
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averagejoel posted...

DevsBro posted...

averagejoel posted...

DevsBro posted...

Politically incorrect doesn't bother me as much as political does.

Like, if some comedian makes fun of handicapped people, that's obviously not cool. But if their routine is about how abortion is great, I mean hell is it even escapism anymore?

comedy isn't necessarily supposed to be escapism. you shouldn't impose your own arbitrary standards onto something that has never attempted to fit those standards

Asking what comedy is supposed to be is the point of the topic.

then why did you just assume that it was supposed to be escapism

Because that was my answer to the question.
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averagejoel posted...

99% of the time, it's not that people are offended by what they say it's that they recognize the comedian as old-fashioned and tired. like a couple years ago Jerry Seinfeld claimed that he wasn't being invited to perform at colleges because people found his standup offensive. do you really think people are being offended by "what's the deal with airplane food" or do you think people are tired of hearing the same shit?

Do you really think Jerry only has that one joke about airplane food? Christ you're so wormy and disingenuous.
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Kolibri X posted...

averagejoel posted...

99% of the time, it's not that people are offended by what they say it's that they recognize the comedian as old-fashioned and tired. like a couple years ago Jerry Seinfeld claimed that he wasn't being invited to perform at colleges because people found his standup offensive. do you really think people are being offended by "what's the deal with airplane food" or do you think people are tired of hearing the same shit?

Do you really think Jerry only has that one joke about airplane food? Christ you're so wormy and disingenuous.

i know u r but what m i
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This thread makes me wonder if anyone of you actually try to keep up with standup or just check out some here and there.

https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/mbkgy8/why-college-campuses-can-be-minefields-for-some-comedians

"VICE News went to Boston to talk to three campus bookers the college comedy gatekeepers who contend that theyre merely reflecting student taste.

They say old-school comedians are woefully behind the times and need to acknowledge that certain jokes, particularly those about identity and sexual assault, can potentially cause psychological harm. And its their job, they say, to protect students from it.
"

Like I said, @averagejoel is simply making things up. He's doing this weird thing that people on both ideological sides do when people say they are experiencing something and say "Oh no, they just don't understand what is happening." Averagejoel is not a comedian. He has no idea what comedians experience. He has no reason to. But because he needs to believe that the comedians are mistaken about a phenomenon that they are experiencing, he asserts that they are not experiencing it.

There is a fundamental difference between a joke not being funny and people not laughing, and people saying a joke shouldn't have been said. One is "wow that set was a disaster", and the other is an article in Slate or the Huffington Post. smh
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I remember laughing at a Bill Burr cancer joke the day after my dad died of cancer. Was an eye opener
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Comedy without offensive material is boring
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averagejoel posted...

darkphoenix181 posted...

averagejoel posted...

this is a disingenuous way of phrasing the question

No it isn't.

But how about you rephrase it in a way that you like?
Show me how it would be made better.

the question is less "should comedy be PC", more "should people be held accountable for the things they say" and "should comedians be flexible and adapt to the changing tastes of a demographic"

99% of the time, it's not that people are offended by what they say it's that they recognize the comedian as old-fashioned and tired. like a couple years ago Jerry Seinfeld claimed that he wasn't being invited to perform at colleges because people found his standup offensive. do you really think people are being offended by "what's the deal with airplane food" or do you think people are tired of hearing the same shit?

comedians relying on racist/sexist/homophobic tropes in their work are like rappers starting verses with "my name is _____ and I'm here to say"

Ofc, I knew people would rather just hate on the poll than answer honestly. Smh.
That is why I gave the last option.

I don't hate polls though. I just hate poorly constructed polls with disingenuous questions, like this one

Is Kevin Hart old fashioned and tired?

Instead it was people got offended by something he said. Literally the opposite of your 99% of the time claim.

https://www-m.cnn.com/2015/06/10/living/seinfeld-comedy-colleges-feat/

Take comedian Chuck Nice. He told a bit about getting on his knees at the playground and giving his young daughter a dollar for swinging on a pole in a manner that reminded him of a stripper.
It was satire, he says, meant to show that the last thing he wanted was his daughter to become a stripper. The next day, he received a letter telling him he was not welcome back to the institution, he said

Seems that your claim is quite wrong.
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Doing an offensive set and being banned from a place or just not invited back is a rite of passage for comedians. Almost all of them have at least one or two stories where they've been through this.

Comedy is 100% about pacing and flow. If you add something like "sensitivity training" you're taking that flow and fucking it up. A good comedian knows where the line is drawn and will walk you across it like a tightrope. Any outside input will destroy the art.
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