Jimmy Carr

[Coatigan]

Obviously people can woman, as plenty are, equally those that cry and flounce at said bitching can moan but clearly don't realise they are doing exectly the same.

Those that moan about the easily offended tend to also be easily offended to, just not the same subject matter.

I wonder how many complaining about it have actually seen it as a full segment. Not so much on here but the web in general.

Not that I think that gives any less reason to complain about it or gives it a particularly context, but still, feels like are reactions to the description rather than the actual thing.

 

[domalino]

A routine? As in a comedy routine? Which you have taken as his real opinion? I see now where the misunderstanding has occurred.

Yes, the routine which spends 10 minutes taking the piss out of other comedians for thinking they're saying the unsayable.

Why exactly did you ask me if this had occurred on stage or in print? You think he's not taking the piss out of comics in one of them?

But you asked for print and seem to think only his words off stage count as his opinion so here you go.

 

[mccity]

Maybe I have interpreted the joke differently to others but I actually thought the purpose of it was calling out prejudice against the traveller community rather than encouraging it.

The problem is that even if the context behind the joke was entirely justifiable the joke itself was still offensive.

The difficulty is that in an idealised sense the majority of people watching would understand and appreciate the context but chances are most people heard a joke that was making fun of Travellers and that was it. ESPECIALLY now that the joke has made it's way to social media.

It's complex though, definitely.

 

[mccity]

If it was clearly a joke and framed as such, then yes, of course the reaction would have been different from most people.

So just so I understand your perspective, if Alan Davies had gone on stage as part of his tour and said verbatim what he said on the podcast, the reaction would have been notably different (specifically it would have been taken in good spirits)?

 

[Mr Kobayashi]

Yes, the routine which spends 10 minutes taking the piss out of other comedians for thinking they're saying the unsayable.

Why exactly did you ask me if this had occurred on stage or in print? You think he's not taking the piss out of comics in one of them?

But you asked for print and seem to think only his words off stage count as his opinion so here you go.

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He is playing a character onstage and has always been open about that.

 

[domalino]

The problem is that even if the context behind the joke was entirely justifiable the joke itself was still offensive.

The difficulty is that in an idealised sense the majority of people watching would understand and appreciate the context but chances are most people heard a joke that was making fun of Travellers and that was it. ESPECIALLY now that the joke has made it's way to social media.

It's complex though, definitely.

The problem isn't about context, it's that ending a segment about how funny it is that Romani got slaughtered by saying "see I'm being educational because a lot of people don't know about it" doesn't take away from the fact your audience spent the last minute laughing about how funny it is to say Romani getting slaughtered was a good thing because no one likes gypsies.

 

[domalino]

He is playing a character onstage and has always been open about that.

Read his column then.

Unless that's also in character. Which it is.

In which case you've created a scenario where his comedy is never actually a critique or comment on anything, it's just "a character" so no one can ever actually point to anything he says ever, so bringing him up to defend Carr was also worthless.

 

[Coatigan]

So just so I understand your perspective, if Alan Davies had gone on stage as part of his tour and said verbatim what he said on the podcast, the reaction would have been notably different (specifically it would have been taken in good spirits)?

Ironically, possibly, yes.

Particularly if it was in a room with predominantly arsenal fans. Not saying that is right, just quite possible.

 

[Mr Kobayashi]

Some interesting posts on this thread. Could I ask those who think Carr's joke (?) is funny and should be acceptable the following. If I made a joke about the victims of Nilsen or Sutcliffe and suggested that there was something positive about their deaths would that be acceptable? As I don't see any difference between Carr's subject matter and these.

I tried to respond with an offensive joke of the same construct but seems like C-3PO has said NO. Never mind.

Can't use jokes to make a point in a thread about comedy. Doesn't this prove why blokes with clipboards watching stand up would be a bad thing?

 

[Phil1]

Would be quite interesting to see how Carr's biggest defenders in this thread reacted in that thread. I don't remember many people arguing that nothing should be off limits in comedy, or how you needed all the context or how, if you take it apart and really look at it from all angles he's actually reflecting your racism back at you to make you self-examine your own prejudices.

Well I'd guess it was something as simple as football tribalism and most blues dislike of Arsenal that pushed that thread forward.