Jimmy Carr

[Alan Harper's Tash]

And that's the point. It means nothing to you. You, personally, have no reason to find it offensive. What I'm trying to show is how a joke trivialising mass murder can be offensive and that's what you're not getting.

If Carr told that joke, but about Hillsborough and Liverpool fans, at the Arena in town, he might well get a laugh from a lot of the audience. If he told the same joke at the Kings Dock Arena in Liverpool he'd probably end up in hospital. That's context.

Absolutely. Given you weren’t in the audience, why do you care?

 

[oakiecokie]

I'm offended by your language...

Hahahhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa I do love BB.

 

[mcfcphil]

And that's the point. It means nothing to you. You, personally, have no reason to find it offensive. What I'm trying to show is how a joke trivialising mass murder can be offensive and that's what you're not getting.

If Carr told that joke, but about Hillsborough and Liverpool fans, at the Arena in town, he might well get a laugh from a lot of the audience. If he told the same joke at the Kings Dock Arena in Liverpool he'd probably end up in hospital. That's context.

It isn’t about whether or not it’s offensive though it’s about whether or not we think he can say it.

I think it’s a crap joke and I understand why you would be offended but that’s totally irrelevant to the actual issue at hand.

If what we’re saying here is that we should censor comedians because they risk causing offence (no matter how offensive) then that’s a very dubious path we’re walking down.

There’s also perverse irony here that censorship is a key mechanism for fascism. Sometimes there are unwelcome pay offs for freedom of expression and speech.

 

[daztrueblue91]

That wasn't the underlying point of the joke, that was the justification of the joke after saying it.

Those aren't the same thing.

The justification of the joke is part of the whole joke IMO.

I would be interested to know what people actually found funny about the joke.

I would guess that it was the shock factor, the fact he is daring to make light of the Holocaust that people laughed at, as opposed to finding the genocide of people funny.

What I think some people overlook with the joke is the full delivery. When he states that he’s going to make a Holocaust joke there is an audible gasp in the room. When the butt of the joke turns out to be the Roma community the reaction is different. I reckon the reaction would have been very different if the Jewish community was the punchline.

The fact he then goes on to address this with his comments of educational inequality of the subject driving prejudice brings the focus back to the context of the joke.

That was simply my interpretation of it and the fact others don’t share that interpretation suggests it wasn’t the most well thought out joke.

 

[Man_City_Loyal]

Jimmy Carr joked about cancer patients in the past.

I know my mum dealing with cancer and unfortunately lost her life to cancer last February would chuckle at JCs jokes around the topic and other topics.

Watching comedy certainly helped her in her final months take mind of things.

suppose dark comedy isn’t for everyone.

 

[SWP's back]

Oh I don't know. I'm laughing at the way some posters are tying themselves in knots trying to defend a joke that goes way beyond bad taste, and they know it.

I don’t think it’s beyond bad taste at all. It is in bad taste but there’s no ‘beyond’ in comedy. As I say, it’s playing to the “I hate pikeys” trope. It’s not his best joke and nor is it his most offensive joke. In fact I’d have completely forgotten about it but for this thread.

It’s fine that you are offended. I’ve no issue with that but the answer to it is to not watch Jimmy Carr in the future. Nothing should be off limits to comedy and nobody should be forced to enjoy every joke ever made. Let the market decide what/who is funny enough to make a living from their jokes.

 

[Octavian]

frankie Boyle recently said people should face consequences for what they say, this from a man who has said some of the most offensive jokes ever, including one about Katie price’s disabled son.

A joke is a joke imo but don’t be a hypocritical **** Frankie.

 

[Coatigan]

The justification of the joke is part of the whole joke IMO.

I would be interested to know what people actually found funny about the joke.

I would guess that it was the shock factor, the fact he is daring to make light of the Holocaust that people laughed at, as opposed to finding the genocide of people funny.

What I think some people overlook with the joke is the full delivery. When he states that he’s going to make a Holocaust joke there is an audible gasp in the room. When the butt of the joke turns out to be the Roma community the reaction is different. I reckon the reaction would have been very different if the Jewish community was the punchline.

The fact he then goes on to address this with his comments of educational inequality of the subject driving prejudice brings the focus back to the context of the joke.

That was simply my interpretation of it and the fact others don’t share that interpretation suggests it wasn’t the most well thought out joke.

Part of me thinks if he proceeded to state and discuss a holocaust joke with the jewish community as the subject, it would have been less controversial.

Because it would have been far more obvious that there was no intent behind it, if there was any laughter it would have been at the shock of it, and it would have been clearer as a piece of satire.

Would have maybe been at risk of wider criticism, but also much easier to distance himself from.

Note his routine isnt the joke, in isolation, it is a disussion of A joke. But using the gypsy community leaves both the audience and him at question of is there prejudice in it, and are they focusing it on an easier target.

 

[Coatigan]

Same here - no idea what/who started it (beyond Carr). As for the motivation, also no idea but I think genuine offence may have been caused back in December when the Netflix show aired. There is an issue around the stereotyping of travellers - try raising the issue of local fly-tipping, or a sudden outbreak of house/car crime among any random group of blokes and they will be trotted out. While it may not be helpful, I think Carr is as much taking the piss out of these lazy stereotypes as the travellers.

I ask myself, what has the joke, and all the discussion around it and the reaction to it, changed for me.

Has it revealed any more about the holocaust or the suffering of the gypsies? nothing i didn't already know.

More about society? nothing I didn't already know.

More about bluemoon? nothing I couldn't have guessed.

Affected my outlook on comedy and boundaries? not in the slightest.

Increased the chances of me watching a show on netflix I had zero intention of watching? Probably, come to think of it.

Not because of the joke itself, not because i want to see more like it or see if there is nothing like it in the show. But purely because a few people along the way have said in passing that they thought the show was hillarious, and it stuck enough to intrigue me.

Does that make me fickle? possibly. Probably done part of what it was meant to as well.

 

[PannickAtTheDisco]

Part of me thinks if he proceeded to state and discuss a holocaust joke with the jewish community as the subject, it would have been less controversial.

Because it would have been far more obvious that there was no intent behind it, if there was any laughter it would have been at the shock of it, and it would have been clearer as a piece of satire.

Would have maybe been at risk of wider criticism, but also much easier to distance himself from.

Note his routine isnt the joke, in isolation, it is a disussion of A joke. But using the gypsy community leaves both the audience and him at question of is there prejudice in it, and are they focusing it on an easier target.

Then that would have taken away the point of joke, to make a holocaust joke with the minions ready to froth at the mouth claiming anti-semitism only to hit the punchline where the audience didn't expect it.

And as proven, the same minority are still morally outraged so they can appear relevant so what difference does it make.

Jimmy Carr's been making Holocaust for over a decade, just shows how far backward society has gone in the "pursuit of progression" that it's even a problem.

People say woke, but they're really just the butt of the joke of the society they've destroyed.

But hey, enjoy the decline.