Jimmy Carr

MarsLlama said:
Yep. If a big theatre of people laugh, the joke has done its job.

People are right in saying Carr wouldn't make that joke about the muslim community, the disabled community, the jewish community or the LGBT+ community by the way. Not because he "wouldn't dare", but because it wouldn't get laughs, therefore would be pointless as a joke. Public opinion on travellers is overwhelmingly negative in comparison to those other four groups where it's really only a small number of people (bigots) who still actively dislike them. The joke is tapping into the fact that he knows the majority of that audience will have that certain disdain, right or wrong, that I'd say over half the British public have. I doubt he'd have any problem joking about the mass murder of any of those other communities if he thought it'd get laughs. But I doubt it would.

Before anyone gets the wrong idea, I'm not commenting on whether or not the dislike of travellers in this country is justified. Just that it's interesting that he had enough confidence in that joke to get laughs that he was willing to tell it on a Netflix special.
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I've heard Jimmy Carr tell jokes about all of the groups you mentioned.
Everyone knows what his style is and if he has a show called 'dark material' it's going to be bad so not sure why people are surprised.
I don't even think the joke he has been criticied for was even the worst in the show and his shows that aren't on netflix are often even worse.
I was at the apollo watching him when he ended up on the front pages of the papers the next day for his joke about the paralympics and soldiers in Iraq. It was just another joke that nobody in the crowd was visibly ar audibly offended by.
If you're going to be offended - especially after his show starts with him warning that there will be topics discussed that could upset people - don't watch it!
 
JRockBlues said:
With all the fuss over Jimmy Carr's utterances it's Rachel Riley that's getting pelters on social media with everyone asking if she's going to stand by her convictions and leave 8 out 10 Cats Does Countdown.
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Already done a bit of this on here mate, Fuckin glorious seeing this hypocrite get absolute pelters on her twitter feed. Apparently she finds what Carr did hilarious, But still finds any other Jewish jokes abhorrent.
 
daztrueblue91 said:
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.
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People laughed probably because they have a negative view of Travellers, and fewer of them was seen as a good thing. There might have been some who laughed if it had been Jews, because they have a negative view of Jews. But I'd hope most would have found it offensive. However if he'd used Jews, rather than Travellers, as the butt of the joke at a far-right wing rally, he'd have got cheers and a huge round of applause. It wouldn't be offensive to them. But it would have been to the vast majority of people.

Imagine he'd said "Say what you like about Hitler and the Holocaust but at least he knew how to deal with mental health problems. None of this 'It's good to talk' shit". There'd probably have been an absolute shitstorm. Yet Travellers are seen as fair game.

I would hope he didn't really think that it was justified to murder Roma & Sinti people but the act of demonising a group or making them appear less worthy than others is how stereotypes get reinforced.
 
Prestwich_Blue said:
People laughed probably because they have a negative view of Travellers, and fewer of them was seen as a good thing. There might have been some who laughed if it had been Jews, because they have a negative view of Jews. But I'd hope most would have found it offensive. However if he'd used Jews, rather than Travellers, as the butt of the joke at a far-right wing rally, he'd have got cheers and a huge round of applause. It wouldn't be offensive to them. But it would have been to the vast majority of people.

Imagine he'd said "Say what you like about Hitler and the Holocaust but at least he knew how to deal with mental health problems. None of this 'It's good to talk' shit". There'd probably have been an absolute shitstorm. Yet Travellers are seen as fair game.

I would hope he didn't really think that it was justified to murder Roma & Sinti people but the act of demonising a group or making them appear less worthy than others is how stereotypes get reinforced.
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I Just spent an hour trawling the Tube for stand up comedy with questionable material and don't think I even scratched the surface. It's everywhere and going off audience reaction it garnishes laughs. As a few people On Topic have mentioned the subject matter remains subjective with ones mans food another mans poison, so what are we all to do, simply cancel down comedy alongside everything else in our "band aid society"

Do people laugh because they have a negative view of our disabled or of dwarfs or the lgbt community, of course not as it's only designed for comedic purpose.

I really don't think we can close down comedy and to coin a phrase from the great John Cleese fretting that wokeyness would eventually stifle creativity. So is the fear of being cancelled out real and it will it be the death of standup comedy as we know it.

I should have been concerned with the clip below as according to my wife am borderline autistic and fat (well pleasantly plump) but I admit to laughing along with the rest. I don't think the laughter would have been as profuse had it been fully aired in our Keto thread but once again subjective and if you are easily offended then look away. That's not to say I don't empathise fully with your own opinions on the subject matter because I do, really really I do.

 
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SWP's back said:
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.
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well fuck me we agree
 
Two Gun Bob said:
I Just spent an hour trawling the Tube for stand up comedy with questionable material and don't think I even scratched the surface. It's everywhere and going off audience reaction it garnishes laughs. As a few people On Topic have mentioned the subject matter remains subjective with ones mans food another mans poison, so what are we all to do simply cancel down comedy alongside everything else in our "band aid society"

Do people laugh because they have a negative view of our disabled or of dwarfs or the lgbt community, of course not as it's only designed for comedic purpose.

I really don't think we can close down comedy and to coin a phrase from the great John Cleese who fretted that wokeyness would eventually stifle creativity. So is the fear of being cancelled out real and it will it be the death of standup comedy as we know it.

I should have been concerned with the clip below as according to my wife am borderline autistic and fat (well pleasantly plump) but I admit to laughing along with the rest. I don't think the laughter would have been as profuse had it been fully aired in our Keto thread but once again subjective and if you are easily offended then look away. That's not to say I don't empathise fully with your own opinions on the subject matter because I do, really really I do.

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Gervaise did a routine years ago and then used it again in his last standup on Nietzsche, hitler, the holocaust and the shindlers list.

As his whole stand up is on subjects deemed off limits or offensive, it is as with carr and other close to the bone comedians a case of if you know it will upset you choose to watch it or not.

The arguement that it re enforces stereotypes or encourages hateful people to persecute others well that is subjective and could be argued all day long to no conclusion.

Certainly history has shown that caricatures and mocking certain groups has been used to demonise them and promote hate, but I doubt the modern day comedians like carr are doing it to promote such bigotry and people going to see him come out any less prejudice as when they went in.
 
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