

The best jokes are offensive. - zepolen

Think of a good joke you know, take the first one that comes into your head.<p>Analyze it.<p>Is it completely neutral? Probably not.<p>What about word plays, they are not offensive eg.<p>'Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side'<p>The chicken wanted to die and reach the 'other side' (ie. heaven) - but this is offensive to people considering suicide, you are calling them chickens!<p>Hell even chickens, if they could understand humans, would take offense because we use their name as the word for 'coward'.<p>Ok what about other word plays:<p>Knock knock
Whos there?
Orange
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn't say banana?<p>However, that's not a very funny joke.<p>Tell it to a person who's enunciation of the word "aren't" is close to "orange" or a person who has bananaphobia (yea, they exist), and it gets a little better.<p>Puns in themselves are hard to laugh at, but once you attach a certain context, they can become really funny. Usually that context can be found offensive.<p>'Supercollider?' - Not funny<p>'Supercollider? I just met her!' - Funny, offensive<p>Is this funny: Arn-Old<p>How about now: http://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/funny-captions-0.jpg?w=500&#38;h=595<p>The best jokes are offensive, stand up comedians are notorious for it. However because of the nature of their work, no one complains, everyone knows they don't <i>truly</i> believe what they are joking about.<p>Or do they.<p>Remember Michael Richards (aka Kramer from Seinfeld) before the whole Racist Tirade[1] if he made a simple black joke, people would laugh at it. Not anymore.<p>Carlin said it best[2], <i>context</i> matters, at the same time though, if there is no hint of offensive in the joke, it loses the taboo aspect which makes it funny.<p>Sitcoms; Miscommunication between actors leading to funny situations, achieved by implying one party was stupid or situational stereotyping (eg. Fonzie), it all ends up giving a sense of superiority (from the audience) which ultimately creates the 'funny'.<p>What does that say about human sense in general, are we creatures that only find happiness in the misfortune or degrading of others?<p>Also, is there a truly neutral joke which is actually funny?<p>[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pksx_IAHDE<p>[2] http://www.tmz.com/2006/11/20/kramers-racist-tirade-caught-on-tape
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informatimago
fail youtube videos are the most fun!

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logjam
People trying to excuse racism and sexism by claiming "they're funny" are the
real jokes.

