Are jokes ever "too soon"?
- Thread starter Grateful Dude
- Start date
No
I agree, it's a bit rough. I have a toddler about the age of the kid that got snagged by the alligator, and I can't imagine going through that scenario. The interwebs are ruthless though, and these memes pop up quick these days. What is too soon?
I don't know if there's a "too soon". I just 1) wouldn't do certain things as a parent that can relate, and 2) believe in karma. So there are some things that I just consider off limits. But hey, to each their own.
I hear ya man. And just to be clear, these aren't my memes/jokes, just a couple things I've seen going around. We've all obviously heard the "too soon" thing before, but I don't know where the line is.
What happened at Disney?
Yeah man, it's a very sad story.
Some topics are off limits for me to make jokes about, but I don't get mad when others do it. To each their own.
Damn
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You decide what's off-limits for you and people decide what they think of you for it.
Out of curiosity, where's the humour to be found in a child being killed by an alligator or in people being murdered?
Out of curiosity, where's the humour to be found in a child being killed by an alligator or in people being murdered?
I'm not necessarily endorsing either as humorous or not, and I think you're right - it's up to each individual to decide for themselves. It was a legitimate question - what is too soon? These are two tragic events, but very different. Do they have different thresholds of where the line is crossed? The toddler incident seems to hit a bigger button for most of us (you're the only one that's even mentioned the nightclub shooting in here)
I saw both of those pics very soon after those two incidents, and I was legitimately curious to hear some feedback. We've all seen and likely said some horrible shit on the Internet, including on forums similar to this one. "too soon" has become nothing but a meme/joke these days, and people are going to push the limits of just about everything. I couldn't honestly tell you that I know exactly where the line gets crossed. I know I've laughed at things that others would be offended by, and I've been on the other end of it too.
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Thanks for the well thought out reply, the way you're looking at it makes sense to me.
Oh me too my friend, I swear some people think I'm the devil incarnate for some of the shit that's made me giggle. However it depends on the delivery or context e.g. that Louis CK bit about the dude that jumped out of the helicopter. He was able to create a context/reenact the situation to make it funny. But just pointing and laughing at people who died while experiencing fear and terror? That one makes me scratch my head a bit. My general impression is that it's the softest, most untested of people who are under the illusion there's humour in that.
M
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There's a subreddit called "circlejerk" where they basically just mock all the most popular subreddits. Some of the shit they do is stupid but some is pretty fucking funny.
One of their gimmicks is to do an "AMA Request" thread for a celebrity that has just died. Within seconds of a famous person dying, you will see an AMA request thread for that person pop up lol.
One of their gimmicks is to do an "AMA Request" thread for a celebrity that has just died. Within seconds of a famous person dying, you will see an AMA request thread for that person pop up lol.
You had me at "circle jerk"
M
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The sub occasionally allows image posting for threads. Well about two years ago they opened it up temporarily and I managed to spell out the word "cunt" with 4 different threads, each one an image of one letter of the word. So basically anyone subscribed to r/circle jerk would get this image when they logged in to reddit:
I think they stopped allowing image posting after that
Well done, man. Well done.The sub occasionally allows image posting for threads. Well about two years ago they opened it up temporarily and I managed to spell out the word "cunt" with 4 different threads, each one an image of one letter of the word. So basically anyone subscribed to r/circle jerk would get this image when they logged in to reddit:
I think they stopped allowing image posting after that
I just read your reply again, and I think you have a good point here.
I know recently I've heard a few different comedians express that NOTHING should be off limits. In their case, pulling off a shocking joke is completely about delivery and context.
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If it can be done...sometimes insensitivity can be funny. Sometimes inappropriate comments can be funny. For example, I was tutoring this one girl a while back and we were talking about running.
She said she is afraid to go running alone and I gave a sympathetic "yeah a person has to be careful but don't let it stop you."
Her: "When I was younger a man....." yeah, she was raped in the forest.
(I teach her how to speak English and we're a long way off from the nuances of how to gently deliver a rape anecdote).There was a bit of an awkward silence there (imagine that) so then I said "Well I was going to ask you if you have ever gone running at night but that'd be stupid now..."
She burst out laughing and had us both crying and hyperventilating in seconds. But she generally gets me laughing about something every time we meet.
Oh man...If it can be done...sometimes insensitivity can be funny. Sometimes inappropriate comments can be funny. For example, I was tutoring this one girl a while back and we were talking about running.
She said she is afraid to go running alone and I gave a sympathetic "yeah a person has to be careful but don't let it stop you."
Her: "When I was younger a man....." yeah, she was raped in the forest.
There was a bit of an awkward silence there (imagine that) so then I said "Well I was going to ask you if you have ever gone running at night but that'd be stupid now..."
She burst out laughing and had us both crying and hyperventilating in seconds. But she generally gets me laughing about something every time we meet.
Nice recovery on that one! My general lack of tact usually means I end up trying pull my foot out of my mouth in situations like that. Thanks for sharing that story, cheers bro