Offensive Comedy: Where Do You Draw the Line?

I draw the line at making fun of dying people.

 

I guess I don't really have a line. Most people say I have a warped, mordant sense of humor, but I think dark humor has its place, and it shouldn't pop up in normal forums, everyday conversations, movies, etc. It should be confined to places where people seek that kind of thing out (ie, an offensive comedian's show, a site for that, etc.).

 

For me, it's not offensive if it's funny, plain and simple. As for whether or not something is funny, context is everything, and humor is obviously subjective because different people have different tastes. So its difficult if not impossible to say but really it's very rare for me to get offended unless the joke is in poor taste and isn't funny.

 

I don't draw any lines with humor. "Offensive" is a word that epitomizes subjectivity, and will never be enough on it's own to sustain a sensible argument against something. The only thing I don't stand for is when people bully others and then try to pass it off as "just jokes." Uh, no. There's jokes and then there's malicious intent. Sometimes people try to use humor as a scapegoat when they just wanna be mean and hurt others.

 

I don't usually consider anything extremely sexist, racist, homophobic, etc. funny.

 

I don't have a line. Nothing is off limits. I believe in free speech and that means good or bad I stand for free speech. Nothing is off the table.

I'm against the very concept of Political correctness. At it's core it's anti-free speech and I have zero tolerance for it.

 

There are very few circumstances under which I will consider deliberate offence to be justifiable.

However, morbid humour can be sympathetic. Gallows humour is a way to accept the vulnerability of humans with whatever little pleasure can be drawn from horrible situations, but it only really works when the maker of the joke has sufficient experience and/or education in the area, if it isn't to be merely callous.

Humour to convey suffering is fine. Suffering as a tool for humour is not.

 

Political correctness is garbage. The whole point of comedy is to take you out of your comfort zone and laugh at things that make you uncomfortable. Nothing is offensive to me if it's a joke.

 

I don't really draw the lines in comedy. I don't really care about political correctness. Agree or disagree, that's just how I feel.

 

I don't draw the line, you can make fun of anything and anyone and I'll laugh.

 

I draw the line when someone starts joking about specific real events, like if someone were to joke about Columbine or something.

 

Theoretically, I don't draw the line anywhere. However, there is certainly a line for what can be described as "tasteful"

 

You should never take a comedian seriously. At least that's what I've been told.

But ehhh comedy is subjective, so you can't really draw an imaginary line anywhere. You either like it or you don't.

 

Pretty much this.

I also believe firmly that rape jokes are not okay.

 

When it comes to "offensive" jokes, I think there is a time and a place. If you're telling jokes about dying to someone with, say, a terminal illness, and you don't know that they're okay with it; that's just being a jerk. Same goes for other groups of people. But we really shouldn't get tied up with all this politically correct rubbish. Some people are way too easily offended.

 

You draw the line when you know that someone won't be okay with the joke.

 

I'm the same.

I don't find any humor in racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, and other sort of humor that mocks disadvantaged people, or people belonging to a minority. If someone is homosexual and makes a joke about homosexual stereotypes or whatever I think that's alright, but I probably won't laugh. I don't say these sort of jokes myself, because I don't really think that they're that funny because I don't buy into stereotypes anyway :/ Oh, and as someone else mentioned, rape jokes. No. Definitely no.

That's not that I don't like jokes though, or don't joke often. I do!! I'm just really politically correct about it too. But I like what you said before: "There is nothing "political" about acknowledging that others have different experiences and that words hurt." Very true.

 

I draw the line when a reasonable, sane person stop laughing. Comedy is very dependent on the audience to be considered comedy, but I draw the line where the only ones left laughing are the people I never want to be around with.

 

Basically what Aussie said. =)