Should Comedians Have Free Rein?

Should Comedians Have Free Rein and People Not Get Offended?

  • Yes

  • No

  • Not Sure


Results are only viewable after voting.
So I have a couple of things.
1. Why do comedians get a pass and others don't
2. What constitutes a comedian? Anyone can say that theyre a comedian


Idk I still don't buy the people in the thread saying that comedians should have complete free rein and people shouldn't be offended.

I mean would you go to the families of the people in the German Wings crash and make jokes?



But that still kinda counts as getting offended doesn't it? I mean it's not the same as ranting about it on TWitter. But idk to me that's still getting at least a little bit offended.



But, honestly being an over the top actual *****ebag can be subjective.

I have friends where I/others can and have made the deepest soul crushing *****ey things to them and they can just laugh. ANd then I have others that I cant say the same type of stuff about. One could think it's just funny the other could think it's *****ey

People can be offended or not offended. I agree with those who say they should exercise when and where they say these potentially offensive jokes.

But specifically I think the reasons why people feel comedians should get a pass is because its they're actual job to entertain with jokes.
 
I mean would you go to the families of the people in the German Wings crash and make jokes?

No, I wouldn't. Just because I believe in free rein doesn't mean everything SHOULD be said or that nobody should ever be offended.

But that still kinda counts as getting offended doesn't it? I mean it's not the same as ranting about it on TWitter. But idk to me that's still getting at least a little bit offended.

There's nothing wrong with being offended, per se.

But, honestly being an over the top actual *****ebag can be subjective.

I have friends where I/others can and have made the deepest soul crushing *****ey things to them and they can just laugh. ANd then I have others that I cant say the same type of stuff about. One could think it's just funny the other could think it's *****ey

Take the Westboro Baptist Church, for example. Everyone unanimously agrees that the WBC is a church of *****ebags. They are free to spout their crazy opinions, but they are shunned by everyone in America and beyond. That is the price they pay for being over-the-top *****ebags. That's the free market of comedy and opinions as a whole.
 
But that's not the question as it was presented here. It's not about censorship, it's asking if people are allowed to be offended. And of course they are.

Yes. I guess I missed the second part of the question.

Of course no one can control whether or not someone else gets offended. However, I don't think censorship is the way of ensuring no one ever gets offended.

Simply put, if you don't like a comedian's jokes, don't go to their shows and don't watch their appearances on TV. You can even voice your displeasure on public forums like this or elsewhere. If enough people join you, the comedian goes away.
 
Its not that comedians get free reign as much as its comedians have generally put some thought into their comment which a lot of the time would fall under satire, but when some dumb ass runs their mouth and spews some racist or hateful nonsense it generally hasn't had much thought put into it other than some unintelligent brain fart.
 
I voted yes, because I like my comedy broad and I believe comedy is truly one of the last refuges of the nonconformist mind. A question though: Are antisemitic and holocaust jokes fair game if we say yes?
 
The question itself is questionable. Everyone has free rein, and everyone has the right to be offended.

I would agree with this position, but only add that, as in all things, THERE ARE LIMITS. This is the paradoxical truth, especially in a society like ours where we value free speech. I don't think that anyone here thinks that the governments of any kind should censor through their powers the subject matter of a comedian's act. That most people think would be a violation of another person's freedom of speech, and I would agree. But is that really the question here, or when this subject usually comes up? No. I think this is about things that rightly so are beyond any government's power. It's really about questions of taste and self censorship. In a free society, sure, comedians have the right to offend. As pointed out though, people can "vote" as it were with their dollars and private entities of every kind that would matter to a comedian's career (clubs, broadcast/cable/Internet platforms ect. ) have their own rights not to employ or showcase that comedian if they so choose.


Comedian Jeff Garlin spoke about this once in a New York Times Magazine Interview (I'm choosing Garlin, as a comedian's comedian to site since I am sure someone is going to quote Carlin and point to him as the final word on this for all comediens, and that's just not true... Carlin's position is not EVERY comedien's' position). His position was that comedian's sometimes forget that they are in a dialog with the audience, that the audience in fact exists at all.
Garlin thinks, yes, a comedian has the right to make, say, a rape joke, but that doesn't mean they have some immunity in a free society from catching hell about it in some way (as long as the government doesn't get involved). People have a right to be offended as much as the comedian has his right to possibly offend.

Now, the audiences reaction also has limits as well. If someone is saying something you don't like, well, make your opinion heard, fine. Vote with your dollars, as was mentioned. Protest. Boycott. All to my mind perfectly acceptable, and it can have an effect. A broadcaster makes offending remarks and people make a stink which makes the network think it would be best if he worked elsewhere? Welp, them's the breaks. No one is violating his right to free speech. He can still say what he wants (more than ever in an Internet age) but he doesn't have a RIGHT for someone to give him a platform for his speech, what ever it's merits. The owners of said platform have their own legal and indeed personal rights as well. These can be the results of what let's call, valid offense, or at least what I think is a valid response to offense of all stripes. What is not valid is the aformentioned actions by the government, but also the acts of individuals and groups that cross the line into violent action in an attempt to intimidate anyone or anything into silence.

Look... There are many comedians I just don't like. I call them on their offensiveness when I discuss them with others and let my opinion be heard. As a human being I think it's a mark of maturity and wisdom to on my own part to self censor my own speech for a wide variety of reasons, and I bet there are tons of comedien's that do the same just because they feel similarly, they would feel bad about making un-ironic remarks that are flat out offensive or don't want to face the consequences of their saying something they know is going to be offensive. The hard and fast rules usually melt away under the sunlight of real life practicality when an issue like this comes up. Yes, comediens have a right to offend, but like it or not, there are limits (if people choose not to support said comedien financially, guess what? That's a limit). People have a right to be offended, but again, there are limits.

This is indeed where, beyond law, and other rules, the quality of WISDOM comes into play, but it seems when stuff like this comes up many of us want black/white, hard and fast rules, and hopefully, if you've lived long enough, you'll have acquired the knowledge and experience to understand, that's just not how life is for the human animal.
 
Being offended is okay. Then you stop listening to the comedian and decide you don't like him (kinda like you would with an annoying poster here). What's not cool is joining one of these "social justice" mobs and actively trying to suppress said comedian's free speech.
 
So someones mom dies of cancer. The next day the comedian has the right to go up to the person and make fun of his/her mother's death?

A person get's crippled by a drunk driver. The next day a comedian is allowed to go make a joke about it to the person?

I really dont think this is one of those all or nothing scenarios

Yes, I do. However, you probably can't make a joke out of that. The comedian probably wouldn't get any work if he's not funny. When people make 'offensive' jokes and people laugh, they did their job. Now it just depends on the joke.
 
^ Yeh that example is pretty ****, when has that ever happened on purpose?

I dont think any comedian would do that sincerely, that would just make them a weird ****** person
 
Being offended has become the new national pastime.

Yes indeed... Just check out the Fantastic Four threads. (Rimshot) ;)



Oh, I'm sorry...did that offend you? Make you just a teensy angry ect.? Well... It proves a point. I have a right to offend and you have a right to be offended, and I know you are, cuz I mean, you post in the FF threads every day about how offended you are by the new film, so you'll forgive me if I choose to not believe this "I am above it all act". You get offended. We all do. It's human nature. Just as it's human nature to call BS.

Now, prove yourself right and DON'T respond if you don't have any problem with what I just posted, thus showcasing how you don't take offense to humorous gibes of all sorts.
 
Short answer.
Fallen Angel said:
Nope there are something's you shouldn't just pass off as joking about it.

Details.
Schlosser85 said:
I think there's a difference between being an "edgy" comedian and just being a *****. Like when *person* gloated about deaths of Palestinian civilians and made fun of Chris Hemsworth's "fat" wife on the red carpet when she was heavily pregnant with twins. She wasn't being funny, she was being a mean-spirited *****.

I don't believe in censorship, but I do believe that just because you have the legal right to say something doesn't mean you should.

Comedians are people, they should be considerate.
I'm sure there are things that offend them and they don't like to hear.
 
For the most part, yes, I think they should. But there's differences in all circumstances. Now, I'm not talking twitter or anything like that. Twitter is twitter. I'm talking more on the lines of an actual comedy club/stage. But even then, there's differences. Daniel Tosh doing an off the cuff rape joke is fine to me. Especially when the majority of the audience is laughing. But something like Kramer going on stage, and not even trying to be funny, is another thing entirely.

I guess for me it's: as long as the comedian is trying to be funny, regardless of what he's saying, it's perfectly ok. Even if he bombs, it's ok. But if he goes up there, and just snaps and goes off on the audience, then he's no longer a comedian, he's just an ass with a mic in his hands. The stage doesn't necessarily give you immunity, but your intent is what matters. I guess you could say the same thing with twitter. Were they trying to tell a joke, or were they serious? It doesn't matter if you're offended, what matters is the intention. And even then, people get too offended to understand that.
 
BUt why is a comedian different from any other person.

Anyone could say "Im a comedian"

As Alien Anal said, usually a comedian has something more to say with more thought behind it than just some guy running his mouth.
Also, you are totally within your rights to be offended by something, but so often it can be hypocritical. For instance, take Isaac Hayes leaving South Park after they made fun of Scientology. He had no problem with the show mocking Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and countless other religions for years but right when they made fun of something that he believed in, he quit and claimed they were being intolerant bigots.
Again, completely within his rights, but it's an interesting double standard.
Yes indeed... Just check out the Fantastic Four threads. (Rimshot) ;)



Oh, I'm sorry...maid that offend you? Make you just a teensy angry ect.? Well... It proves a point. I have a right to offend and you have a right to be offended, and I know you are, cuz I mean, you post in the FF threads every day about how offended you are by the new film, so you'll forgive me if I choose to not believe this "I am above it all act". You get offended. We all do. It's human nature. Just as it's human nature to call BS.

Now, prove yourself right and DON'T respond if you don't have any problem with what I just posted, thus showcasing how you don't take offense to humorous gibes of all sorts.
When did I say people did not have a right to be offended? And when did I say I'm "above" anything?
Similarly, how does any of this have to do with the topic of the thread, which is specifically referencing comedians? Saying I'm "offended" by Fox making a crappy movie based on characters I love is a stretch to begin with, but even so, how does that relate to what we're talking about or anything I've said?
For the most part, yes, I think they should. But there's differences in all circumstances. Now, I'm not talking twitter or anything like that. Twitter is twitter. I'm talking more on the lines of an actual comedy club/stage. But even then, there's differences. Daniel Tosh doing an off the cuff rape joke is fine to me. Especially when the majority of the audience is laughing. But something like Kramer going on stage, and not even trying to be funny, is another thing entirely.

I guess for me it's: as long as the comedian is trying to be funny, regardless of what he's saying, it's perfectly ok. Even if he bombs, it's ok. But if he goes up there, and just snaps and goes off on the audience, then he's no longer a comedian, he's just an ass with a mic in his hands. The stage doesn't necessarily give you immunity, but your intent is what matters. I guess you could say the same thing with twitter. Were they trying to tell a joke, or were they serious? It doesn't matter if you're offended, what matters is the intention. And even then, people get too offended to understand that.
Perfectly said.
Even more, if comedian's should not have free rein, what should the solution be? What's completely off the table? What are we not allowed to joke about? Drawing lines and telling people they can't explore certain topics is a slippery slope.
 
I definitely say yes. If someone if indeed being meanspirited, it won't go well for them in the long run.
 
There also seems to be more of a backlash if you make jokes about blacks, Jews or LGBT then say if you make jokes about Indians, Asians, etc.

Don't make jokes about Asians and driving or Indians and convenience store but get indignant about black or Jew jokes from other people.
 
Flint... Thank you for proving me right. You got offended. If you didn't care what was posted you wouldn't have responded. It's not about you, per se, it's the position that many proffer that somehow, they never get offended by speech or humor. Obviously to one extent or another, WE ALL DO.
 
Comedians are supposed to "cross the line." That's what they do.
 
Flint... Thank you for proving me right. You got offended. If you didn't care what was posted you wouldn't have responded. It's not about you, per se, it's the position that many proffer that somehow, they never get offended by speech or humor. Obviously to one extent or another, WE ALL DO.
I'm more confused than offended, but you can chalk that up as a victory if you'd like.
 
Schlosser85 said it closest to what I think. No one should be given free reign although I do think comedians should have a higher threshold depending on the subject. Sometimes being a comedian is just a cover for being an ******* and that's not acceptable.
 
Id like some examples of offensive comedians that people think take it too far
 
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