Are there any topics that you believe are off-limits for jokes?

[DarthSka]

I don't believe in a general "line" that can't be crossed. Instead, there are billions of lines because it's subjective for each person. Personally, it takes a lot for me to be offended, and I'm of the opinion that any topic has the potential to be humorous if done correctly. The context of the situation and the audience are key.

 

[geK0]

I have no problem with people finding enjoyment in humor that others find to be extremely distasteful so long as it's only a joke. That being said, I feel you should consider your audience and be respectful toward those who object to your humor. It's only courteous to apologize if somebody is truly hurt by your carelessness. Just tell the jokes to other people when they're not around, it's not that hard to gauge people's tolerance for such humor.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

No topic is off limits for jokes. If a certain joke offends a person, then thats their problem.

 

[Batou667]

They can joke all they want, but in the end no joke can disguise the fact that this guy is bald, and one of the most awesome men on the planet.

And he's pro-Marmite! Seriously, PatStew only ever goes up in my estimation. What a guy.

On topic: comedy is tragedy plus time, so no, I don't think anything can ever be said to be "off limits". Also, screw the liberal concept of "punching up" - comedy exists to make people laugh, not as a form of cultural Marxism. Shock comedy is a thing, and it most definitely punches down a lot of the time to make the punchline.

 

[iLikeHippos]

I was having this conversation with my mum. I tend to make horribly inappropriate jokes and it gets me in trouble. I make lots of jokes about Jews because I'm Jewish myself, not by religion but by ethnic/cultural/familial background. This generally shocks people.

I don't believe anything is off-limits, people should be free to joke about what they want but that doesn't leave them impervious to criticism. I don't care whether a joke offends anyone but I do care about whether it actually hurts them. I don't make jokes about things like sexual assault or rape because even victims who aren't explicitly offended by the jokes are likely to feel pain or anxiety after such a traumatic experience. I also don't usually make jokes about disabled people because I find something inherently distasteful about it seeing as how I'm of sound mind and body. The only exception to that is with one of my friends who has cerebral palsy but only because she's cool with it and we only do it in private.

I'm rambling. What do you think?

If there is one thing I have learned as I've attempted to become an author for 3 years is that it is literally impossible to make someone feel a certain way. You can't make someone offended or laugh or cry. If someone believes otherwise, they should attempt stand-up comedy with an audience full of vegetables.

No, people can only get influenced by you, and being influenced tends to happen involuntary, but with discipline all of it can be condensed into a stiff upper lip. Being offended is, more or less, a choice seeing as you can prevent it with a conscious action, however I do find that some jokes are just in horrible taste that would, probably, only influence people negatively, which fails the purpose of it being a joke in the first place.

 

[Rellik San]

I'm a firm believer that every subject can and should be joked about, where offence comes in is on an individual level, by individual level I mean on a joke by joke basis.

A joke about sexual assault can be funny, it can also be horribly insensitive and offensive, hell it could be the same joke, just told by a different person in a different context and it's level of offensiveness can change.

But then again I'm a firm believer that comedy is just as valid a way as any to deal with any and all issues.

 

[Sleepy Sol]

I don't think I've ever thought to myself where lines should be drawn in terms of jokes about potentially sensitive subjects or material.

I can be rather crude with my jokes myself, so I'd say I fall somewhere into the "just about anything can be joked about effectively" camp.

I think sometimes the effectiveness of those types of jokes come down to both the individual being told the joke and the delivery of the person telling the joke, so sometimes they can work quite effectively, and other times backfire horribly. However, I don't think there should really ever be lines drawn unless it's about a pretty recent event.