Is this funny?

[smallblueplanet]

I've got a good sense of humour (oh yes I have!)...but I couldn't see the humour here.

Never heard of the bloke - Frankie Boyle - but heard of the tv show, this doesn't sound like the humour to me. Is it acceptable?

I live for glitter....: Punching me in the face would have been preferable...

[HeyWayne]

Big fan of Frankie Boyle. He can get a bit close to the mark on occasion and it would appear he's over stepped it in this instance.

I think it was why he was dropped from Mock the Week. Something he said caused complaints.

[bobleponge]

Very very subjective thing though, humour.
Having read the lady's blog, I can see totally why she is so upset, and sympathise, but in her own words, everyone else in the audience was laughing, so clearly they, for whatever reasons, found it funny.
Never heard of the comedian in question, wont ever see a show (not my thing) and not standing up for him. Simply pointing out that all people are different.
There will be things that some people find funny and others dont. Before the response of "but Downs isnt funny" comes flooding my way, I would agree.
But everyone else in the audience was laughing.
Subjective.

[smallblueplanet]

...
But everyone else in the audience was laughing.
Subjective.

I believe at one point everyone in Germany was wearing jackboots, does that make it right?

[weekendwellies]

Don't like the bloke. ( Well actually, I dont know him in person so he may be a decent bloke, but I don't like his humour )

This is exactly the kind of cr@p he comes out with.

Some of his stuff on MTW can be funny, but mostly it isn't so in my opinion that makes him a not very good comedian.

[bobleponge]

I believe at one point everyone in Germany was wearing jackboots, does that make it right?

Please read the entire comment Manda, not taking sensationalist pieces.

I quite clearly stated that I didnt find it funny.
I quite clearly stated that I wasnt standing up for the comedian in question.

Humour is subjective.

[HotStuff]

Like HW I'm a big fan of Frankie Boyle, part of his appeal is that nothing is scared, so he can be pretty controversial at times. This was obviously a very unfortunate situation and I'm sure Frankie would have been effected by it. Hopefully in future he'll stick with people we all love to have a go at, like politicians.

[smallblueplanet]

I quite clearly stated that I didnt find it funny.
I quite clearly stated that I wasnt standing up for the comedian in question.

Humour is subjective.

Yes it is. However somethings are not jokes - would it have been okay if he'd said 'black' instead of 'Downs'? I asked you if it made it right that lots of people laughed - try answering my question if you're gonna get pedantic.

[Seahorse]

No, not funny. Having seen him on a couple of tv shows, I now avoid anything he's on. I'm sure he'd say he's 'pushing boundaries' or 'challenging attitudes' or somesuch but IMO, he isn't, he's just being cruel and picking on easy targets for a cheap laugh.

That said, I do find it a bit hard to be totally sympathetic to the lady in question. She clearly knew (and liked) that he's a 'nasty' commedian (her word) so maybe it's a bit hypocritical to get so upset?

[bobleponge]

As humour is subjective there are things that some will find "a joke" and others wont.
I have 2 mixed race children, and have heard many many "jokes" about people of a different colour to myself.
Some people find such things "a joke" others dont.

This is because humour is subjective.

[smallblueplanet]

This is because humour is subjective.

So anything goes then? Jokes about blacks, queers, disabled, religion, Tories, the Army...anything?

I'm afraid I shall disagree with you and leave it at that. Some things aren't funny and are therefore not humour.

[Seahorse]

I agree that humour is subjective but I think you also have to bear in mind the 'dynamic' at comedy shows - people expect it to be funny, they laughed at the previous joke, people near them are laughing, etc. In that environment, most people just carry on laughing, perhaps sometimes at things that if they'd come to 'cold' they wouldn't have found funny at all.

[bobleponge]

So anything goes then? Jokes about blacks, queers, disabled, religion, Tories, the Army...anything?

I'm afraid I shall disagree with you and leave it at that. Some things aren't funny and are therefore not humour.

You have proved my argument Manda, some things are not funny and therefore not humour.

Whilst most people think like that about most things, there will always be some who find some things funny, a joke.

Because we are all different people.

I also totally agree with Seahorse's post re the comedy show dynamic.

[smallblueplanet]

You have proved my argument Manda...

I hadn't realised the thread was about you Bob?

I think you should try a little empathy, its not about proving an arguement for me, its about how that little girl & her mother were made to feel by a 'comedian'.

[di]

I don't find it particularly funny...in fact not at all,but as Seahorse has already said,I don't really have a lot of sympathy with the Lady in question....she must have known to some extent what his humour is like before the night,had he have been picking on a different group would she have been part of the audience laughing along whilst someone else was feeling offended?

I accept that humour is subjective and would have no desire for censorship,but something that worries me is how people seem to have lost the rights to be offended by stuff...as soon as you say you've taken offence you become a moaning weak one with no sense of humour...if we're going to be allowed freedom of speech then that should include being free to find something offensive also.