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Post by sy on Oct 28, 2019 19:19:29 GMT -5
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Post by James on Oct 28, 2019 20:07:30 GMT -5
I wholeheartedly disagree with SouthernCalGal , not that that will come as a shock to most of you. I feel like for the most part, comedy should be left alone. If it is policed too much or becomes too "societally aware" then it dies. Comedy is an art form, after all and art is (or should be) left to the artist to decide what is acceptable or not. They, in turn, as an adult, must deal with the potential consequences of doing their art how they see fit. Thinking of the dude who played that dude in Seinfeld and his n-word rant that one time. If a comedian were to sit down to write a skit and account for every person's emotions before they write, what the heck is there left to write about? Sunshine and roses? That would lead to some pretty pathetic and unfunny "comedy." Comedians have always been known for being boundary pushers. I am a strong advocate for just not making yourself an audience to people you disagree with. I very much dislike specific brands of comedy but I don't for a second think they shouldn't exist for there ARE people who find them funny as hell. Instead, I choose to not watch their Netflix special, etc. ❤️❤️❤️
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Post by James on Oct 28, 2019 20:11:58 GMT -5
My dear friend AlrightyAphrodite shared this with me a long time ago and I think it's quite relevant still
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Post by Mets on Oct 28, 2019 21:07:47 GMT -5
In all seriousness, I feel like the only disagreements here are over what we call jokes and what we call offensive. I watch A LOT of comedy, go to shows regularly, and have laughed frequently at what many would consider “offensive” comedians. What nearly every comedian will agree upon and what should be the obvious takeaway is that “offensive” is not a goal, it’s a risk. By it’s very definition, if you’re offended by something, you wouldn’t find it funny. Comedians, just like your everyday friends, generally are only trying to make people laugh and are not trying to offend. Some times they miscalculate, and a joke goes over poorly in a way that makes people feel shitty. That is not a crowning achievement in edgy humor, it’s a poorly written joke that probably shouldn’t be used again. I myself make a lot of dumb jokes and have mistakenly said things that have hurt people. newjess probably couldn’t even tell you how many times I’ve asked for her opinions on controversial jokes before I’ve made them. As far as disability goes, I don’t think it’s fair to rule out *any* topic immediately from being included in jokes. Excluding disability from humor is just a way to alienate a marginalized group from a part of culture that makes people happy. If it’s a joke, that means it’s funny, and if it’s funny, it’s not offensive. Comedy is NOT an excuse for being an asshole, or an art that should be protected from criticism. Daniel Sloss has an incredibly endearing and extremely dark bit about his sister with Cerebral Palsy. Hannah Gadsby is currently touring a brilliant show about her life as someone with Autism. Steve Way is an SMAer with a hilarious role on Hulu’s “Ramy”, and he hosts a disability centered improv show here in Manhattan. It’s okay to joke about disability, because there’s a difference between a joke and an insult.
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Post by devogirl on Oct 28, 2019 22:10:31 GMT -5
Right on Steve! Totally agree.
Of course it’s ok to make jokes about disability but it depends on the content and intention of the joke. Jokes like any other form of entertainment can be a tool for defining who is “us” and who is “not us.” If the basis of the joke is “haha that person is so stupid/weird because of their race/gender/sexuality/religion/disability” then I don’t find it funny. It certainly is possible to joke about all those things without being bullying or abusive. I disagree that considering the shared humanity of everyone is somehow killing comedy or making certain topics off limits. I for one do not miss the homo-panic jokes, for example. Punch up, don’t punch down is a good rule of thumb.
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Post by devogirl on Oct 28, 2019 22:22:47 GMT -5
Hilarious! I love that high five 😂
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Post by Tek on Oct 29, 2019 8:33:57 GMT -5
Relevant twitterino:
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zackamp
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Post by zackamp on Oct 29, 2019 15:43:12 GMT -5
I'm totally cool with it. My t-shirts so far (bear in mind I'm an amputee):
Some assembly required Skipped leg day Limbs sold separately I won't get cold feet... Promise If you're happy and you know it clap your....? All the piggies went to market
Hopefully I'm not offending other amputees 😁😁😁
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blindLeap
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Post by blindLeap on Oct 29, 2019 15:56:37 GMT -5
hahahaha beautiful I enjoy shocking folks by going " nope!" when they ask me if I can't look where I am going, usually right after they themselves smash into me while looking at their phone. You'd think those eyes were good for something I don't even have to see the poor bastard to know they look up, see me and my guide dog, swallow the angry retort they were about to make and sort of sheepishly move aside, usually with a muttered apology. #learnYourPlaceBitch
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Post by blueskye101 on Oct 29, 2019 21:58:45 GMT -5
I probably go over board on trying to be politically correct just because of my upbringing and working as a nurse for so long where you have to be soooo careful of what you say. Not with my patients so much as administration, state govt politics. After I get a feel for you and your sense of humor or if you even have one; I let go. Love me some inappropriate shit. Even some very dark humor with other nurses as stress relief would not ever want to hurt anyone’s feelings but people are so damn sensitive anymore. If aimed at me; I let it roll off me or hopefully, if thinking fast enough, get a good return in. We have to laugh at ourselves. Life too freaking sad and frustrating at times. ✌️
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leglet
New Member
Left above knee amputee. Straight and curious about the devotee world.
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Post by leglet on Nov 15, 2019 2:47:26 GMT -5
So there I was at home, doing what I usually do to distract myself in moments of grief: watching Trevor Noah on YouTube. I am the world’s biggest fan. And I was thinking of sharing this here, since participation on PD is my other way to deal with grief, at least when it comes to a breakup with a para. And I was wondering whether it was ok just to post something which has not much connection with PD when around minute 11 the miracle happened and Trevor served it to me on a plate: the question whether or not it is ok to make jokes about disabled people. Also please let me know your opinion about jokes about disability. Is it ok for everyone? Since not joking about it is also one form of exclusion? Is it ok for PWDs only? Is there a border which kind of jokes are appropriate and which are not?
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leglet
New Member
Left above knee amputee. Straight and curious about the devotee world.
Posts: 42
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Post by leglet on Nov 15, 2019 2:49:44 GMT -5
Hey Linda as an amputee I think disability jokes are absolutely fine in good taste. One of my leg amp buddies has a shirt that says "WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT, YOU 2 LEGGED FREAK!" Gotta love it!
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blindLeap
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Post by blindLeap on Nov 15, 2019 3:40:02 GMT -5
I mean my nickname on here is a silly pun on blindness, so that should already show off that I am at least not above punning with my own disability :-) I would say I am in the " If you don't like it, scroll on through" camp on this one. I like @steve's post where he essentially says comedians don't specifically aim to offend. Some try to push the envelope, sure, but outright being an asshole generally isn't in the cards unless that is some kind of character they happen to be playing at that time. Generally though, if red hair can be joked about, why is the fact someone might be missing a leg any different? And what is a disability and what isn't, anyway? My parents are terrible when it comes to tech and manage to get into situations where even I as a professional programmers of some years just throw my arms up in the air and go " Just ...how did you even manage this?!" Is that a disability? Most would say no, but isn't it though? More and more important things in the world are handled through technology. If you just don't grasp it, are you technologically impaired? And if so, can I make jokes about that? When you start thinking about it too much it all just becomes so arbitrary, and so many people these days seem to think the world owes them something. It is easier and easier to offend people without meaning to, I would say that's why this question even came up in the first place. Bit of a stream of consciousness post I guess but I guess what it comes down to is this. I see (har har) no issue with making comedy about disabilities. Hey ...we want to be included, why not in this? :-) As for shirts ... I think I had a shirt that said " Do Not Touch" in braille characters when I was younger. Also during carnaval here in the Netherlands, which is akin to a drunken, far too happy counterpoint to dressing up for Halloween, one year I couldn't be arsed to come up with a costume so I put on a blindfold and went outside with my cane to join the merry-making. Random passer-by: LOL, what are you supposed to be? Me: Blind ...can't you see that? Hilarity ensued
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Post by AlrightyAphrodite on Nov 15, 2019 7:21:58 GMT -5
Hey Linda as an amputee I think disability jokes are absolutely fine in good taste. One of my leg amp buddies has a shirt that says "WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT, YOU 2 LEGGED FREAK!" Gotta love it! I know a guy who is a leg amp with a shirt that says "skipped leg day"
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Theo
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Post by Theo on Nov 17, 2019 6:57:16 GMT -5
This is a fascinating thread, thanks for asking the question.
So for people to make jokes, be self deprecating, own terminology that is considered offensive, etc... when they refer to themselves is totally fine - a bit like it's fine for african americans to own the N word. If i say 'what do you call a hydrotherapy pool in a SCI rehab centre - vegetable soup', or refer to myself as a cripple, that's me owning my experience and it's mine to own in any way i choose to. Most of us use dark humour about ourselves, and it helps. It also helps to put abled bodied people at ease around us, to normalise it with humour, although i find that with new people it's not a bad idea to start gentle.
The interesting question is, is it ok for non disabled people to joke about disability and i think it kind of depends on a shit-ton of context. Firstly, what's the joke about. Able bodied comedian Russell Howard recently caught some (imho undeserved) shade for a routine about disability. But most of his routine was about either normalising disability or laughing at the worlds inability to deal sensibly with it. My colleagues joking that they'll just 'kick me down the stairs' in the event of a fire is just an extension of the banter we have as a team, and absolutely fine - but they didn't make that joke when i first joined, that kind of thing needs time and friendship in order to be acceptable. Strangers joking about not 'drink driving in that' aren't being offensive but in my opinion being kind of boorish and unimaginative.
I guess in summary, if you're disabled you can do more or less what you like if you're joking about your own experience, It might not go down well with your audience and there's a danger that being too self deprecating or using disparaging terminology does have the danger of undermining ourselves (like i did when i first had my accident). For non disabled people, or disabled people joking about the disability of others, be careful make sure you're punching up, not down, or are joking about the worlds reaction to disability rather than the disability itself - and feel the audience out a bit first - let's be nice to each other and accept we all have different boundaries.
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