Offensively Funny

[andrewducker]

[Poll #1478029]
Inspired by reading this article about Microsoft deciding not to sponsor a Family Guy special after they discovered that *gasp* it had offensive content.

Comments

[meihua.livejournal.com]

* Other: Depends on whether they are also funny. And sometimes I laugh, and then feel like a dick for it, because I'm only laughing because I'm lucky to be out of the firing line on that particular subject.

[andrewducker]

Absolutely. I don't laugh at _everything_ that offends me. But there are certainly things I find funny (or exciting) in media that would be awful in real life.

[henriksdal.livejournal.com]

I said yes, but OH MY totally depends on the context and situation.

[ninebelow.livejournal.com]

If I laugh at something then by definition I didn't offend me (even if it is offensive).

[blackmanxy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's pretty much the disconnect for me too. I can recognize that something is inappropriate or offensive and I can even think that the world would probably be a better place without it without it actually offending me.

[sterlingspider.livejournal.com]

Same here.

I may recognise it as offensive, but for me actual offense sort of precludes humour.

[xquiq.livejournal.com]

I laugh at some things, which in that particular context / said by that person are funny, but which in a different context would be offensive.

When it offends a particular group, it depends very much on whether it's being presented by that group & also on the relative power of the group.

A lot of the time the response to something funny is pretty reflexive unless it's beyond the pale. For 'borderline' topics, I might only question it after the fact. For example: I went to a Jimmy Carr gig last year & he told some 'fat' jokes that were very very funny. After the first couple I became acutely aware that I was sitting next to one of my larger acquaintances at the time & that she was not at all comfortable.

[andrewhickey.livejournal.com]

I answered in the spirit of the question - I don't think I've ever actually been offended by anything...