This Offensive/Edgy brand of comedy.

I'm not sure if this rant has been done before, but something in a previous rant about things that we hate inspired me to finally write my thoughts down on this. I am so freakin' tired of this "offensive, edgy" comedy that seems to be growing so rapidly. It's not because I'm offended. Most of these comedians couldn't offend me if their life depended on it. You know why? Because it's a tired, old routine.

I mean, at first it was funny! The people doing it really were on the edge. It really was offending a lot of people. It was new, funny, and done in an intelligent manner that at least made you know that the person didn't really mean it. Usually, it was poking fun at the very core of whatever prejudice it was emulating. Shows like South Park still crack me up. But then more people started catching on. Instead of being a step above these prejudices, it's become so mainstream that I fear we're actually descending back to the times where these stereotypes were common and in practice. I can't even turn on comedy central without here some half-wit twat trying to be funny and thinking that they're "offending" someone. Oh, let's make fun of Jews now! hahaha! Black people like fried chicken! hahaha! Racism is stupid, and originally, that was one of these reasons these "offensive" comedians were funny. It was supposed to be shocking and wrong, but now, the jokes are becoming so commonplace that it's back to pure stupidity.

It's not that Sarah Silverman is the worst, but it's what finally cracked me. For those of you who don't know, she's a female comedian who recently got her own show on comedy central. Of course, the commercials were riddled with "Wow, a woman got her own show, etc. etc." The show came on last night, and one of the first things I heard was "If we can send a person to the moon, then we can send a person with AIDS to the moon. If we can send one person with AIDS to the moon, we can send everybody with AIDS to the moon!" Wow! How F-ing funny! Hahahaha! How about we all just laugh our asses off because you're sooo offensive and a bunch of 55 year old board members of some marketing firm have decided that being offensive is "in" now! How about you tell that to some kid who actually does have AIDS! I bet you wouldn't think you were so funny then! I usually don't find Carlos Mencia very funny, but he was dead one when he said something to the effect of "If you can't tell a joke in front of the person it's about, you have no right what-so-ever to tell that joke at all."

I know I might not be making a lot of sense right now, but for those of you who follow me, you're probably just as annoyed as I am with all of this stuff.



[edit on 10-2-2007 by Herman]

Eh, I kinda agree with you. It is a pretty old routine now. I really like the weird comedians like Demetri Martin and the late Mitch Hedberg. I like how they can be funny in a weird way without being offensive.

I like Lewis Black also. But I don't watch Comedy Central anymore
(except for the Daily Show) due to most of the newer shows being stupid (Mind of Mencia, Drawn Together, that other new animated show, and...the Naked Trucker thing show...I have never seen a show that was meant to be funny be so incredibly unfunny).

[edit on 2/12/2007 by Kacen]

I read the entire rant and I have to say, you've said something that goes beyond most peoples' thinking. If I were to say this to my peers, they'd immediately start repeating Carlos Mencia jokes at me thinking the "offensive material" would force me into tears.

And I don't even find Carlos Mencia funny! Is it just me or is he enforcing stereotypes, not disproving them? I began to wonder about this phenomenon of publicizing stereotypes in order to defeat them, thinking it was some sort of ingenious plan to spread word against discrimination through comedy. But now as I'm watching Comedy Central, hearing all this mindless babble that would be considered ignorant and offensive (in a bad way) is wearing on me.

Being a minority (I'm Vietnamese) I get a lot of this torment as it is and now people think that because it's on national television, it's okay to discriminate because it's "just a joke". Oh haha, the communist joke got old ages ago. Perhaps you should read a little about the war and what side of Vietnam I'm from before you go about that one.

And then when you express your thoughts on how ridiculous it is, you're labeled as not "having a sense of humor" or not being able to "take a joke".

Yeah, sorry. This is your rant, not mine.

Thumbs up and props for criticizing 90% of today's comedy.

Thanks, guys.

I'm glad to hear that someone else is sick of this crap too! For God's sake, the jokes aren't even funny anymore! You can see them coming a mile away. It's not shocking at all; it's just irritating, over-done, and offensive to people who have been through struggles with prejudice and might otherwise have a sense of humor about it. I'm sorry that you have to hear that crap from people Paresthesia, especially from people who probably aren't even really racist, but think that stuff is funny and acceptable now on a mainstream level because it's on TV. Next time someone says something to you, I'd think of something to say that would actually be shocking. "You know, my grandparents died in a race riot when I was a kid..." That'd shut them up. Like you said, people probably think I don't have a sense of humor when I roll my eyes and this stuff. I roll my eyes and any brand of comedy that's stupid and over-done, thank you very much.

Kacen - I hear ya about those comedy central shows. Drawn together is simply stupid, and that naked trucker show...what's to be said.

Ugh, I hate Mencia with a passion.
Watch this video of Joe Rogan confronting him on being a fraud.


As for Comedians...

Bill Hicks is the bestest!

Lewis Black FTW!!


Slightly Explicit and Highly Offensive to certain "faith groups".


I love him and Colbert and Stewart and that's about it for Mainstream Comics.

[edit on 14-2-2007 by sardion2000]

[edit on 14-2-2007 by sardion2000]

Lewis Black is freakin' funny.

And Lysergic, who is that in your avatar?

I'm not a minority (50% german, 50% dutch) and I laughed hard when I first discovered Mencia and others like him. But I definitely have to agree with the majority here, it got old fast.
I don't watch them any more because I don't think it's funny. That aids joke about putting them on the moon turned me off on the previews, I'll never even watch the show. Naked trucker is another one I haven't and won't watch, it just seems stupid.
George Carlin is my old standby, I've never gotten tired of his work. Richard Pryor is another favorite.

OT: Paresthesia is a cute lil thing!

Yeah, I just watched an entire episode of Sarah Silverman last night, and good God... That was most unfunny peice of trash I've ever seen. It seems as if the entire show is geared at making "offensive" comedy, and they have absolutely nothing else up their sleeves. They leave a bunch of room after the jokes for people to laugh, but it's just awkward silence because it's not funny. Good God, the future of comedy is doomed .

OT: Paresthesia is a cute lil thing!

I second that!

OT: Paresthesia is a cute lil thing!

I second that!

Aww, I'm flattered. Thanks.

Originally posted by Paresthesia

OT: Paresthesia is a cute lil thing!

I second that!

Aww, I'm flattered. Thanks.

Oh, you're very welcome.

That wasn't creepy, was it? Cause if it was, I can always edit my post. One time I made this post that was...Oh, now I'm rambling. This ALWAYS happens! So...whew...how about that weather?

/awkwaaaard

[edit on 17-2-2007 by Herman]