Is comedy dead since we can't make jokes without offending people anymore?

Question

vapido · Accepted Answer

It certainly is a valid question. But I think comedy still has plenty of material to draw upon that doesn't risk offending anyone. Here are some examples...

Seinfeld was both very funny and mostly unoffensive. Sure, I can recall episodes here and there that may have crossed current-day boundaries, but most episodes are fine.

Stand-up comedians such as Mitch Hedberg and Steven Wright were so far out in left field the only ones who could be remotely offended by either of them would be ducks and drug dealers.

Old sitcoms such as Andy Griffith, Leave It to Beaver, The Bob Newhart Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show were extremely funny (in my opinion!) and, again, for the most part unoffensive. I suppose Leave It to Beaver might have trouble in present times as it is so reflective of the white America of the 50's and early 60's, which I'm sure doesn't sit well with many. But I don't think The Andy Griffith Show suffers from any of that baggage, even though it is based in a similar, wholesome mostly white small town. It did, after all, have Otis, the town drunk, who was white. And, IIRC there were one or two episodes that featured African Americans in a respectful manner.

How about The Simpsons? That show is still a powerhouse franchise, and it crosses all sorts of political correctness barriers!

Here's an example of a show that in my opinion should be OK today, but probably would not: All In the Family. Could be made today? It was blatant satire that helped us laugh at, and see society's faults for what it is. In fact, it set the tone for what is acceptable and what is not - anybody who watches All In the Family and thinks Archie's racism and sexism are being portrayed in a sympathetic manner simply does not understand what they're watching. When Archie says something outrageously racist, we are laughing *at Archie* and his ridiculously over-the-top racism and ignorance - we're not laughing at those who are the targets of his racism. Therefore, I would hope something like All In the Family could be made in 2022. But I suspect it would be a very tough sell to the networks.

The movie Airplane is hilarious, but it would have problems today for sure... I recall multiple racial and gay stereotypes. Similar issues with Blazing Saddles.

How about Trading Places? It might be left out in the cold. The premise of the entire movie plays on race, class and sex stereotypes.

Caddyshack? Probably OK today. Animal House? Maybe.

Brady Bunch? Too white? Or, just not funny.

I Dream of Jeanie? Too sexist. But the irony is how prevalent sex is shown in pop culture today. Half the pop divas of today dress 10x more sexualized than Jeanie ever did. Maybe it was Jeanie's unwavering subservience that wouldn't fly today. I must admit the divas of today are definitely not subservient! They are for the most part very strong minded smart business women comfortable with, and in control of, their image. Hey! How about an I Dream of Jeanie reboot, with, say, Beyonce? She'd rework the the show for sure... Tony and Major Healy would be living together in the bottle totally subservient to Beyonce! Hey! That's my idea! Nobody steal it!

How about Bewitched? Great comedy! But was Paul Lynde offensively gay? (not in my opinion but that's just me. He was actually just playing himself). Furthermore, I just looked up and see that Billy Eichner, who is gay, is making a Paul Lynde biopic and is portraying Lynde. So I guess there is at least some appreciation for Lynde in the gay community.

So, it is an interesting and valid question. While plenty of comedy would never survive today's climate, I think there's plenty of great comedy still to be had.

Plenty of old British sitcoms could *never* be made in today's environment! Are You Being Served? Benny Hill?

Lliam · Accepted Answer

It has gotten really tough to be a comedian.

It used to be conservatives who got butt hurt over politically incorrect humor. Think of Lenny Bruce, for example. And the very popular Smothers Brothers show got canceled because of political incorrectness.

But then PC became a liberal thing. Some liberals LIVE to be offended; to display their self righteous, morally outraged wokeness.

So now the combination of both liberal and conservative dogmatism have REALLY hurt comedy. Unfortunately it's liberals who are the biggest ass holes today. They are more socially conservative than conservatives. They can laugh at mean as shit jokes aimed at Republicans or conservatives, but get totally offended if the shoe is on the other foot. And they attempt to cancel anything that THEY find offensive.

Mel Brooks has said that he wouldn't have been able to make Blazing Saddles in today's climate. People wouldn't understand that the movie's jokes about blacks, rednecks and gays were actually lampoons that helped to illustrate how absurd those attitudes were.

Could Cheech and Chong get away with drug humor these days?

The Three Stooges would have been cancelled for being violent.

Sex is censored more today than it was 60 years ago.

Liberals, in particular, think everyone needs to be "protected". They're not okay with letting people decide for themselves. They love authoritarianism.

Some comedy is designed to poke fun at people. Even comics who get laughs by portraying buffoons are characterizing stereotypically stupid behavior. You laughed at Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers movies because they were making fun of people that you could relate to.

Some of the best comedy is designed to be shocking. When somebody says something so wrong that you choke on your drink when you hear it, it's funny af. I think of Andrew Dice Clay's ultra-misogynist persona. Everyone knew that his stage character was the biggest ass hole in the world and even women laughed. But it was similar to Blazing Saddles in that it poked fun at people who had similar attitudes as the character. In that sense, comedy can be educational and help to shine a light on bad attitudes and behaviors.

I've come to loathe comic late night TV hosts and liberal Hollywood, but I oppose attempts to censor them. Instead, what I want is an end to the political monopoly. I want an end to censorship and cancel culture. Comics make it if people think they're funny. That should be the only necessary censorship.

Let the religious conservatives and liberal snowflakes run to their safe spaces and hide from words that hurt their feelings. When they cry, I laugh. It's a healthy society when fuck heads like that are offended. And, by the way, there is always somebody who is going to be offended by something. To them I say, stay home and STFU.

Msputiton · Accepted Answer

This is kind of off topic, but your question made me think about this.

You even noticed that the biggest snowflakes are the people who go out there way to be offensive?

They get all worked up because someone calls them out for being offensive and begin complaining about how sensitive people are for not liking their rudeness or purposely offensive jokes.

They go on major rants about how America is being ruined because people no longer sitback and let them be rude.

Pretty ironic isn't it.

No difference. Someone says something about a rude behavior, to someone refusing to stop being rude.

Both people get upset and finds someone who thinks like them and complain about how unfair it is, instead of coming together to work out their differences.

But rude, dark and offensive jokes can be funny, but i really don't think it takes much effort or skill to make people laugh by embarrassing others.

Maybe it will make comedians up their game and learn how to actually be funny, and not take the easy lazy way out.

Femphile_xoxo · Accepted Answer

Sure, there are some people who take umbrage about everything. But that's how it's always been.

Whenever people complain about comedy being dead, they're not talking about those people. They're talking about being called out for making degrading jokes. There's a pretty obvious line between degrading "jokes" and funny jokes.

Look at people like John Mulaney, Russell Howard, or Michelle Wolf. They can make jokes that poke fun at people but they're not doing it in such a degrading way that people need to call them out. Or look at Trevor Noah's performance at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, he was totally making fun of people to their faces but he wasn't saying it in such a way that it was rude.

Comedy is far from dead. Discriminated groups are just sick of being insulted and having it disguised as humor.

jshm2 · Answer

No.

Shitty jokes and jokers are out, is all.

Which is a good thing, as nowadays every dipshit, class clown was thinking they were "a comedian". When in fact the art of comedy, and the profession, are sacrosanct. Something mastered over time and distilled over various audiences.

To think toe rags who just string together cusses and mean insults, then try and compare themselves to The Greats of comedy; is something that makes me see red.

The old adage of "if your audience didn't laugh, it wasn't a joke" seems to be something you've yet to learn. Also, are you really that simple minded to think comedy sets aren't passed through lawyers and editors before being performed?

genericname85 · Answer

well you can make offensive jokes. but will smith demonstrated what our current society thinks is ok as a reaction. if you feel hurt by words, you're suddenly somehow legitimated to physically assault people... society is going to shit. you see it everywhere. look at the senile demented president. look at the state of hollywood. look at the economics (having printed 80% of all money in existence in the last 2 years)... look at the legal system and what a fucking joke this farce of a shitshow is that only aims at convincing an idiotic jury.

normalice · Answer

You're allowed to make jokes that offend people. Unfunny right wingers just say you can't because no one will laugh at their jokes; so they have to say its cancel culture or whatever that's the reason instead of because they are shitty unfunny writers.

Smoke-n-Growls · Answer

No, it just means you've never had good material if you can't tell your jokes.

Good jokes still exist, there's amazing jokes about being gay - look at B99's handling of Holt and Kevin's speed-marriage - but there's no humour in homophobia.

If your jokes offend, they weren't jokes. They were insults you tried to hide in humour.

ChrisMaster69 · Answer

Humour when it’s aimed at parts of the population, society, etc is only really funny if both sides of the joke get it and laugh.

Situational humour where the comedian is from the butt of the joke (Liverpool, black, Jewish, chav, gay, lesbian etc) often works well, however it does not when they are not.

It’s very easy to do offensive humour, it’s harder to do offensive humour that is funny to both sides.

Anonymous · Answer

Okay, well here are some offensive jokes that I know. I might get in trouble for this, but... oh well.
Q. How many police officers does it take to change a light bulb?
A. The question is irrelevant, because they just draw their guns and shoot the room for being black.
Q. What's the difference between a pizza and a Jew?
A. A pizza doesn't scream when you put it in the oven.
Q. How many feminists does it take to change a light-bulb?
A. They don't even bother, because if they fixed the light then everyone would be able to see how hideously ugly they are.
Maybe I'll post this anonymously :)

ShadezMcgee · Answer

Comedy has definitely stymied during recent years due to sensitive individuals. Would be amazing to see George Carlin alive doing comedy based on today because he called it in one of his earlier specials and I think it was "It's All Bullshit and It's Bad For Ya"

Thankfully we got Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr and a couple other guys willing to push and test boundaries.

noless10in · Answer

As a comedian myself I have embraced this woke everyone's offended culture to ramp up my jokes and piss off and offend as many as I can. If they don't like what I say then don't buy the tickets because there are ten more in line that have a sense of humor waiting to buy them. And for heaven sakes whatever you do please please please "cancel me" because that is the absolute best advertising you can get without costing a nickel.

TheorionMage · Answer

'WHY" does 'comedy have to be derogatory to BE cynically humorous
to make the audience feel 'superior' or 'privileged' to the Subject being belittled/bullied
to assuage the AUDIENCE'S insecurities?
(Implied is: "Sure glad that ISN'T me/us! ) :'(

Instead think of Benny Hill, Red Skeleton and Danny Kaye~

MCheetah · Answer

It's not dead. Guys like Dave Chappelle and Bill Burr are keeping it alive. Hell, even left-wing hacks like Bill Maher. Will Smith wishes comedy was dead, though.

LemonsAsks · Answer

i think if you tell about the situation your in before hand it would be ok.
ex. "your family member is dying of cancer but you both find it funny and make jokes together." and then you proceed to tell the joke...
you might still be an ashole but thats your situation. you had to of been emotionally damaged by somepoint. so i think that diludes the toxicness of an comedic angle.

but as always delivery and knowing your audiance.

Anonymous · Answer

This post offends me somehow. Give me a second I will think of a reason.

*cue jeopardy music*

Ohhh. I got it, you mentioned comedy being dead and that is post-mortem phobic. Since actual dead things have to suffer the pain of dying it’s wrong to make light of it by calling something that was never alive “dead”.
Similar to using “gay” to mean something lame.

You are a horrible person.
I am calling the cancel culture hotline and going to destroy your entire existence because I don’t agree with something you said. How dare you have a job, social life, freedom, and happiness when something you said made me mildly uncomfortable.

You bastard.

jinia19692019 · Answer

In this day and age comedy is even critized, no one can make a joke without someone having their feelings triggered.

There needs to be some sanity left, yet the world has gone crazy with PC

I liked to watch Johnny Carson, many of his guests would be critized.

Not dead just sort of in ICU

TylerKuykendall · Answer

You think telling a joke nowadays is risky? Lord forbid if you tell someone who you voted for in 2020, or what you think of the Roe v Wade thing.

The more mad someone gets at mere jokes, the more likely they are to be intolerant of people with beliefs that conflict theirs.

Hispanic-Cool-Guy · Answer

In a way yes. Very funny comedy is about taking life situations, individuals, politics, relationships, sex, religion etc and turning it into humor.

In today's world people are extremely sensitive to words and can't take a joke or enjoy laughing which ruins it for everyone else.

Futureboy · Answer

Comedy is not dead but you have to know your limits. Plus I agree that people of power get offended easily. You have to balance it with legitement reason to make fun versus simply making fun or uaing hate speech.

ZackBan · Answer

It's become a constant struggle between the sane and the neo-liberals. But the sane are holding on  We still have names in the industry.  I fear for the future though once these guys drop the mic.

purplepoppy · Answer

It's nothing to do with being sensitive. The reality is many so called jokes are designed to dehumanise people and encourage discrimination.

RolandCuthbert · Answer

What the fuck is going on in this forum?

HiramLodge · Answer

YES!!! Biden’s administration has made gas prices go UP ⬆️ And comedy go DOWN ⬇️ Democrats want all fun to be illegal!!! Or go to jail for mosgendering 😂😂😂

UniquelyBasic · Answer

I wouldn't say comedy is dead but people do get offended easily over anything today.

FunkyMonkee · Answer

Yeah, pretty much but, thankfully, there are still comedians who don't give a fuck!

TheSpaceGnome · Answer

No, comedy was never born for the few people each generation who get offended by everything, the rest of us still laugh at crude and witty jokes, and poke fun at things.

Zealconsumesme · Answer

Debatably, N*ggers and Kites will always cry, doesn't matter though they hate us enough to crack jokes behind our backs, I'll so the same and that's where the real laughs oughta be.

EnglishEuropean · Answer

Not dead yet but it's an endangered species. "Cancel culture" needs to be cancelled. What happened to us? We used to be able to laugh at ourselves and each other.

lamaguy · Answer

Seems too easy to offend with jokes I feel like it needs to be more relaxed. Like some actually bad things okay but not everything

Anonymous · Answer

Yeah, pretty much. We watch old TV shows from the 90s and they're hilarious, but most of that humor wouldn't fly these days.

slatyb · Answer

No, comedy is not dead. It's possible to be funny without demeaning some group.

hi_it_is_me123 · Answer

It is only dead for people who think making fun of invidual people or calling people names is joking.

BeMuse · Answer

Nope just make the jokes, and then make fun of the people that get offended.

zyxacb · Answer

^ This was in 2015. Imagine if anyone did this today.

cth96190 · Answer

Leftards are joyless haters who are incapable of appreciating humour.

AdithyaR · Answer

Nope, just means you weren't as funny as you thought you were. If i can still crack jokes without being a jerk and make people laugh, you can too.

Chthou95 · Answer

For sure. Society is very pussified. Everyone gets offended over eveything. Comedy doesn't have to be politcally correct or woke. You have the right to be offended but people have the right to offend

worldscolide · Answer

Pretty much. It's sad really.. The woke mob is basically a 3 year old throwing a temper tantrum.

exitseven · Answer

people can still be funny. Just not everyone will get it.

Jamie05rhs · Answer

Did you write this question before last night's incident or after? Because if you did it before, then that was truly prophetic!

Anonymous · Answer

Jokes are only offensive when you punch down when making fun of people. Always punch up. Joke about those above you not below you.

penteractgaming · Answer

If being unable to be an atrocious asshole kills your comedy career, it deserved to be.

OddBeMe · Answer

Seems like it’s still around. But women don’t have to give blowjobs to get in stage at the comedy clubs.

007kingifrit · Answer

only if you fear the left. if you don't then you can do whatever you want

driven159 · Answer

you don't have to offend someone to be funny like a lot of George Carlin

Jltakk · Answer

When Norm MacDonald had to apologize to THE VIEW for hurting their feefees, I just knew people weren't allowed to think a certain way.

JesseJayNeak · Answer

I don’t care about offending people. Heck, if they get offended then I’m doing a good job

Anonymous · Answer

It’s definitely harder for them with so many sensitive people these days

Djaay · Answer

No... they're the subject of all the better jokes today.

Creampiekarl420 · Answer

Tell that to joe rogan , bill burr, Anthony jesilnik, Daniel Tosh, Dave Chappelle, and Louis CK 😂

ALewis30 · Answer

I hope not. The world needs laughter. More now than ever.

Anonymous · Answer

No, its not dead as long as comics stand up to the woke bullshit.

Anonymous · Answer

Everything is dead. Art is dead tv is dead music is dead.

ElizaPam · Answer

No now comedians have to actually write jokes

Citizenkirk · Answer

Offending people is what makes comedy so funny 🤣

Yucy_Gluttony · Answer

NAH, don't wanna hear it? DONT BE LISTENIN!

lofii · Answer

Liberalism ruined everything

YourToy69 · Answer

Hail to George Carlin!!!

BLP11520 · Answer

Not dead but on life support..

TX651 · Answer

Sounds like it to me.

Anonymous · Answer

Pretty much

Taiga_Aisaka · Answer

so true

UpdateGloomyNights_ · Answer

Of course

Is comedy dead since we can't make jokes without offending people anymore?

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

Should comedy have limits, or should anything be allowed in jokes?

Is comedy dead since we can't make jokes without offending people anymore?

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

Should comedy have limits, or should anything be allowed in jokes?

We're glad to see you liked this post.