Humour, is it wrong?
Created | Updated Apr 19, 2002
I have recently been looking around h2g2 (killing time between lectures). In one very fruitful search I found the forum for the article about 'people leaving NZ and moving to Oz increases the IQ of both countries' (I would link it here BUT I have no idea how to). This one forum has made me think..... do I offend too many people? I like to think that I only offend those most deserving.... ie the stupid. What if, as was the case in that forum, one person takes a harmless joke wrongly? How harmless is a joke? Everyone laughs at blonde jokes, even some blondes (ie the non-natural ones, the rest don't get them). What if secretly blondes were really hurt by being the constant butt of jokes? How much damage does a non PC joke do? I hate PC, it prevents you from telling any funny jokes but funny jokes always (well nearly) have a butt to them. I think the lesson to be learned from that forum is to RELAX, stop taking life seriously, I try to (except where politics is concerned but at the moment in England even that is a joke). I think everyone should laugh at jokes, even ones about themselves. Here are two to get the ball rolling:
How do you know a woman is about to say something clever? She begins by saying 'A man once told me...'!
What is a man's idea of foreplay? Half an hour of begging!
Both offensive, but I laugh at both (apologies to those with a sense of humour for the crap jokes).
It is only the really offensive jokes ie. gaybashing, p**i jokes etc that should be complained against. Anti American jokes are funny, as are all jokes about other countries. Everyone has them and they are harmless. Every time I tell an Irish joke I am not purposefully insulting the Irish! I tell Irish jokes in the presence of those most likely to be offended! In the end it becomes an offensive joke swapping session! Harmless fun..... It is only when it gets out of hand that is a problem and it only gets out of hand when people who are too easily offended decide to take offence. In answer to my rambling entry/question, I think that care needs to be taken when making jokes but, as with anything on h2g2, it should not become too serious. This is a fantastic fun place to be, jokes make things funny, would it still be as much fun without any of the jokes which someone might take offence to?
How do you know a woman is about to say something clever? She begins by saying 'A man once told me...'!
What is a man's idea of foreplay? Half an hour of begging!
Both offensive, but I laugh at both (apologies to those with a sense of humour for the crap jokes).
It is only the really offensive jokes ie. gaybashing, p**i jokes etc that should be complained against. Anti American jokes are funny, as are all jokes about other countries. Everyone has them and they are harmless. Every time I tell an Irish joke I am not purposefully insulting the Irish! I tell Irish jokes in the presence of those most likely to be offended! In the end it becomes an offensive joke swapping session! Harmless fun..... It is only when it gets out of hand that is a problem and it only gets out of hand when people who are too easily offended decide to take offence. In answer to my rambling entry/question, I think that care needs to be taken when making jokes but, as with anything on h2g2, it should not become too serious. This is a fantastic fun place to be, jokes make things funny, would it still be as much fun without any of the jokes which someone might take offence to?
