h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The first time I came upon this kind of humour was an attack upon William Shatner. Being a bit of a fan, especially of the films, I found the merciless assaults captain Kirk, hilarious. I was also lucky to see the roast of Charlie Sheen, which apparently had a sobering effect upon him as he didn't realize people saw him as a drunken, drug addled lech (I would have offered him my glasses but it was a bit late).

Then looking up the roast of Bob Hope, I discovered it had been going on for years in America and the Dean Martin version of it, introduced me to Don Rickles, The King of Insults, who spared no-one and was hilarious in my opinion (Political Correctness had not reared its ugly head at this time, frightening people into silence, even though Don Rickles incorporated that fear of a violent backlash in his act "Is he laughing or coming towards me with a knife?"). Has anyone else come across this on You Tube? For me it was a much needed pick-me-up as we had to put down one of our dogs a few weeks ago, so I was naturally about low.

Comics have to have a thick skin. Otherwise they would get depressed by hostile or apathetic audiences. So it's natural for them to be on the receiving end of roast humor.

The wives of comics have to put up with a lot. Henny Youngman's classic quip "Take my wife...please! is an example. Another example is Phyllis Diller's nickname "Fang" for her husband. Rodney Dangerfield had a quip about his wife who wanted him to take out the garbage: "You cooked it. You take it out."

Why do you (and others) say that Political Correctness has an ugly head? As I understand it, "Political Correctness" is a derogatory term for the simple practice of calling people by their preferred name.

[ from controversy]

...many people resent efforts to stimulate their inhibitions...

I treat my inhibitions with tender loving care.

So do I.

I must admit I am given to monumental temper tantrums if my inhibitions are ignored or abused.

What can the rest of us do to sooth you back to equanimity?

Nought to worry about.

Noise levels increase in proportion to importance of the argument as an aid to comprehension in good Italianate fashion.

When I think of Italianate fashion, I think of narrow-waisted men's suits, which I would never be comfortable in. Maybe that;'s because I enjoy almond cream cakes and Mascarpone cakes too much.

When I was in Italy, I got the impression that the guys who could fit into the tight suits were all young. A few thousand meals of pasta and tiramisu gave you flesh around the neck and a belly well before you turned fifty. So, enjoy La Dolce Vita, and forget high fashion.

PaulH, sounds like you've eaten too many 'Sunday' roasts and icecream 'sundaes,'the rest of the week!

Very few of the former, and almost none of the latter. I count carb calories these days. You're not supposed to eat more than 100 grams of carbohydrates in one sitting. One gram equals five calories, so that works out to 500 calories. All the coffee shops I go to list the calories for their cookies and other sweets, so I am for 250 calories r below.

Keeping the weight off is really about math, math, math.

Or learning to enjoy feeling hungry?

Maybe that's possible in some other universe, but not in this one.