Sick jokes

[anotheoldgit]

http://tinyurl.com/4ul8r2g

Why is it that some people find sick jokes funny, yet find racist jokes unacceptable?

[NoMercy]

Sick jokes are sick (depending on your mindset) and racist jokes are discriminatory. Personally, I'm offended by either.

[boxtops]

It is an unfortunate trait in some people that a bad/sick joke about a dreadful event helps to lighten the situation (they think), and make it less ghastly in their minds. Defence against reality?

[Uberloitenment]

Many people are frightened of being called racist. There is no equivalent name-calling for people who laugh at sick jokes, at least not with the same cultural power as 'You are a racist!'

[NazNomad]

There is no such thing as a sick or racist joke ... just people's perception of such ;-)

Kinda ...

[boxtops]

There's bad timing, too.... the jokes coming out straight after the tsunami last week were really badly timed, when people were still dying.

[ummmm]

I listen to Frankie Boyle....he's hilarious.

I laugh at sick jokes, I also laugh at racist jokes...but only if they are funny.

[starone]

Frankie Boyle et al allow a certain amount of time to elapse before they do anything specific. They want a laugh not a loud groan out of their adience. Even when some time has gone by they sometimes get that groan and they then say too soon? too soon? However, on a personal note I do not laugh at sick or racist jokes mainly because I do not find them funny.

[daftgrandad]

I often wonder if the people who laugh at sick jokes,would still find it funny,if Frankie Boyle came round to their house,after the funeral,to crack a few jokes,about their
dead relative.

[Bobbisox]

dg, I agree

[starone]

That's the point, daftgrandad, he wouldn't - a large amount of time has to pass before they start doing it. I'm not saying he won't do it in the future, just not right away.
Adience in previous post, should have been audience.

[woofgang]

I think the dividing line is "laugh at" or "laugh with" so if a veteran wants to make jokes about injured veterans then okay...and you should hear what people with disabilities joke about....but for outsiders or professional comedians to do it is not on IMO

[joeluke]

People don't laugh at racist jokes because political correctness deems they shouldn't

[NazNomad]

"do you ever listen to frankie boyle naz nomad?"

No, but I am 'aware' of his material, and I repeat ... if you perceive it as sick or racist, it will be.

[Bobbisox]

hi jl, too true
you dare not print anything in case it is misconstrued, joke or otherwise

[sp1814]

joeluke

Alternatively, you could argue that people don't laugh at racist jokes because there's fewer w@nkers than there was in the 70s.

[ummmm]

It's like when FB joked about cancer. I still laughed. My Dad died of cancer but that didn't change the fact that the joke was funny.

Gingers are the butt of loads of comedians jokes. Not once have I seen my OH offended.

[joeluke]

sp.......I'm sure there are just as many now as there was in the 70's

It's hardly a pastime that will ever go out of fashion

[The-HouseHusband]

Probably for the same reason that some people laugh at racist jokes yet find "sick" jokes unacceptable.

It is purely how one perceives the joke, how many times are comments on here taken out of context leading to all night slagging matches because someone mistook the tone of writing??

Either laugh or ignore, you do have a choice in our free(ish) country