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July 16, 2008

Comments

Adam

"One member of the South Park generation points out that kids today don't understand the concept 'too offensive to be funny.' "

In some cases, yes, but in some sense appreciating the humor of South Park relies on understanding the concept of "too offensive to be funny", and consciously rejecting it.

Shows like South Park (or more obscure, even more extreme humor like "Wonder Showzen" or "The Aristocrats" or some of the stuff on Adult Swim) push the boundaries of what can be considered humor, and often rely on shock value to deliver the humor. When done well (by some interpretation) they're consciously holding up a mirror to our social taboos and making us laugh at our hang-ups. As with all satire, context is very important. It's the awareness of the idea of "too offensive to be funny" that makes those things funny, if that makes any sense.

That ape joke McCain told, on the other hand, relies on a LACK of awareness. McCain wasn't basing that joke on the idea of, "let's laugh at our societal hangups about bestiality and violence toward women". Rather, it was, "haha, women secretly want to have sex with big brutish animals, even if it means getting slapped around a little". It's not a particularly enlightened thought.

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Indeed it was bad joke!

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