So, Jimmy Carr;

[Gwaredd]

[McSwede]

I guess this falls under the category of if you have to explain it, it's not funny umbrella.

I got it, thought it was near the bone but funny, never once thought it was mocking the holocaust and thought it was quite clever in that 1, everyone hates gypsies but never says it and 2, did bring to my attention to read about other ethnic groups that were killed by the Nazis that I was neither taught, nor aware of.

Same here. Watched it, enjoyed it and thought no more of it.

[Gwaredd]

I Don't think you're allowed that opinion anymore mate.

[McSwede]

I Don't think you're allowed that opinion anymore mate.

[ZedLeg]

These kinds of threads are always funny because you can tell the people who don’t like to think they might have shitty opinions like “everyone hates gypsies” by how quickly they rush out to defend the shitty joke.

Just because you happen to agree with the prejudice doesn’t mean that the joke is fine.

[Gwaredd]

I disagree. That's what makes comedy so diverse and fanfuckingtastic.

[ZedLeg]

Interesting take that a rich white guy punching down at a maligned minority is what makes comedy diverse.

[Gwaredd]

You can read into it however you see fit.

I thought it was a clever bit of comedy. You didn't. Move on.

[Jimmy Choo]

Funny how this came up a month after release.

[ZedLeg]

I think the consensus is that people who would’ve had an issue with the joke probably didn’t rush to watch it as you would expect something like that from a Jimmy Carr show. It wasn’t until the tweet I posted started going viral a few days ago that it got attention.

Like, I realise that nothing will probably change and I’m preaching to the wrong audience here anyway. There is a conversation so be had about how all discourse over comedy and diversity seems to centre on big comedians who are comfortable in their privilege being able to say whatever they want with no consequences.

[Rich B]

What consequences should there be?

[Jimmy Choo]

I think the consensus is that people who would’ve had an issue with the joke probably didn’t rush to watch it as you would expect something like that from a Jimmy Carr show. It wasn’t until the tweet I posted started going viral a few days ago that it got attention.

Like, I realise that nothing will probably change and I’m preaching to the wrong audience here anyway. There is a conversation so be had about how all discourse over comedy and diversity seems to centre on big comedians who are comfortable in their privilege being able to say whatever they want with no consequences.

I agree that there should be a conversation but society doesn't seem to want that. They want witch hunts and confirmation bias and not being challenged in their thinking.

I took the joke at a level deeper than "gypsy = bad" and had been pondering it for a while. All my interactions with Gypsies have been unpleasant but clearly genocide is not something that should ever happen. I'm fairly certain Carr wasn't endorsing genocide but playing on people's stereotypes and prejudices but your opinion may vary.

[Jimmy Choo]

What consequences should there be?

For genocide? 10 years to life, potentially the death penalty depending on where the trial is held.

[ZedLeg]

What consequences should there be?

Maybe consequences is the wrong word, I’m not suggesting they should go to jail or anything.

Just tired of any criticism of folk like Carr, Joe Rogan, Dave Chappelle etc being shouted down as cancel culture or some bullshit. These guys are about as far from being cancelled as it’s possible to be.

[nuttinnew]

Zed, you're in danger of becoming that which you despise.

[Gwaredd]

Yes, in the same vein that we all joke that middle lane hoggers should be burned at the stake. Its just an over elaborate way of expressing our feelings for a certain type of individual. A joke. If a World leader took it upon themselves to burn millions of middle lane hoggers at the stake, we would obviously be outraged.

Well, most of us would.

[ZedLeg]

Zed, you're in danger of becoming that which you despise.

How so?

[Swervin_Mervin]

Has genocide ever been funny?

This is where we get into the whole target/subject of the joke context.

As for whether it's funny - well if someone laughs then yes, by definition it must have been funny to someone.

[Gavster]

When you break down the components of the joke, he is quite close to it being a good joke, because he's nearly mocking the stereotypical negative judgments made about that particular ethinc group, rather than the ethnic group themselves. However, he misses the mark IMO and it falls on the wrong side of the fence and therefore could be seen as perpetuating prejudices. Ricky Gervais is a good example of someone who is generally very good at mocking people, without victimising them.

[DeskJockey]

Yes, in the same vein that we all joke that middle lane hoggers should be burned at the stake. Its just an over elaborate way of expressing our feelings for a certain type of individual. A joke. If a World leader took it upon themselves to burn millions of middle lane hoggers at the stake, we would obviously be outraged.

Well, most of us would.

The two are not comparable because the middle-lane hogger can be anyone and they're not a defined group that has been the victims of hate, violence, discrimination and murder for hundreds of years. While I'm not sure joking about them being burned at the stake for failing to drive properly is funny, the point is that it never happened, unlike the Holocaust.

From the perspective of someone who would not be here today had Hitler won the war or had it gone on for longer, the cancel culture/I don't see a problem comments smack very much of majority, no-stake-in-the-issue views, effectively telling the victims, their families and descendants that they should just accept being the butt of a joke. That he's supposedly said worse before is not an excuse or justification.