Some people, especially among the professional comedian crowd, see no boundaries on what is fair game to joke about. Others are strictly hard-line, and will vociferously call out when the line, in their view at least, has been crossed. Your diarist this evening is somewhere in the middle.
Offensive humor is subjective. Context matters.
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I borrowed the theme for this diary, "Can we be funny?" from Lorne Michaels, creator and executive producer of Saturday Night Live. He spoke those words on September 29, 2001, 18 days after what we now know as 9/11. Surrounded on stage by New York firefighters and police officers, and after opening remarks by then-mayor Rudy Giuliani, Michaels asked that question. Giuliani responded, "Why start now?", a jab at SNL's on-again/off-again ability to actually be funny.
Yes, of course you can. And you should. The show must go on.
In the aftermath of the horror show that was 9/11, the civilized world needed to get itself together, and remember that life does indeed go on. Mourning and grief are part of the human experience, but so is humor. All of the New York-based shows came back after the tragedy and, acknowledging what had just happened, carried on doing what they do. SNL, Letterman, Stewart, even Regis.
Just keep everything in the proper context.
One of those who didn't, who intentionally crossed the line, is Gilbert Gottfried. In fact, he's crossed the line several times over the years. A couple of years ago, he was fired from his job voicing the Aflac duck, after offensive tweets about the Japanese tsunami. As a comedian, the argument goes, it's his job, if not his duty, to press the boundaries. But making jokes about people who have lost everything, up to and including their lives or their loved ones, goes way beyond that.
The Friar's Club had planned a roast of Hugh Hefner to be taped in New York, a few weeks after September 11, 2001. After the attack, they decided to go ahead with the taping. Gilbert was among those roasting Hef, and he started down the path of 9/11 jokes. In New York. Right after 9/11. Some in attendance shouted out "too soon"; overall the reaction was clearly against him. So Gilbert quickly abandoned what he was doing, and instead launched into a rendition of "The Aristocrats".
Now, if you're going to discuss offensive humor, you can't go very far without discovering The Aristocrats. Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza made a documentary with that title in 2005, exploring the joke of the same name. In case you don't know the premise, the joke is one that circulates among comedians, often told in small gatherings late at night, after the comedy clubs have closed for the night. The setup and punchline follow a very specific theme: "A man walks into a talent agent's office", and ending with "What do they call that act?" "The Aristocrats!". The art of the joke is that the middle section is a description of some fictitious act, and the joke performer makes it as violent, obscene, disgusting, and taboo as he or she dares to go. Completely free-style, with no boundaries.
The film explores, in detail, various renditions of The Aristocrats joke, and discusses what the comedians get out of it. A who's who of comedy, old and new, appears in the film. Including, of course, Gilbert Gottfried, who is featured throughout. To complete the circle, the film discusses his appearance at that Hugh Hefner roast. The 9/11 beginning of his routine is described, but not shown. But the film does include much of his particularly filthy telling of The Aristocrats. The comedians in the crowd, who knew what Gilbert was doing, loved it. Hef, for his part, looked uncomfortable. I got the distinct impression that he was thinking he'd rather be somewhere else at that moment. A number of comedians who were in the room that night say, in the film, that everyone was looking for a comic relief, or in other words, can we be funny? By those same accounts, Gilbert was a huge hit once he gave up trying the 9/11 meme and just went filthy.
As David Steinberg remarks in the movie, The Aristocrats in the hands of Gilbert Gottfried is "a Picasso".
The Aristocrats, when performed as it is designed to be (in small private gatherings, not on stage), is unquestionably offensive. But it works, because it is intentionally so. My partner and I saw the film when it first came out, in a theater in Atlanta. There were plenty of audience walk-outs as the film progressed. We laughed uproariously, and later bought the DVD. That material is just too much for some people. I get that. Nevertheless, I (and many others) found it to be very funny.
Rape is a common theme that appears throughout the film, in various tellings of The Aristocrats. In fact, it's a staple of the joke. Now, rape is inherently not funny, and some hard-liners will say that you can't go anywhere near that subject, period, end of discussion. For some, though, the film gets away with using rape as a source of humor, within the circumstance that it's presented. Nobody advocates for it, nobody says it's something that should happen; but there it is wrapped up in the context of things that are obscene, yet presented as if totally normal, like a circus performance (as it is often depicted). The humor is in the juxtaposition of something so outrageous, so deliberately way over the top, with everyday life. Not everyone agrees, of course.
Contrast this with a performance by Daniel Tosh, doing standup, addressing a female heckler:
Wouldn't it be funny if that girl got raped by, like, five guys right now? Like right now?
No, that wouldn't be funny. Tosh crossed a line with that one, and a shit storm erupted over it. Defenders and detractors took the positions that you would expect. One of several articles on
The Daily Beast said:
That's not a joke. It's an invitation. It's a celebration of a violent crime, which is itself another violation.
How about HIV/AIDS, can you make fun of that? No, but you can probe for humor in situations around it. The movie
Jeffrey does this. It's "about" AIDS, in the sense that the movie would not exist without that disease. The reality of AIDS, and living with it or in fear of it, are at the core of the movie. From the
Wiki:
Jeffrey is a 1995 American gay romantic comedy directed by Christopher Ashley. It is based on a play depicting the life and times of Richard Jeffrey by Paul Rudnick, who also wrote the screenplay.
Starring Steven Weber as Jeffrey and Michael T. Weiss as Steve, the movie features cameos by Olympia Dukakis, Victor Garber, Gregory Jbara, Robert Klein, Nathan Lane, Camryn Manheim, Kathy Najimy, Kevin Nealon, Ethan Phillips, and Sigourney Weaver. Christine Baranski has a small but memorable role as the socialite hostess of a fundraiser that (in Jeffrey's imagination) turns into a cater-waiter hoedown orgy. The film co-stars Patrick Stewart as Sterling, an older gay decorator whose partner, Darius, dies of AIDS complications.
The movie opens with Jeffrey, a gay man, proclaiming "I love sex". A series of vignettes follows, in which he navigates the intricacies of safe sex in the era of AIDS. Jeffrey makes a decision to give up sex completely. Of course, no sooner does he proclaim that, than he meets the man of his dreams at the gym. Steve wants Jeffrey. Jeffrey wants Steve. But Steve doesn't understand Jeffrey's reluctance to get involved.
As it happens, Steve is HIV-positive. This makes things even more complicated for Jeffrey, who is deeply attracted, but pushes Steve away. Steve shows his frustrations at being stood up for a date, being shunned for a kiss, wanting simple human interactions that his disease makes difficult or impossible. Jeffrey behaves like an ass, gradually pushing away his friends as well, even planning to move away from New York, back home to Wisconsin.
One of Jeffrey's friends, Sterling, is the very image of the gay designer and dispenser of style. Played as a very over the top stereotypical queen by Patrick Stewart, Sterling has a younger boyfriend, Darius, who is a Broadway chorus dancer, and also HIV-positive. Later in the film, Darius dies of complications. After Jeffrey has been away from his friends for some time, he has a dramatic confrontation with Sterling, who is coming to grips with the death:
Sterling: You're not part of this. This has nothing to do with you. You know, Darius once said that you were the saddest person he ever knew.
Jeffrey: Why did he say that?
Sterling: Because he was sick. Because he had a fatal disease. And he was one million times happier than you.
Darius then appears to Jeffrey in gleaming white, immaculately groomed, and at peace, as a vision from beyond:
Darius: Jeffrey, I'm dead. You're not.
Jeffrey: I know that.
Darius: You do? Prove it.
Jeffrey: What do you mean?
Darius: Go dancing! Hate AIDS, Jeffrey, not life.
In the end, Jeffrey does follow the advice from Darius. He calls Steve to arrange a date, and they end up happily together. Safely, of course.
That doesn't sound like a comedy, does it? The movie does have to go to the serious matters, considering the background upon which it is built. But yes, it is a funny movie outside those moments, and it does successfully incorporate humor along with the disease, fear, awkward relationships, and even death.
Many of the funny scenes (and there are many) involve fantasies, breaking the fourth wall (talking to the camera), and the idea of getting into self-help groups.
Soon after we meet Sterling, there is a fantasy game show sequence "It's Just Sex" with three gay male contestants: Sterling, Jeffrey, and a waiter from The Cafe at Barney's New York. The host, played by Robert Klein, explains that for each question, the most stylish reply wins. He then asks "Who is your favorite sexual fantasy?" Sterling's winning answer: "Yoko Ono". Everyone looks at him in disbelief. Sterling rolls his eyes and states the obvious: "To see the apartment!". The stereotype is played, but played very well.
Jeffrey goes to one of those self-esteem seminars, where Sigourney Weaver plays the shallow self-absorbed guru of the moment. Jeffrey wants some advice on being able to cope with an HIV-positive potential lover. She offers nothing but platitudes, in a very funny send-up of that kind of thing that people spend money on to get nothing in return. And Kathy Najimy has a funny bit as one of the guru's adoring fans.
Another sequence finds Jeffrey on a phone call with his parents, bordering on phone sex as they quiz him on how he is coping with the new "no sex" rule. They have encouraging advice on masturbation, and "that new Jeff Stryker film". Funny and a little bit creepy rolled up together.
Nathan Lane plays a very horny Catholic priest who tries to seduce Jeffrey in a nearly empty cathedral. In private chambers, the priest explains that God is present through Broadway, offering up an LP record of Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews in My Fair Lady. The perfect role for Nathan Lane, even as brief as it is.
The movie Jeffrey injects humor into a serious situation, but without being offensive. It works. Gilbert Gottfried goes full on offensive in The Aristocrats, and it works. He offensively jokes about a tsunami that cost real lives, and it doesn't work (nor does he, as a consequence).
Can we be funny? Yes we can, in the right context.
TOP MOJO
April 15, 2014
(excluding Tip Jars and first comments)
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1) Britt Hume is nasty little prick. by TomP — 195
2) or deny the existence of their own country by Sherri in TX — 159
3) Whitesplainers really, really do not by chicago minx — 135
4) real patriots don't steal from the public by annieli — 125
5) Stating reality by Publius2008 — 107
6) Not only are these people misogynistic, racist, by stellaluna — 106
7) He likes to call it his land by draghnfly — 103
8) Yes Britt, it's true by litigatormom — 94
9) this sound familiar to anyone? by mallyroyal — 90
10) Miller's a terrorist by terrypinder — 90
11) that a-hole in Kansas City used race as a sword by annieli — 90
12) An all popcorn diet is not entirely healthy. by westyny — 89
13) The families that used to own newspapers by Puddytat — 86
14) how this country has not changed very much by annieli — 82
15) HOW DARE YOU STATE REALITY! by MinistryOfTruth — 80
16) It's a big tent. by Bob Love — 79
17) abusive men using women as shields? I'm shocked... by Statusquomustgo — 74
18) Stolen from another commentor at another site by xxdr zombiexx — 73
19) Yes. There is no one else. by Mr MadAsHell — 70
20) But, hey, the rich, just like you and I, are... by Meteor Blades — 68
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22) Did he mean to say that out loud? by Yoshimi — 65
23) The new newspaper motto, right under the banner: by Bob Johnson — 62
24) I'm wondering what % of their coverage on Fox by MinistryOfTruth — 62
25) They had no problem bludgeoning Occupy by Bluehawk — 62
26) When the "leaders' of the party opened with by The grouch — 61
27) I remember my school days by rbird — 59
28) Racists are victims, too! by Bob Johnson — 57
29) No Britt...the GOP isn't racist...there's just a by skillet — 57
30) Or say it's a smart strategy of them to put their by antirove — 56
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32) congratulations! by ERdoc in PA — 56
33) I'm far from convinced by twigg — 56
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TOP PHOTOS
April 15, 2014
Enjoy jotter's wonderful PictureQuilt™ below. Just click on the picture and it will magically take you to the comment that features that photo. Have fun, Kossacks!
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