Did anyone else catch the roast of Joan Rivers? I'm usually prepared for some of the most tasteless jokes out there, but I did NOT prepare enough. In my opinion, the best/smartest comedians don't need to resort to easy/cheap laughs, but every year the roasts get worst and worst. It has almost become the vulgarity Olympics.
The line of jokes I felt most strongly against were the comments made by Gilbert Gottfried, Joan Rivers, and Bob Garrett regarding Howard Stern host Robin Quivers. Garrett came out with a slew of racist jokes, all in poor taste. And apparently, Robin has spoken very openly about being molested by her father as a child. Rivers and Gottfried decided to exploit that situation.
It was vile, but she laughed at them. I'm not sure if she really was ok with the jokes, or if it was a front in order to avoid looking like a poor sport. The entire premise of a roast is to offend and insult. And I know some might just say I need to lighten up, but I can't nor do I think I should have to. Garrett is supposed to be a household name, a familiar face. What a great image to put out there, even if was just in "good fun". I've noticed a lot of "rape jokes" posts lately. If those in the public eye can make them without visible repercussions, then of course they are going to filter their way to more common usage.
And maybe it's just me, but I don't EVER find molestation "jokes" funny in any sense.
At what point can we STOP laughing, and say they've gone too far?
Cross posted at rcnjwc.blogspot.com
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*Trigger warning, just in case*
I saw the roast and I agree that the jokes at Robin's expense were in very poor taste, especially the ones about her father molesting her. Race jokes are one thing and I think they're beginning to be seen as less offensive by the majority. I think that sometimes they can truly be harmless, but that's not much up to me as I am white. It's only my perception.
The roasts are always in bad taste, of course, and the whole point is to shock people with the outrageous things they say. But I really think incestuous molestation isn't funny in the slightest, especially when somebody (I can't remember who) joked about how ugly she was at the same time. I hope it wasn't too traumatizing for her. I really couldn't even bring myself to have an 'oh-my-god-I-can't-believe-they-said-that' laugh.
I agree it wasn't very funny, I mean...since when did older men shoving their finger inside their own daughter's vagina become funny? Since when did calling a girl being molested ugly become funny? He and Joan gave her reasons why she DESERVED being molested, and it was supposed to be funny?????
I completely agree and I was disgusted. Race jokes I can tolerate if it's in a Dave Chappelle or Richard Pryor type of way. But these Roasts have always just did outright offensive race jokes more than actually funny material but they never actually have good comedians on this show besides Katt Williams at a point.
Anyways the molestation jokes weren't even remotely funny. All it did was make me kind of tear up. I personally have been molested as a kid when I was little by a family member and it's never going to be a laughing matter. And to say you were lucky to be molested, how is that funny!?
I stopped watching these roasts ever since the Flavor Flav roast and Katt Williams had used that roast in one of his comedy shows to make me see how tasteless these roasts are.
Wow. That was f*cked up. And it wasn't funny at all.
What morons. I never found either of them funny anyway.
I think race jokes can sometimes play an important social role. Like the one about Robin only being there in case the white folks need a turndown...this has the potential of instigating important conversations about race and the income gap. However, the rest of that was truly disgusting. I can't believe the audience would laugh about her molestation but booed when they heard the comedian make a fat joke (the only man that could satisfy her is colonel sanders). How screwed up is that?!?
Well... it was a fat joke but moreover a racist joke (fried chicken). I think they were booing at the racist part of the joke, considering all the ugly jokes (and, obviously, molestation jokes) were a-ok. I also found the routine to be completely disgusting and totally cheap ("you're lucky to be raped/molested because you're so ugly" isn't exactly new territory).
Rape jokes and racist jokes aren't funny. Watching that really pissed me off. I feel like most comedians are racist, sexist, homophobic etc. It's really horrible. ugh.
That rape joke is the opposite of funny - there is nothing funny about a daughter being raped by her dad!
My boyfriend and I just had this conversation. He also came to the conclusion that rape jokes are not funny. Ever. We were talking about if there were funny ones at all, and he said that there weren't, and I happen to concur with that statement. Actually, he gets really pissed when people make rape jokes. Probably because he sees how fucked up I am, and because he is a decent guy in general. Frankly, if someone other than myself made a joke about my sexual assault, then I would probably flip, and end up hitting someone.