Reply #11: This just shows that comedy is best left to the pros... [View All]

[jane_pippin]

I think you make some very good points and explain your reasoning very well.

I often fall into the "it's just a joke" camp, but I'm not entirely in it this time. I'm a woman and I wasn't offended by Biden's lame attempt at humor. I just thought "gee, stick to what you know pal." I do, however, understand why and how someone could have been offended by it.

I'd like to say something about how we tend to react, and overreact to comedians here sometimes, but first let me say this: Joe Biden and everyone else of his ilk who go on shows like TDS of course do so at least on some level to seem "hip" to the Daily Show viewers. For some reason they feel compelled to joke around with Jon and nine times out of ten they aren't funny. I call it, The Cool Kid reaction because the "square," in this case, Biden, is trying to prove his chops to the "cool kids," Jon and his audience of young voters. I'd be happier if they'd just be themselves but it's politics and that's too much to ask. Again, it reinforces my point, comedy is best left to the pros.

What I keep coming back to is that there is a difference between John Doe telling racist jokes and professionals telling jokes that have taken (in some cases) years to craft, and we should try to keep that in mind. Why? Well, all comedy takes a "truth" and distorts it wildly. Hence, the funny part is born. A bad comedian will take a stereotype, decide it is "truth" and go on from there hence, not funny and usually offensive. A good comedian, and a smart comedian, points out hipocrisy whether about themselves, the government, relationships, anything, and comes at it from a new angle. They aren't putting people down, they're calling people out. Most of the legendary comedians aren't legendary for telling racist or sexist jokes. (Heard much from Andrew Dice Clay recently? Didn't think so).

So how does rant relate to our man Joe Biden? First of all, I just needed to think out loud and vent, so thanks for letting me. Beyond that, Biden made a stupid, idiotic, inappropriate, unfunny remark, that he probably, (incorrectly), thought was self-depricating. (My guess is he thought he was being sarcastic--Sure, I can have anything I want. I'm a senator--but it obviously was a dumb joke that came out meaning something much different.) Was it wrong? Yeah. Do I think it was as bad as telling racist jokes to the NAACP? No. Why? Because while I believe John Doe believes the bullshit racism/sexism he spews with hateful humor like that, I'm gonna need more than one horrible flop of a joke from Biden to believe he actually thinks he can have any woman he wants because he's a senator or that he hates women.

That's just my opinion, and I certianly respect the right of those who were offended by it to be offended. As Kim Campbell (first female PM of Canada) said as a guest on Bill Maher's show last year, "If you aren't offended at least once a day, you aren't really living in a democracy." I think she's right, and I'm glad we're at least in a place where we can have a decent discussion about this stuff.

Thanks again for letting me vent. (This took a while to write so either this thread is dead by the time I post it or everyone already said what I was trying to say so apologies either way).