Morbid Humor

[Erebus]

I LOVE dark comedy. Jimmy Carr and Frankie Boyle are some of my favourite comedians

Morbid humour can be really funny, but there is a line. My sense of humour is naturally dark and somewhat morbid, but I don't try to offend people with it.
Frankie Boyle IMO is at his finest on panel shows where his naturally dark humour just slips out. In his stand up he can sometimes just try too hard I feel. There's a difference between blue humour (graphic shock humour) and black humour (bleak, cynical and taboo breaking humour). Morbidity is funny as a part of black humour, but not as a part of blue humour IMO.

 

[ManTimeForgot]

There is a time and a place for everything. Gallows or morbid humor is not for everyone, nor is it appropriate to use it at all times, but this is the same for all forms of humor. Some people can't stand slapstick, and some find the notion of slapstick to be innately harmful.

I can honestly say that they are both simply context appropriate and outside of that probably shouldn't be used. For those who think that morbid humor is always inappropriate I challenge you to demand that soldiers knowing they are about to die (for whatever reason) finding humor in their situation to be inappropriate.

Sometimes all you are left with to find humor in a situation once it gets so far passed bad into being just plain ********* up, but if you have never laughed mirthlessly before, then gallows humor might not be something you can relate to.


As far as "babies in blenders" are concerned: sometimes the goal of humor is to shock you, to expand your mental boundaries. While I don't find such forms of humor to be particularly funny, I can't in good conscience say that they are always inappropriate either.

MTF

 

[lewisnotmiller]

As people have mentioned, its important to know your 'audience'.

One thing not yet mentioned is the importance of dark humour as a coping mechanism in some industries where death is regularly confronted.

 

[DallasApple]

Well, he was very abusive during my early childhood. He never seemed to care too much... I don't want to go into any details. I am not sure exactly what he was, He just wasn't much of a father. I try not to blame him so much, He had a terrible childhood himself. Peace.

:flower:

 

[DallasApple]

As far as "babies in blenders" are concerned: sometimes the goal of humor is to shock you, to expand your mental boundaries. While I don't find such forms of humor to be particularly funny,

Yeah I don't think its funny either I find it rather absurd.Having said that I'm not shocked anymore.(that other people think its funny).

My husband told me a "joke' one time that I never forgot.It was involving pedophelia.Yeah I cant tell it I might get banned besides I wouldn't want to tell this "joke".I was so caught off guard and shocked I was furious.It actually felt like i had been physically assaulted but it was words in my head. I was disgusted that he thought it was funny .And I was angry at him for repeating it to me.One of the things..really the main thing that upset me the most is he thought it was "funny" I was so upset. He was snickering and trying not to laugh while telling me "sorry I thought you would think that was funny".Then I realized..the humor in it for him was upsetting me and that made me more angry.

I think I have a great sense of humor.(sorry) and I can get somewhat off the main radar with it and joke around about things in private I may not in a general crowd..but what he did was WRONG.Like hiding behind the corner in the dark and jumping out and scaring the crap out of someone and laughing your head off at how frightened they are..I HATE that!Its mean..

 

[DallasApple]

Humour can be very beneficial, obviously, but it is always a good idea to consider the feelings of those who receive it, at least if you care about their feelings etc.

I've laughed at plenty of sexist/racist/stereotypical jokes, as well as told 'em - but only with certain people who I know will find them funny and not be upset by them.

The thing is too..for me I honestly believe laughter IS one of the best medicines.For me its better than sex as an antidepressant .Laughing is a drug.

BUT it HAS to be FUNNY!!!!!!!

 

[freethinker44]

BUT it HAS to be FUNNY!!!!!!!

It's funny to me.

 

[DallasApple]

It's funny to me.

No it has to be funny to you AND the other person.(if there is another person..nothing wrong with laughing alone ...especially at YER SELF!

 

[ZooGirl02]

I am definitely not a fan of morbid humor. I have pretty much always hated it.

 

[StarryNightshade]

Morbid humor is a double-edged sword.

On one hand, I do enjoy the occasional dark joke or something of shock factor being used to be funny. There is nothing inherently wrong with it.

On the other hand, morbid humor has to (in my opinion) not "try too hard" in it's delivery or it just comes across as immature or blindly resorting to shock factor in order to get a rise out if people, simply for the sake of doing so. Especially if done way too much.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

All kinds of morbid humor exists in the movie "The Aristocrats." Where comedians of all stripes attempt to tell the most shocking joke ever in their own way.

George Carlin, Bob Saget, Sarah Silverman, Ricky Gervais...all did their own hilarious and shocking versions. I thought, surprisingly IMO, that Gilbert Gottfried shined in the movie.

Gallows humor is typical when you are faced with death and atrocity. As has been mentioned before, it's a coping mechanism. So my feelings about it are that like most things, context is key.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I don't really see a substantial distinction between "types" of humor. Something is humorous, or it isn't. And I find people who don't have a sense of humor to be people without a sense of truth or reality. People who eschew humor, or try to restrict it to certain neat, little boxes, often strike me as people who have a strong need to create an artificial, delusional reality around them in order to function.

 

[DallasApple]

I can have a complete truth and still find NO humor.

But hey that's my own truth. Its not a "
neat " box.

I just don't care to find "humor' in infant rape as an example. Its just never funny to me.

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

It all depends what you mean by 'morbid' and it all depends on how tastefully it is done.

We'll take Rowan Atkinson, for example. Now, I hate Mr. Bean and I cannot find anything funny in that show whatsoever (I wanna throw a brick through the TV)....however, put him in the role of Blackadder vs Baldrick and I am just splitting my sides all the way through..

I am the type of person who finds that Shakespeare's Macbeth and Hamlet were written as comedies and laugh through them.

Other times, I'll watch a gory movie like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and be rolling on the floor laughing at the way blood spurts are overdramatised for cinematic effect...Kill Bill and Battle Royale (and Japanese/Korean Horror films in general are #1 at this).

Oh yes, obligatory Dethklok/Metalocalypse mention right here.

So, yeah...I don't think it's bad to have a morbid sense of humour. lol

 

[BSM1]

Do you consider Morbid or Dark humor unethical? Or is a morbid sense of humor alright in your book?

Funny is as funny does (google Josh Blue). I have a somewhat warped sense of humor. Upon my death I have left instructions for my corpse to be hollowed out and replaced with a large cheese ball. With crackers scattered about the coffin this will allow my family and friends to enjoy a snack while the view my remains. However, since that time I have decided to be cremated. No one has expressed disappointment except my brother-in-law.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I am a fan of morbid humor, not so much the pop culture referenced humor. I'm an even bigger fan of senseless humor, if something doesn't make sense at all it is funny to me for no reason

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I just don't care to find "humor' in infant rape as an example. Its just never funny to me.

I'm sure an infant being raped doesn't find you funny either.

 

[psychoslice]

Yes I like morbid humor, I feel we should be able to laugh at ourselves in whatever situation, well at least after the event, a great sense of humor will do wonders in keeping us alive and happy.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Yeah, I like morbid humor. Sometimes I laugh at things that shouldn't be funny at all. Oh, well. Lol. Encyclopedia Dramatica is one of my favorite sites, so that should tell you something about me.

(Funny that I'm listening to Trivium cover 'Skulls' by the Misfits as I make this post. Lol.)