A Restroom

about to be raped

Can't rape the willing.

Well he is facing the wall.
Almost like he's expecting someone to come in behind him.

Favorite glory hole?

*sigh*

- No text -

- No text -

- No text -

- No text -

- No text -

But that subject is never funny. Or more accurately, only funny when you absolutely know your audience. Im sure you didn't mean to offend, but yeah. Just saying.

- No text -

I'm not one of those people who is automatically opposed to an offensive joke. I think it's absolutely fine to tell an offensive joke so long as you're not actively bothering anyone with it, and I can't stand people who complain on other people's behalf because "someone" "might" be offended.

But in this instance, I'm saying "Hey, this bothers me. I know it wasn't your intent to offend and I don't take it personally, but I'm letting you know."

I don't expect anyone to change their sense of humour on my behalf. But there's a time and a place, you know?

That's not you said, though. You said it's only funny when you know your audience.

This is a comic's perspective: I posit a joke is always potentially funny unless you're a person being offended, where it's you, not the joke teller, who needs to accept that you're not the right person for the joke.

I've been offended at jokes plenty of times, and I have Tumblr style things that "trigger" me, make me uncomfortable, etc.

In those cases, I tell my friends, please don't talk about those things around me. I don't say "that subject is never funny." You said as much in the post to which I'm replying, so we probably agree.

Jokes are just jokes. They're always just jokes. You know Raflection's intent is entirely humorous, he hid his joke in a spoiler tag, and so on. Is it racy for a gaming forum? Yeah. But it's not not funny just because a lot of people don't like the subject.

You are right to say that you didn't like the joke and would appreciate it if people didn't make those types of jokes. This is a good idea. We're not assholes here, the people who might make those jokes in the future will probably refrain from doing it if they read this post. I think you're wrong to say that it's not funny unless you know your audience.

This is a comic's perspective: I posit a joke is always potentially funny unless you're a person being offended, where it's you, not the joke teller, who needs to accept that you're not the right person for the joke.

Absolutely true. And if I've chosen to see a comedian (or play, or sculpture, or whatever) and I dont like it that's no one's problem but my own. But if I'm in a public space (or the Internet equivalent) or otherwise in a place where no reasonable assumption can be made regarding my opinion of "taboo" jokes, then I dont think the blame lies entirely with me.

I think you're wrong to say that it's not funny unless you know your audience.

Put it this way. If you've just heard a hilarious but racist joke you might tell your friends, but you wouldn't shout it in a room full of strangers. Granted this little corner of the Internet is neither one extreme nor the other, but it's an open and accessible space. Maybe not "know your audience" so much as "be aware if the fact that you dont (and sometimes literally can't) know your whole audience".

Jokes are just jokes. They're always just jokes. You know Raflection's intent is entirely humorous, he hid his joke in a spoiler tag, and so on. Is it racy for a gaming forum? Yeah. But it's not not funny just because a lot of people don't like the subject.

This might be a local dialect thing. I didn't mean to suggest it literally wasn't a joke; where I'm from if something is referred to as being "jokes" ("that was jokes") it means the thing is funny. I thought you were going for "jokes are funny, lighten up", but maybe that's only a local turn of phrase?

Anyway, enough of all this. I didnt mean to cause a debate (though there's probably some interesting ones to be had), just to express my distaste. I'm not here to be the fun police, it just happens by accident sometimes :p

How about this:

Please don't make rape jokes on this forum.

There. Now it's off-limits.

(I think it's sad I have to write that, and I realize it wasn't you who made the joke - but it's you who's pushed it to a place where I feel I need to step in. This isn't the place for a philosophical discussion about rape jokes.)

I think that's a reasonable action, but I'm sorry I've caused it. My intent was not to talk about that joke, or indeed those kinds of jokes in general, but of all jokes deemed "never funny" because of the subject. I thought this joke was inappropriate here, which is the reason I didn't post in the thread, despite, as you know, loving gags, loving to laugh, and often jumping on joke threads.

When I saw the sentence that said it wasn't funny because of the subject, I tried to talk about how I don't think that's a good way to look at jokes that offend people, and I wanted to talk about that phenomenon. Though I did talk about that joke, what my post was about was jokes in general.

I'm sorry I made you type that sentence. I didn't mean to talk about the nature or philosophy of jokes on that subject, but of jokes in general. Because it makes me uncomfortable, I pretty much don't even type the subject word. If you, or any of the admins, perceived my post to be an argument for those types of jokes, then I've completely misrepresented myself and what I wanted to talk about. If this is the case, as a favour to me and for the forum, please delete the post for me. I don't want anyone to think I'm a supporter of that stuff. I just tried to talk about comedy; I guess I failed.

Censored just in case.

I think that's a reasonable action, but I'm sorry I've caused it. My intent was not to talk about that joke, or indeed those kinds of jokes in general, but of all jokes deemed "never funny" because of the subject. I thought this joke was inappropriate here, which is the reason I didn't post in the thread, despite, as you know, loving gags, loving to laugh, and often jumping on joke threads.

When I saw the sentence that said it wasn't funny because of the subject, I tried to talk about how I don't think that's a good way to look at jokes that offend people, and I wanted to talk about that phenomenon. Though I did talk about that joke, what my post was about was jokes in general.

I'm sorry I made you type that sentence. I didn't mean to talk about the nature or philosophy of jokes on that subject, but of jokes in general. Because it makes me uncomfortable, I pretty much don't even type the subject word. If you, or any of the admins, perceived my post to be an argument for those types of jokes, then I've completely misrepresented myself and what I wanted to talk about. If this is the case, as a favour to me and for the forum, please delete the post for me. I don't want anyone to think I'm a supporter of that stuff. I just tried to talk about comedy; I guess I failed.

I should have stepped in earlier; it looked like it was shutting ITSELF down. someotherguy's posts on the subject were polite, and respectful, but pretty clear - and i thought they'd stop the conversation by themselves. His point about not being able to know your whole audience on a forum is pretty critical; if there's a joke that's being shared here, and someone comes along and says "hey, that offends me", the correct response (as long as they're not trolling) is "sorry, I'll stop", not "hey, this is why all jokes can be funny in some circumstances."

I stepped in because NOT stepping in would have suggested that the discussion, after someone has (really politely) asked folks to stop, is acceptable here. It is ABSOLUTELY acceptable in other places; I've even started that discussion myself, in the past. But here... well, it's a gaming forum, and it's (hopefully) a relatively welcoming place. I understand that shutting down conversation can lead to exactly the opposite... but HAVING that conversation, after someone has expressed unhappiness, will certainly alienate some people, and I think making some subjects off-limits is a pretty low-budget way of minimizing some kinds of strife. (HBO had an explicit no-politics rule. That doesn't exist here, and once or twice I've regretted that... but in-bad-taste humor seems like a relatively painless subject to ban (well, the parts of it that people complain about).)

I didn't see your post as an argument for rape jokes. I just felt that not commenting on your post was implicit approval of a discussion that should have stopped when someotherguy asked that it be stopped. (If you want to start up a thread about jokes, and how we interact with them... go for it. Just don't tie it to this thread. :) )

…and you know it. ;-)

(HBO had an explicit no-politics rule. That doesn't exist here...

What?! I just assumed DBO did, too. Now I'm scared.

(HBO had an explicit no-politics rule. That doesn't exist here...

What?! I just assumed DBO did, too. Now I'm scared.

Then let's just make an implicit rule. Politics and Game forums don't mix well.

- No text -

Right? Or is he the Traveler?

- No text -

The base concept was brilliant. Having the Ghost babble instead of using the bigger bolder wackier Trump lines was very underwhelming. I was prepared to laugh out loud at excellent line choice and Trump's general argumentative zaniness... Instead I could barely understand what the Ghost was saying 90% of the time. :(

To me, having him babble over the dialog in very important moments is even funnier. Highlighting his extreme narcissism.

But I'm a weirdo.

- No text -