Why is making fun of anyone appropriate?

I guess nobody remembers SNL making fun of Bob Dole’s disabilities a few years back. That was just as cruel. Watch the tapes of it. When I saw it I couldn’t believe what they were doing. But no one seemed to notice that. Is this 8 year hate program by the Democrats and their news media against George Bush anything less? Partisan is ok, hate is not, unless you and yours are the ones dishing it out.

THE FUNNYEST MAN EVER WAS JACK BENNY, AND HE ALWAYS MADE FUN OF HIMSELF. SO DID “I GIT NO RESPECT”- AVERY FUNNY MAN. I RESPECT ONLY CREATIVE HUMOR.

Most comedy is rooted in things we find ackward or uncomfortable about the world around us. How do you draw the line at what is acceptable and what is not? People need to toughen up and recognize comedy for what it is.

Thanks to Dr. Manny for what appears to be a even-handed, balanced article about SNL.

[...] I am not sure it’s the conclusion I would have reached, but there you have it.  Here is a news brief on the subject I happened to come across this morning on Fox [...]

Would SNL poke fun at a person with one leg? With MS? With stroke? With a spinal injury? Of course they wouldn’t. And the list could go on and on. This should have been no different.

That was FUNNY!

I may start watching again

I guess the cruel fun at Sarah Palin’s expense was ok compared to this? Give me a break – if you don’t condone one, you shouldn’t condone the other.

So now SNL has to run by the scripts by the PC police? If only there was a device we could hold in our hand that would allow us to change the channel from the couch to avoid programs we don’t like, or agree with. That would solve many of our problems.

Oh, by the way, SNL has been poking fun of disabilities of all kinds (mental and physical) since the 70’s. How come it’s only a problem when someone fromthe Left side of the political spectrum gets lampooned?

JamesP asks where you draw the line? Well, one indicator is something called “class.” That is pretty much the difference in true comedians like Jack Benny and what passes for comedy today. Guess what? Grannie and Grandpa know about rude and risque, they just have enough class not to parade it in front of everyone all the time. SNL is not about comedy or even good satire – it’s gone for mimicry and making fun of people’s personal characteristics. Intelligent comedy is scarce, and we’re at the mercy of those who think snappy put-downs and making people uncomforatble are what comedy is about. And yes, I remember the SNL treatment of Bob Dole; the real Bob Dole is a very intelligent man with a sense of humor that would put an SNL comedy writer to shame. Their response to him? – when you can’t deal with what he stands for, you make fun of the injury he got defending this country.

I’m sorry, I didn’t see the piece.

Four years ago our community received a challenge to build a community, not for profit, Hospice House. Little did we know that this would be the only one of its kind, at least that we can find.

One small town came together to meet the needs of the dying. A much needed Hospice House was constructed in Harrison Arkansas through the efforts of volunteers and community donations.

Local Hospice volunteers discovered terminally ill people through out the rural area living in unbelievably horrible conditions. One hospice volunteer appealed to people of the community for help. The community responded to the cry for help in a dramatic fashion. However, this is a small rural community the need is huge.
A few examples of just how much the hospice home was needed are: Hospice volunteers uncovered a dying woman was living alone in a home in rural Arkansas with no running water or electricity. Another dying woman who was in severe pain was not getting her pain pills because her drug addicted son was stealing them from her for his own use.

Knowing of these conditions, one hospice volunteer contacted a local businessman and asked if he would help by organizing a plan to buy or build a hospice house. He put together a small group of people and contacted the county judge who donated three acres to the project. The newly organized group next contacted a local community college. The college had recently closed their construction class, but agreed to bring it back to help build this Hospice House. The biggest and most incredible event was when we invited about 25 local business owners to lunch, told our story, and within 10 minutes had 90% of the materials donated. The story was first met with total silence. Then one brave merchant spoke up to donate a doorknob. Next, a few 2 X 4’s were offered. Then the floodgates of generosity were opened and you just could not stop the giving

When building the Hospice House we knew we would take care of anyone regardless of ability to pay. We did not know how significant this would be but estimated that it would not be a large amount of people, and it has not been. Last year we finished with a loss of $50,000 which included some start up cost, but it was very apparent that we needed a fund raising plan for the future.

Because of the enormous amount of community support during the building stage we felt that we could get a large percentage of our five county area support if we just got the word out. We also felt that the $20 would be the magical number. There is an amount that almost everyone could afford, and we thought that amount was under $25 and the twenty was just one bill, a twenty.

After the concept and general plan was designed we decided we needed a slogan. Sent out an e-mail request and got around 50 suggestion, but the minute we saw the Twenty is Plenty it stuck.

We just conducted our first Twenty is Plenty campaign and were all shocked to realize that we raised over $80,000 and mainly in $20 donations.

Thank You
Jerry Jackson
870-365-5536

It was kind of a harsh joke, but the difference between Governor Paterson and Governor Palin is that stupidity and being a Republican is not a disability. Of course our society is not beyond making fun of disabled people. There are a good handful of movies that came out the last 15 years that make fun at the expense of the handicapped, but no one really said anything about that.

everyone needs to just calm down. i dont this skit was ment to hurt someone, i think it was only intended on making people laugh. Do i think it crossed the line? A little yes, but do i think they really ment to hurt someone? No, i do not. poeple make fun of other people all the time in the name of comedy. the show just needs to mark this skit as a DNR.

I thought it was funny…
But I do understand how some people wouldn’t.

offensive jokes and actions are a crutch for people whose talent is mediocer at best ie madonna, kanye west ect. they can’t get noticed on their talent alone. snl stopped being funny a long time ago. you can’t stop people for being offensive, angry, rude and insulting(quaker oats). some people are socially retarded and there’s not much you can do about them except ingore them and hope they go away.

@notassmart:
Your username says it all. SNL stopped being funny a long time ago to YOU.

As a teacher I never condone making fun of any aspect of a person. This is a tough world to live in and we should lead by example to be kind to and respect people and even animals. As with SNL and many other shows, I use the remote to scan thru but it’s becoming harder and harder to find anything worth watching. It doesn’t take talent to be crass and rude. It’s a very angry and insecure person that does this. Long ago I stopped watching SNL, Jay Leno and Letterman.

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. It’s truly a wonderful motto.

btw… I’m sure there are mistakes in this response but while you are picking it apart for errors…please remember the good stuff. The message is more important than the messenger.

thanks for the space

For decades we have been hearing the matra “if you can’t laugh at yourself”.. etc etc. Religious people are forced to swallow the bitter pill. Politicians from all sides and those who support them are forced to partake in the ridicule. “Nothing is sacred”, “Free Speech!”, “If you don’t like it, change the channel!” we hear. Is the outcry in the media and this one man’s whining going to change our culture? Will we pivot and reverse course at this point in history until we wind up with women once again wearing hoop skirts to hide their figure and separate beds on television? Has our cultural pendulum slowed or even begun to reverse course back toward acknowledgment of the sacred, holy, taboo, and off limits?

I hope so.

Comment by Tom
December 16th, 2008 at 9:20 am Would SNL poke fun at a person with one leg? With MS? With stroke? With a spinal injury? Of course they wouldn’t. And the list could go on and on. This should have been no different.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

They have. Actually, one of the skits concerning a person with one leg stars Amy Poeler as Amber, the one legged, thick skinned, narcissist. It’s actually pretty funny.

How about Eddie Murphy’s “Mister Rodgers in the Hood” sketch, making fun of poor, inner city, black people.
Or, Chris Farley playing Rudy Guliani’s “mentally challanged” brother (or someone…Kevin Nealon was Rudy)
Or, any of the amount of times Chris Farley’s weight was the butt of the joke…heavy people might consider that offensive.
Or, how about any of the Mary Catherine Gahllager scenes with Molly Shannon…surely considered blasphamy by some, but very funny
Or, when Fred Armisen played Richie B., the deaf, racist, comedian. That’s two birds with one stone.
Or, when Nicole Kidman played a toddler who made friends with a mentally disabled Mike Meyers character…who was attached to a jungle gym by a harness and wore a helmet.
Or, the countless number of times they’ve made fun of a political figures

Not to mention, they also poke fun at those who have, seemingly, nothing wrong with them. Hosts with scandal surrounding them come on and make fun of themselves (Britney Spears, Pamela Anderson, Mary-Kate and Ashley, etc…)

They don’t spare anyone…if they did, THAT would be discrimination. Check out Carlos Mencia. He says it all.

Silence Do Good

Back in the day when SNL was first on and I was a college student, immature and self absorbed, along with experimenting with adult beverages, I thought it was funny. Then I grew up a bit, stopped thinking only of myself, and decided I like knowing what I am doing so stopped drinking adult beverages. I realized, then, that SNL is really for the immature and self absorbed. So I moved on to things that weren’t hurtful, ego driven, and as stupid as jokes generally are when they are about bodily functions, or inadequacies in other people. Enough said.