A Dying Breed During a Terribly Sad Time

[Bebop]

Yes.
I would but they keep bleeping out the swearing. Are you really listening?

Regards to all,

J

If they are bleeping it out, why would you complain about swearing comedians? Your pristine, virgin ears remain in tact.

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

I actually think that comedy is one of the areas in which our generation has imrpoved on the past.

Have you ever listened to comedy from the 30s? It is terrible. It would be hard to lampoon it and have it come out worse. A lot of the 40s radio comedy isn't much better.

 

[jamespowers]

If they are bleeping it out, why would you complain about swearing comedians? Your pristine, virgin ears remain in tact.

Really? I just listened to the Dave Chapelle Show. Do you think I can write some of the things he said in this thread without having to suspend myself? And those were allowed to be broadcast just as he said them. Let me help you: "I'm Rick James *****!" That's not funny its stupid. Do you plop your kids in front of that stuff? I doubt it.
I love how you keep moving the bar. First it was they are better. Then it was show me where they swear. Now it is yes they swear but it is bleeped out. Next it will be "but that isn't really swearing and the N word is perfectly fine to use as much as you like." Color me done with this ridiculous argument with moving goal posts.

Regards,

J

 

[Baron Kurtz]

When i was growing up, the greatest challenge for my grandmother was to keep myself and my brother away from her Billy Connoly records. She didn't succeed, of course. The man is first class comedy (and a pretty good actor, too). He swears - sorry to any non-swearing troopers - like a trooper. And, why? Because his comedy is about the working classes in Scotland in the 40s and 50s. I grew up around people who swear. That's just how it is in working class Scotland. Swearing is an art form.

We need to get out of the Victorian anti-swearing crusade rubbish. There is nothing wrong with swear words. They are perfectly valid. When used properly, these words can convey an emotional content and meaning that is impossible with other non-swear words. I have some good examples, but i guess Shakespeare just had a bad vocabulary. He just couldn't express himself well through nice words!

And your kids know the words before they even see adult comedy. They learn them from life ...

bk

 

[Ken]

Billy Connoly results in mixed feelings for me - sometimes I find him funny and sometimes I think he ruins his own stand up too much by labouring a point and laughing too much at his own jokes, even before he has told them. My favourite stand up has gotta be Eddie Izzard - kinda appropriate for this topic too

In terms of where we are now with the world... gosh. Its better, its worse and its the same really insn't it. I mean like people have said all generations groan and muble about the youth of the day and that will always be the case - its seems as we mature in general we value continuity and stability and predictability whereas when we are younger we prefer variety and change and excitement.

Today in many ways society is a much more tolerant place than it has been in the past - slavery, racial discrimination, gender discrimination sexual orientated discrimination, etc. is all becoming more and more a thing of the past - studying law I see this reflected more and more, not just in the number of cases in these topics but also in the changes in the law itself (as well as in the media and everyday life). So there has never been a better time to be around from that perspective - of course now we are going too far with some things. Polictical correctness, health and safety, etc... suing people left right and centre - oh I was in your shop and fell over and hurt my knee - I sue you for a gazillion bucks (and take 5 years off work) whereas in the past you would feel slightly embarassed, brusgh yourself off and walk away and make a mental note to be more aware of your surroundings in shops.

Fashion is a highly dynamic and very subjective area. I would not dare attempt to follow it since I have neither the money, interest or ability to keep in vogue with latest trends etc. I would not go out of my way to subvert fashion and deliberatly be anti-fashion either (which is of course almost its own fashion now - the irony). Within reason i wear what i feel comfortable in becuase i wasnt to wear it - if that reflects a particular cultural trend so be it, if not oh well it doesn't.

As for role models thats just technologically influenced - in the past the only way you could become famous was by becoming king, invading a country or something. Now its ridiculously easy to get on televsion, etc and media is a huge thing - TV, music, films - all so accessible, cheap to access etc and EVERYWHERE, in your face. Of course this is where our role models will come from. Its just a reflection of the times.

In general I dont think people as individuals really change all that much throughout time - societal trends and attitudes vary and people tend to go along with that (yes us too - we would probably all agree slavery is wrong but contrast that with views from over a century ago by the majority of decent law abiding citizens).

So really I think things are no better or worse than theu have been or will be - specific details are different but essentially people are people and always will be.

Ken

 

[Bebop]

Really? I just listened to the Dave Chapelle Show. Do you think I can write some of the things he said in this thread without having to suspend myself? And those were allowed to be broadcast just as he said them. Let me help you: "I'm Rick James *****!" That's not funny its stupid. Do you plop your kids in front of that stuff? I doubt it.
I love how you keep moving the bar. First it was they are better. Then it was show me where they swear. Now it is yes they swear but it is bleeped out. Next it will be "but that isn't really swearing and the N word is perfectly fine to use as much as you like." Color me done with this ridiculous argument with moving goal posts.

Regards,

J

If you so love the way I keep moving your bar, why would you be done with your rediculous argument? Why are there goal posts in your conversations? Are you one of those that sees the outcome of a conversation as "someone won and someone lost"? I have always said that the funniest people are those that are seriously tripping over their shoelaces and they think it's someone elses shoelaces that are tripping them and you my friend, are the funniest of the funniest!
What in the world does "I'm Rick James ****" mean? What kind of proof of swearing is that? Are you reading your posts before you send them? And yes, I do believe you should be able to use the "N" word as much as you should be able to use any word. I don't believe in giving any words as much power as society gives them. I don't use them regularly because I live in this society and don't like to offend anyone without cause, but I do think you should be able to use them.

 

[Lena_Horne]

Sorry to take a detour, but personally I am always--and feel I have every right to be--exceptionally offended by the casual use of the "N" word these days. There's a reason why I usually end up changing the channel when Dave Chappelle is on. There's a definite context within that word and it burns me every time I hear it for all of it's societal and financial impact. I absolutely hate that word as well as the African-American community that surrounds me using it as one might use the word "man" or "buddy." That is not a casual term of endearment and should never be such.

I also have a bit of a skewed opinion of the topic "are we as a society truly better off these days" as I do tend to view things with heavily tinted glasses. If I were to get into the woes of the African American community these days (with all of our improvements included) I would still be bitterly disappointed as we are--though not necessarily noticable to the world at large--slipping into a chasm of self-hatred (though this certainly existed before), complacency, moral degredation, hell-care attitude. I know that there is a marked difference in the black communities of yesteryear and today simply looking at the abundance of unwed (teenage) mothers, fatherless households, prison rates, joblessness, etc. And that to me does characterize an unexceptable trend.

L_H

 

[jamespowers]

Sorry to take a detour, but personally I am always--and feel I have every right to be--exceptionally offended by the casual use of the "N" word these days. There's a reason why I usually end up changing the channel when Dave Chappelle is on. There's a definite context within that word and it burns me every time I hear it for all of it's societal and financial impact. I absolutely hate that word as well as the African-American community that surrounds me using it as one might use the word "man" or "buddy." That is not a casual term of endearment and should never be such.

I also have a bit of a skewed opinion of the topic "are we as a society truly better off these days" as I do tend to view things with heavily tinted glasses. If I were to get into the woes of the African American community these days (with all of our improvements included) I would still be bitterly disappointed as we are--though not necessarily noticable to the world at large--slipping into a chasm of self-hatred (though this certainly existed before), complacency, moral degredation, hell-care attitude. I know that there is a marked difference in the black communities of yesteryear and today simply looking at the abundance of unwed (teenage) mothers, fatherless households, prison rates, joblessness, etc. And that to me does characterize an unexceptable trend.

L_H

Perhaps we should listen to this lady here when we start thinking about arguments as such. Swearing is wrong and words mean things. Eventually we will all come to understand this. This thread is way off the course of the original intent and the kitchen sink arguments are starting to come out.
I think we have all had our say on this.

Regards to all,

J