Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1a 7/7/83; site rlgvax.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!rlgvax!oz
From: oz@rlgvax.UUCP (THE GREAT AND POWERFUL OZ)
Newsgroups: net.jokes.d,net.jokes
Subject: Re: Topics of Jokes
Message-ID: <1392@rlgvax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 11-Nov-83 20:31:59 EST
Article-I.D.: rlgvax.1392
Posted: Fri Nov 11 20:31:59 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 13-Nov-83 08:45:42 EST
References: <148@sb1.UUCP> <318@pyuxn.UUCP> <2648@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Organization: CCI, Capitol Region
Lines: 25

Dave, everything in life offends somebody.  THE FABULOUS FURRY FREAK
BROTHERS had a great cartoon that pointed that out, where people attacked
things that offended them, and ended up wreaking the whole city as everyone
was offended by something.

The BEST commedians, work with material that is only against themselves.
If you think of the classics, the ones that still make us laugh 20 years
after the comedian died, there are things like WHO'S ON FIRST, The Marx
Brothers "Stateroom scene," W.C. Fields "The Day I drank a glass of water."
These routines were not AGAINST anyone.  Certainly people could be offended
by them (I'm not sure how, but I know they could) but they did not attack a
group of people.

Even things that "attack" a group of people can be funny.  The "SPRINGTIME
FOR HITLER" number in the movie "THE PRODUCERS" is one of the funniest
things that I have ever seen.  I am Jewish, but I find it to funny anyway.
The difference is, are you having fun with the topic, or just trying to be
cruel?  I find many of the ethnic jokes on the net to be very funny.  I
tell them to people of that ethnic persuation, and they laugh showing it to
be a good joke.  Others, (like BLCKTRAN) are overdrawn and step into the
relm of the cruel and tasteless.  I don't propose ANY censurship of jokes,
I would like some common decency.  I suppose that is too much to hope for.

                                     OZ
                              seismo!rlgvax!oz