Mum of boy who got Make-a-Wish message from Ricky Gervais hits out at 'disgusting' joke
www.bedfordtoday.co.uk
"I was so offended when I saw the clip - it honestly floored me”
    • voracitude@lemmy.worldEnglish
      9·
      1 year ago

      I’m not a fan of Ricky Gervais, his “role” that he plays is too genuine for me to find it funny. But I do know he’s just playing a character even in his comedy specials, and that doesn’t necessarily reflect who he is as a person. You don’t think Jimmy Carr actually believes and means all the horrible things he says on stage, do you?

      Daniel Sloss has a special where he makes the point that laughing at a disabled or terminally ill person is wrong. Laughing at their situation, with them, humanises them and what they’re going through. Humans laugh at tragedy to get through it, and we do it together because we’re social animals. That’s very different different from shitting on the less fortunate. I highly recommend the special: “Daniel Sloss: Dark” (https://www.netflix.com/title/80223685) because he is more eloquent than I am, and it’s a good special regardless of the philosophy.

      I’m not saying comedians can’t be total dildos, or that nothing a comedian says can be offensive. I’m just saying that assuming malice is a great way to end up spending most of your time outraged over nothing.

      • galmuth@feddit.ukEnglish
        41·
        1 year ago

        Jimmy Carr usually gives his most “offensive” jokes plenty of context and explanation, wrapping them in a disclaimer of “I’m about to say something considered offensive, but the joke is funny for these reasons…”

        Gervais often simply punches down without any regard or care. As with most standup, it is almost certainly a persona of sorts, but plenty of people can easily come away with the impression he is being genuine.

        • Something_Complex@lemmy.worldEnglish
          22·
          1 year ago

          It’s comedy guys it’s supposed to have a reaction. If he was a politician I would be worried.

          But if we are honest most artists are fucked in the head.

          Besides no actual quote on the article, not to mention that most of what he does is make people who are miserable laughing at their own situation.( I suspect BC he’s miserable too and way too cynical for someone who’s dumb, so yes he’s taking out of you a reaction doesn’t really matter what BC most things in life don’t)

        • voracitude@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          1 year ago

          You completely missed the point: laughing at someone because they’re struggling is horrible, and there’s no defense. It’s not funny, it’s just shitty. Laughing with them about their unfortunate circumstance is sharing a human moment with them, and is very much not horrible. They are very different things, and it’s pretty easy to tell them apart: one of them will get a laugh from the person suffering. If the joke makes the sufferer laugh, you’re in no position to judge.

          And here’s the thing about Ricky Gervais’ comedy: I’m pretty sure his Make-A-Wish fan would have thought the cancer jokes were hilarious, even if his family don’t appreciate them. It’s not like they’re out of character for him, after all; or do you imagine little George managed to avoid all of that and still end up a fan somehow?