How Far is Too Far?

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ryanswofford

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I'm working on a humor novel right now, and was wondering: how far is too far when it comes to jokes, or putting characters in crazy situations? Is there a certain line that humor writers just shouldn't cross?

I mean, take Chris Rock as an example. He says the most terrible things about people (especially people of color). But he gets the most outrageous laughs. Is he right or wrong in doing that?

And, again: how far should we as writers go without something becoming unsalable or so distasteful that no one wants to read it?
 

Unimportant

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Humour is very subjective. What you choose to write depends on your audience and your own personal ethics.
 

Kathl33n

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Something else to ponder: if it is one of your characters that tells this joke and it fits his personality to do so, how much will the reader hate the character, and will the reader dislike the author for writing this character? Do you want the reader to dislike this character? Are you writing about a comedian?

I'm not sure how your jokes fit into your story.

Louie C.K. has a show on TV and his character gets into a lot of crazy situations, and he tells crass jokes, and he is a popular guy. I suppose it depends on who your targeted audience is.

(PS - I like Louie C.K., and I like the crass jokes)
 

ryanswofford

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@Kath: Yeah, I like crass jokes, too. But the sort of crassness I like might be the sort of crassness that someone else finds completely offensive. One thing my dad told me, though: controversy brews exposure. And for a writer, that's not exactly a bad thing!
 

BigWords

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What level of outrageous are the jokes? Are we talking The Aristocrats level? There's a reason (with other things) you can get away with those jokes, even if the punchline is lame (and, in truth, the punchline is the least important part of that joke). The more outrageous you want to be, and you can be very offensive without causing offense if you plan things carefully,the more you have to have a solid grasp on the plot and situations to avoid people questioning things.
 

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A few things to keep in mind:

1) What is the joke really ABOUT? This was the problem with the Daniel Tosh incident recently. He said raping an audience member would be funny. Like, the very act of rape. Does that mean jokes that mention rape are off-limits? No. There are plenty of so-called "rape jokes" that are essentially commentary on the mindset of rapists, or rape culture, or any number of factors. Distill the essence of the joke down to the basic intent, and you'll know if it's appropriate.

2) If it bends, it's funny. If it breaks, it isn't. Louis CK gets away with a lot of odd choices in his show, because he's constructed an almost-unreal world for himself. It's often dream-like, and something major can happen in one episode and the effects are never spoken of again. Presumably, you are trying to create a believable reality. So if something crazy happens within it, the best way to get away with it is to have your characters react accordingly. Ie. not saying "oh, here we go again!" when their house catches fire.
 

feath

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I kind of feel the same as previously posted - jokes approprate for your target readers. But I also - in fact mainly - write what I think is funny. For every reader who doesn't find my humor funny, there is one who does.
 

August Talok

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I should explain further. I feel like that came off as smug. LOL. I write a lot of comedy as well and have been in similar situations. I realized that most times, if I had to question myself, then my subconscious had already decided for me. It was just a matter of how long I wanted to put up a fight with my brain. Almost every time I would chose to scrap the idea or joke. Though sometimes I still put up a fight. HA! Stupid brain.
 

blacbird

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When it ceases to provoke laughs, and begins to provoke cringes. The late Andy Kaufman, once one of the most clever and offbeat of comedians, drifted deep into this morass toward the end of his career. At one point he was quoted as saying "Comedy doesn't need to be funny."

He was wrong. And pretty clearly proved it.

caw
 

Leroy

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there is no such thing is too far in comedy.
 

cray

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there is no such thing is too far in comedy.

sure there is.

the fun part is that you (the comedian or writer or whatever) don't get to decide where the 'going too far' line is.

your audience does.
 

RookieWriter

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I'm working on a humor novel right now, and was wondering: how far is too far when it comes to jokes, or putting characters in crazy situations? Is there a certain line that humor writers just shouldn't cross?

I mean, take Chris Rock as an example. He says the most terrible things about people (especially people of color). But he gets the most outrageous laughs. Is he right or wrong in doing that?

And, again: how far should we as writers go without something becoming unsalable or so distasteful that no one wants to read it?

Bill Maher once said "stop organizing life around people who don't get the joke. Fuck them, if they don't get a joke." I'm not sure if that includes people who are offended by jokes, but knowing Maher's history of saying things that upset people I would think it does. It seems like good advice to me. The funniest comics, in my view, are the ones who are not only brutally honest, but also don't censor themselves because they are afraid of offending someone. The hard hitting comics like George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Jim Norton, Lewis Black, Chris Rock, Louis CK, and many others have crossed the line many times but still made it because they were funny. Your comedy might offend some people, but isn't that what comedy is in a way? I forget which famous comic I heard say it, but he pointed out that a joke isn't really funny unless someone else gets hurt by it.
 
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