Rood Eye
Thursday 15th November 2018 4:08pm [Edited]
4,103 posts
Quote: Hercules Grytpype Thynne @ 15th November 2018, 3:28 PM
Do not find that even slightly amusing.
It was a good joke by Chappers but, having read Herc's response, I'm not at all surprised he didn't find it amusing.
Since time immemorial, comedians have joked about death, disability and all kinds of misfortune. Whenever such a joke is told, hardly anybody in the audience (in percentage terms) is, at the time, affected directly by the subject of the joke and so everybody or very nearly everybody laughs at the joke.
The fact is, however, that in every sizeable audience there is bound to be somebody who is affected directly by the subject of the joke and, even worse than not being amused, they are likely to be both offended and upset by the joke's content.
What can comedians, comedy writers and those responsible for the broadcasting of comedy do to remedy the situation? Apart from avoiding subjects which they know are likely to cause widespread offence, the answer is "Not much, I'm afraid."
I'm sure Chappers would never have made that joke had he been aware of Herc's situation but, being entirely unaware, he can't really be criticised for making the joke - although I bet he's very sorry he did make it now.
It was simply an unfortunate event and we'll all know better in future.