Offensive humor

A lot of children, usually beginning around fourth grade but coming to fruition in junior high, realize that it is very funny to say something which adults would find offensive. It is not that you necessarily know why it’s offensive (often not knowing the meaning of the offensive terms), and it would definitely not be funny to get caught saying these things for which you would certainly be punished, but there is an undeniable mischievous glee in getting away with vulgar or inappropriate talk.

Eventually we get to an age where, at least in this country, we can pretty much get away with saying offensive things without fear of punishment. Without the threat of guaranteed retaliation, some of us find enjoyment in testing the boundaries of how offensive our talk can get and the strategies by which we can offend while intending to be funny. At the height of offensive humor, the helpless desperation and pointless anger with which people respond when they are temporarily offended becomes hilarious to those in on the joke. Unfortunately, it is sometimes difficult to tell when we have gone too far until we really hurt someone’s feelings or get our asses kicked. As a freakish side-affect, we can often get away with saying bona fide offensive things because others choose to assume we are joking.

In a Sarah Silverman interview (for Rolling Stone?) in which she was asked how one could tell the difference between an offensive joke and an offensive comment, she relevantly replied, “By not being retarded?”

There are two basic criteria by which offensive humor works. First, it must be grounded in exaggerated absurdity. Otherwise, nobody will accept the statement as a joke. Second, there has to be an element of reality. Without that, nobody would give the statement enough consideration to be potentially offended by it. The statement can’t be too real or everybody will be offended, and that’s not very funny. The humor in offensive humor depends on the fact that it divides society into two groups: those who think it’s offensive and those who think it’s funny that others find it offensive. Those offended consider offensive humor insulting or immature. Those who find it funny do so because they realize those who would be offended are being overly-sensitive.

There are also two basic criteria by which offensive humor is judged. First, its cleverness is all-important. For instance, Groucho Marx was a genius at saying things to people who would normally find it offensive but in such a way that the comment would go right over their head. On the other hand, Andrew Dice Clay is funny to those who need the offensiveness to be very obvious, such as junior high kids. Second, its daringness must be taken into consideration. Comedy is always a game of getting as close to the edge as you can without falling over. Context and audience are extremely important in the successful execution of an offensive joke. For example, you can say very offense things when there’s no threat of retaliation, such as when you’re with a group of friends who understand your sense of humor, and have it be funny, or you can say mildly offensive or obviously highly exaggerated things when in the presence of those who would be potentially offended and have it be funny, since the offense taken won’t be enough to turn ugly.

You don’t want to offend someone and have it turn into an argument. Often, it’s prudent to leave yourself an “out” when saying something potentially offensive, so any offense taken can be quickly diffused. The “out” should be a way to demonstrate that you are joking with minimal explanation. The degree of obviousness depends on how uptight your audience is and how much you care whether or not they get it. For instance, you can generally make fun of your own ethnicity much more severely than you can another’s, since any audience understands contextually that you certainly wouldn’t be seriously deriding yourself. The hostility and denseness of some people is very revealing, and sometimes to demonstrate how ridiculous these people are it’s cathartically preferable to let them stay mad. If you don’t have an “out,” it’s a good idea to have a safe distance from those offended.

Probably the most unique and intriguing comedian who used offensiveness as a source of humor was Andy Kaufman. Andy’s bread-and-butter were impressions and “put-ons,” in which he would pretend to be serious when, in actuality, he was joking. Often, his put-ons involved pretending to be an idiot, bully or crybaby, or a cleverly interwoven succession of all of the above. Andy would do the most outrageously absurd things and people would still believe it and be offended, simply because his style was so unfamiliar and people tend, by default, to believe things they’ve never encountered before. A frequent gag in his tragically short but brilliant life was telling bad jokes and pretending to be oblivious to being a bad comic. This specific tactic effectively highlights the separation between those who are offended by having paid to see a hack and those who realize that it’s very funny that people are upset because they think they’ve paid to see a hack. Andy was a genius at simultaneously making those offended realize they’ve been had and finding new ways to offend or at least confuse them. Andy figured out, among other things, that he could further provoke those offended by him but at the same time cleverly diffuse their hostility by staging fake arguments (often with Bob Zmuda and famously with Jerry Lawler). His influence on modern comedy is immeasurable; his mark can be clearly seen on everyone from Robin Williams (Andy originated speaking in foreign sounding languages and Mrs. Doubtfire, who was conceived by Andy to be Andy’s pretend grandmother for a performance at Carnegie Hall) to Sacha Baron Cohen (aka Ali G and Borat). Andy was also the original Elvis impersonator.

Another successful and clever source of offensive humor is “gangsta” rap. Although its roots can be found in “hardcore” rappers such as Too Short and Ice T, the group NWA, formed in Compton, CA in 1986, set gangsta rap apart as a unique and legitimate style of music. Gangsta rap combines social commentary on real issues such as oppression and injustice with absurdly exaggerated retaliatory accounts of how these issues should be dealt with and the decadence they create. (It is not a coincidence that NWA and the overtly political Public Enemy began around the same time.) Ice Cube was the primary lyricist for the group, and his acute ability to combine a vivid picture of black male urban street life with hilarity is perhaps unsurpassed. The group was formed after drug dealer turned record label owner Easy-E rapped some lyrics written by Ice Cube about a summary of life in Compton, which involves cars, basketball, theft, guns, murder, spouse abuse, drugs, police violence, court, a shooting spree and prison (called “Boyz N the Hood”), and it was realized Easy’s high pitched delivery could make anything seem hilarious. NWA also included MC Ren, Dr. Dre and DJ Yella (the latter two created the music, which relied heavily on looped samples instead of drum machines or turntables, and essentially invented the “west coast rap” sound). The DOC, a talented rapper whose voice was relegated to a whisper by a car accident, did some ghostwriting for NWA, and went on to ghostwrite much of Dr. Dre’s breakthrough album The Chronic and some of Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle. Snoop Dogg, whose laid back style can best be compared with cool Miles Davis, is famous for satirizing “ebonics” by creating dozens of ludicrous words. Unfortunately, gangsta rap was irretrievably damaged when it got too real as a result of the senseless murders of rappers Tupac Shakur in September of 1996 and Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls, six months later.


Lyrics to NWA’s “Fuck Tha Police”

[Dr.Dre]
Right about now, NWA Court is in full effect. Judge Dre presiding in the case of “NWA versus the Police Department.” Prosecuting attorneys are MC Ren, Ice Cube and Eazy motherfucking E.

Order, order, order! Ice Cube, take the mother fucking stand! Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help your black ass?

[Ice Cube]
You're goddamn right!

[Dr.Dre]
Why don't you tell everybody what the fuck you gotta say?

[Ice Cube]
Fuck the police, comin’ straight from the underground. A young nigga, got it bad ‘cause I'm brown and not the other color, so police think they have the authority to kill a minority. Fuck that shit, ‘cause I ain't the one for a punk motherfucker with a badge and a gun to be beatin’ on and thrown in jail- we can go toe to toe in the middle of a cell.

Fuckin’ with me ‘cause I'm a teenager with a little bit of gold and a pager. Searching my car, looking for the product, thinking every nigga is selling narcotics. You'd rather see me in the pen, than me and Lorenzo rolling in a Benz-o. Beat a police outta shape, and when I'm finished, bring the yellow tape to tape off the scene of the slaughter. (He) still can’t swallow bread and water.

I don't know if they fags or what; search a nigga down and grabbing his nuts. And on the other hand, without a gun they can't get none…. But don't let it be a black and a white one, ‘cause they’ll slam ya down to the street top: black police showing off for the white cop. Ice Cube will swarm on any motherfucker in a blue uniform. Just ‘cause I'm from the CPT, punk police are afraid of me. Hah! A young nigga on the war path; and when I'm finished, it's gonna be a bloodbath of cops dying in LA. Yo Dre, I got something to say:

[Eazy-E]
Fuck the police (4X)

[Dr.Dre]
Example of scene one:

Pull your goddamn ass over right now!

[MC Ren]
Ah shit. Hey, what the fuck you pulling me over for?

[Dr.Dre]
‘Cause I feel like it. Just sit your ass on the curb and shut the fuck up!

[MC Ren]
Man, fuck this shit!

[Dr.Dre]
Alright smartass, I'm taking your black ass to jail!

MC Ren, will you please give your testimony to the jury about this fucked up incident?

[MC Ren]
Fuck the police, and Ren said it with authority, because the niggaz on the street is a majority. A gang is with whoever I'm stepping, and the motherfucking weapon is kept in the stash box for the so-called law, wishing Ren was a nigga that they never saw. Lights start flashing behind me, but they're scared of a nigga so they mace me to blind me- but that shit don't work, I just laugh, because it gives ‘em a hint not to step in my path. To the police I'm saying, “fuck you punk!” Reading my rights and shit; it's all junk. Pulling out a silly club, so you stand with a fake-ass badge and a gun in your hand. But take off the gun so you can see what's up, and we'll go at it punk, and I'm (gonn)a fuck you up, make ya think I'm (gonn)a kick your ass, but drop your gat, and Ren's gonna blast! I'm sneaky as fuck when it comes to crime, but I'm (gonn)a smoke ‘em now, and not next time; smoke any motherfucker that sweats me and any asshole that threatens me. I'm a sniper with a hell of a scope, takin’ out a cop or two, they can't cope with me, the motherfucking villain that's mad with potential to get bad as fuck. So I'm (gonn)a turn it around, put in my clip, yo, and this is the sound: [Bang, Bang] yah, something like that, but it all depends on the size of the gat. Taking out a police would make my day, but a nigga like Ren don't give a fuck to say:

[Eazy-E]
Fuck the police (4X)

[Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock]

[Eazy-E]
Hey man, what you need?

[Dr.Dre]
Police, open now!

[Eazy-E]
Oh, shit.

[Dr.Dre]
We have a warrant for Eazy-E's arrest. Get down and put your hands up where I can see ‘em!

[Eazy-E]
Calm down, man, what the fuck did I do? Man, what did I do?

[Dr.Dre]
Just shut the fuck up and get your motherfuckin’ ass on the floor.

[Eazy-E]
But I didn’t do shit.

[Dr.Dre]
Man, just shut the fuck up!

Eazy-E, why don't you step up to the stand and tell the jury how you feel about this bullshit?

[Eazy-E]
I'm tired of them motherfucking jackin’, sweating my gang while I'm chilling in the shack. Him shining the light in my face, and for what? Maybe it's because I kick so much butt. I kick ass! Or maybe ‘cause I blast on a stupid ass nigga when I'm playing with the trigger of any Uzi or an AK, ‘cause the police always got something stupid to say. They put up my picture with silence, ‘cause my identity by itself causes violence- the E, with the criminal behavior. Yeah, I'm a gangsta, but still I got flavor. Without a gun and a badge, what do ya got? A sucker in a uniform waiting to get shot by me or another nigga, and with a gat it don't matter if he's smarter or bigger.

[MC Ren]
Size don't mean shit, he's from the old school, fool!

[Easy-E]
And as you all know, E's here to rule. Whenever I'm rolling, keep looking in the mirror, and there's no cue, yo, so I can hear a dumb motherfucker with a gun. And if I'm rolling off the 8, he'll be the one that I take out, and then get away, and while I'm driving off laughing, this is what I'll say:

[Eazy-E]
Fuck the police (4X)

[Dr.Dre]
The verdict:
The jury has found you guilty of being a redneck, white bread, chickenshit motherfucker!

Wait, that's a lie! That's a goddamn lie!

Get him outta here!

I want justice!

Get him the fuck outta my face!

I want justice!

Out, right now.

Fuck you, you black motherfucker!

[Eazy-E]
Fuck the police (3X)