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Can you do it without Bad Language?

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bartmania

Ex-Bluelighter
Joined
Jan 10, 2012
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18
My friend is very against bad language. He wont even watch most movies, he even claims George Carlin can't be funny without using it. He claims "can you be funny without using it, why do you have to cuss so much in film?"


WHat do you feel?
 
I feel like it doesn't matter if someone swears or not... If a movie is swearing after every other word it gets corny but just regular here and there is fine.... Then again I don't care much about it. Lol I fucking swear all the time, whoops.
 
Do you feel its cheating in comedy or to add dramatic effect? Could Carlin or Chris Rock be funny without it?
 
Do you feel its cheating in comedy or to add dramatic effect?
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No; it's tailoring one's routine to the audience and to the comedian's own personality. If George Carlin or Chris Rock didn't use profanity in their performances, they wouldn't be George Carlin or Chris Rock, and their respective audiences wouldn't be the same, either. On the other hand, if Maria Bamford (one of my favorite comedians) swore like Chris Rock during her stand up, she wouldn't be Maria Bamford anymore; in my op, once you're an established comedian with a consistent fan base, you can't really separate the artist, their routine, or the audience.

In short, while I do feel that the taboo nature of these words (despite their prevalence in common culture) increases the cathartic pleasure of a good comic routine, they are merely optional tools.
 
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it's hardly cheating in comedy. Comedy is funny because it often has no boundaries and comics are willing to say things that others aren't, not just for shock value, in that regard I completely agree, like seeing Lisa Lampanelli, she just goes for shock value. I really think that restricting language for comedy just puts up more walls making it far less amusing, i don't want to see a performance where someone held back because they didn't want to offend anyone. kind of like boring ass Jerry Seinfeld, i used to like him but people like Dave Attel, Louis C.K. are just way funnier because of what they talk about.

I don't even like to watch films that are rated pg-13 as i feel like they are holding back on what could have been something greater lol.
 
But is it cheating? Jerry Seinfeld is one of my fave comedians, but not my all time fave. I love Carlin, I like alot of comics.
 
it's only cheating if they are going for shock value. I hate that some people really enjoy that shitty kind of comedy which has senseless swearing/racism/sexism.
 
It depends how it's used. Anything considered shocking, whether it's using bad language or making fun of certain target groups has to be funny. It also has to have context. If a comedian has good timing, facial expressions and body language, and is clever, then pretty much nothing is sacred I guess.

If you say the above things deliberately just to shock without being funny, you come across as offensive and awkward.

That said, there are quite a few comedians who don't swear or say anything offensive who are very funny. There's nothing quite like being a bit shocked and bursting out laughing though, even though you know you shouldn't. Human nature I guess ;)
 
^^ Couldn't agree more, Miss_vanilla :)


bartmania, sorry to say but your friend sounds like a bit of a square ;) =D
Swear words are just that, words. When used in conjunction with any other words in whatever language and in whichever context, they can have minimal effect or they can have a profound effect, in comedy or any other genre of entertainment, just the same as any other words that aren't swear words. Personally I don't see any difference between swearing and any other types of words.

Having said that it may come as no shock that I swear profusely and often ;)

To answer your question bartmania, yes I believe Carlin and Chris Rock could be funny without swearing. In my opinion they are both genuinely funny people. Some of my favourite comedians are big on swearing, then on the other hand Bill Cosby and Seinfeld don't swear and I love their stuff.

Basically, I don't really care about swearing. As long as it's clever and genuinely funny, that'll do for me :D
 
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Can you be funny, rude and condescending with the Queen's English? Of course you can, you cretinous riffraff.
 
I agree with the general consensus.

I don't give a shit about swearing, truthfully. I do it because it's just the way I talk. I'm a foul mouthed asshole. Swearing helps me convey my message with a more abrasive manner. Which is... 9 times out of 10... the approach I'm going for.

Point being... at least in my case... swearing is generally funnier as a comedic tool when used as an emphasis rather than a subject. It's hard for me to really explain what I mean without a specific example, but I hope you get what I'm saying. I don't generally like when cuss words become the prevalent point of a rant. I like them to be infused as a way to drive the anger, abrasiveness, disgust, or whatever other emotion is trying to be conveyed.
 
bartmania said:
My friend is very against bad language. He wont even watch most movies, he even claims George Carlin can't be funny without using it. He claims "can you be funny without using it, why do you have to cuss so much in film?"


WHat do you feel?
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Your friend sounds like an anal retentive cunt.
 
I can understand being offended by gratuitous displays of sex and violence, but cussing ain't no (fucking) big deal!

What's worse though, saying "bloody" or "shitty"? Brits vs. Americans...GO!
 
kaywholed said:
Can you be funny, rude and condescending with the Queen's English? Of course you can, you cretinous riffraff.
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hahahaha winner.

Without a doubt - swearing adds a crudeness to things, and they show people you're drude. There is nothing wrong with being crude as long as you're still respected and listened to in this world...and they most certainly are!
 
I'm just saying. Fuck the people who can't handle the swear words, fuck them hard. YOu dig?
 
its just diverse words. there is no such thing as bad or good language/words
 
Well I just wonder if cussing fades with age? I am foul mouthed degenerate asshole, but not sure of other people. You never meet at 45 year old man using the fuck word.
 
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