George Carlin said, "I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately." True, or just an excuse for outrageous, attention getting comedy?
by 
Jim in a Nautilus COAT
ANSWERS: 12
-
True! I rather like it, myself!
-
True.....a duty without a doubt...just like Lenny Bruce before him. :)
-
It's true. This is how we progress, if someone didn't cross the line occasionally, we'd still be stuck in pilgrim suits with tight buckles and Puritan straight-laced seriousness.
-
True, crossing the line has opened the door to many debates that needed debating weather its political, racial, gender oriented and such. Its made the world a better place.
-
True Humor has the ability to draw us out, to provoke us, to gently and sometimes not so gently force us to examine our positions, politics and relationships and smart humor is often quite insightful. Base, coarse humor that originates in bodily functions and that sort of thing is easily done but it takes an intelligent person to find that line and to cross it. That's the sort of humor I appreciate.
-
True, and his line crossing always had a purpose. It took being outrageous and provocative to bring the right kind of attention to his type of social commentary comedy. He will be missed.
-
George Carlin was an iconoclast who believed in free expression and thought. He helped improve our culture, making it more tolerant.
-
I think they are one and the same, Jim, not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that. But look at the people who make their living specifically due to outrageous behavior. There is tons of money to be made in it. As long as the audience is enjoying it too, then everyone wins. WHen the audience has had enough they'll let the person know it. +5
-
absolutely true
-
If the comedian is as intelligent as George Carlin, I think it's moral duty. If it's Howie Mandel or Jeff Dunham (both funny, but not rocket scientists), not so much.
-
I think it is true. I myself have always considered comedy to be the art of the unexpected.
-
I don't think it's the duty of every comedian. If they want to be thought provoking though, then, yeah. I don't know of any other way they could be other than to cross the lines.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC