Music Banter - View Single Post - The Daniel Tosh Incident
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Old 07-18-2012, 08:38 PM   #15 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by Pedestrian View Post
I think it's really easy to stand on the outside of a topic like this and say there isn't a problem.
I'm not doing that. Rape is clearly a problem but comedians joking about it is not. I'll explain my position further.
Comedians serve a purpose to their audiences by enabling catharsis. If you are just plain offended by any talk of taboos then you probably don't want or need this type of catharsis.

But comedians like Tosh are successful because a lot of people want (and possibly need) to be able to laugh at the most disgusting, most foul things that our world has to offer. Does Tosh really "like" rape? No. Does Louie CK actually hate his daughter and think that it's okay to rape people because they won't willingly have sex with you? Of course not. But joking about those things is funny. It makes me laugh.
This art form is a cure for misery, like it or not. It's not real. It's entertainment. To me (and apparently millions of other people who don't actually approve of rape or racism or sexism) it's an important form of entertainment. It chases away bad feelings in a unique way and the best comedians are actually incredibly sensitive people if you look deeply into the culture of their profession.

That's why I think this Tosh thing is bullshit. It happens all the time. He didn't just totally lose his **** like the Seinfeld guy did and that's an important distinction. That guy got so mad at a heckler that he went on a verbal rampage like someone with road rage. Tosh may have become angry at the woman but he responded in a way that's in accordance with the way comedians work.

If his TV show is cancelled it will be because the network carrying it loses money over this. That's the only reason. To me, that's more offensive than rape jokes.
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