Yeah, kind of like Comedy Central Roast where the roastee and roasters all agree to be roasted. Roasting people outside of your gigs or comedy circle just seems unecessarily cruel and mean-spirited.
yes that would be called “punching down” which most people don’t enjoy Like no one would like if you tore a 99yo special needs grandmother apart, because she isn’t shooting anything back.
A lot of people think they're being funny when they're just being mean. As if they haven't developed past grade school humor and expect people to still laugh because they want to be in the "in group" instead of laughing at something that's actually funny. Comedians know that it HAS to be funny. Funny first, mean second.
Are there not also people who are too sensitive and take anything said to them, not just by a comedian, to heart? Some people need to learn to identify a joke vs a comment said with ill intent.
@@TheMr02drop yeah a lot of times people make 'jokes' just to scan where your boundries lie. If you are around a lot off perverts, be sure they will test out the waters with some disgusting comments first and call them jokes, same with racists, cruel people ect: are you one off us, can we easily victimise you, will you run and tell ect
@@MyNameIsRow01 There are lots of people who get mad at people like Dave Chappelle. He is a very good comedian. More often it's the person who takes the joke personally and not the fault of the comedian.
There's "None of us are above being laughed at, we shouldn't take ourselves too seriously", and then there's "You better laugh, or I might turn on you next." The former is funny; the latter is a threat painted as comedy.
I think most comedians are “mean” but the truly good ones are “mean” in a way that the audience *knows* it’s not with any malice or actual hate. There are some great ones who are just fuckin mean, like I love Lewis Black. That man does nothing but yell and talk mad shit, and it’s hilarious. At least I think so. I also personally love Mike Birbiglia, and that guy is so soft and placid. Whenever he’s “mean” it ends up just becoming self deprecating.😂 He also doesn’t even swear all that much I don’t think, and tends to talk a lot about serious life issues, in a relatable way that’s also a bit dark. He’s never outright “mean” about anyone. He might even make a joke about someone and follow it up with a “nah I’m kiddin, I love the guy… he’s actually awesome.” and negate the whole meanness. I like that style. It’s really about delivery.
Lol the only guy Mike Birbibliography was mean to was the kid that booked him a hotel room not on the first floor...leading to him having a full on breakdown, one might say his first "Goddammnnit I'm eating PRETZELS 🥨 moment"
Self deprecating humor is the most hilarious, in fact, all humor is generally funny if it's been established that you love/respect/care deeply about the subject. The more personal it is the funnier, it takes all the sting out of it, and a good comedian can make a compliment a joke: I Love Lucy.
It's not that, it's in the same vein as Black Comedy/Gallows Humor. Men verbally punch eachother to improve or challenge eachother's thick skin and wit. It's not cruel, it's well intentioned bullying meant to improve your character.
@@noizetank6122 Interesting theory, but I don't find it persuasive. Most comics are not manly, competitive people. They're like the weird kid in school. In the past two weeks I've seen two interviews about two different comics each of which said "he had a tough childhood and/or relationship with his dad." Jerry Seinfeld didn't seem to have this, but in his latest long-form interview he hints at how much being critical and expressing his frustration with things in life that just don't "square" (my word) is important to his humor.
The best comedians take you just across mean. Retreat and keep toeing but never cross fully. Restraint is hard for comedians. The negative spaces speak, only people that study and craft it fully understand how to manipulate it. In my opinion awkward and cringe humor are cheap. Mean is cheap and easy when it’s direct. Crafting a story and point of view and expanding it to a common human trait we all laugh at. That’s art. Point a finger at yourself to join humanity in the banality of our existence and make it funny is legend.
My sister is like this, she’s not a comedian but probably the funniest person I know. There is not a soul on earth she would spare when it comes to a joke. 😂😂😂
Not be mean. Comedians need to be clever. The problem is "clever" is irrespective of the feelings of others. We funny people need to be clever. And we need to share the clever thing we just created.
@@biegebythesea6775 Meh I guess it isn't, but I think some people lose their spark as they age and life piles on, and feel like Sona will always be Sona. It's more her personality than anything, but I do realize my tone might've sounded creepy over the internet
Oh, heck yeah... Jiminy Glick was the funniest mean guy characterI I have ever seen. Sooo entertaining to see how his guests handled the subtle and not so subtle jabs.
The nature of humor is that: You have to be laughing AT something. Even if "something" is existence or an object. You're still, in essence, mocking something. And being mean.
Good comedians don't have to resort to being mean to get laughs. They're just naturally funny without attacking their audience. I never liked Rickles or people like him because they made their living off of insults and hurtful behavior. True comedians don't have to engage in such despicable acts .
That sounds like a description of every gathering of black people I've been to, including my family. Done competitively it's called the dozens, as in playing the dozens. It's generally meant to be friendly.
I think that's a great observation. Basically, to word it differently, socially, we don't joke at others expenses. Comedians do because well it's their job. That's where the mean comes from. 2 comedians will go abck and forth with this. Then comes the cruelty discussed. Cruel is when the comedian makes the joke, it was clearly very hurtful to the person, and they keep going. Yeah, sure you can make anything funny, but you're being a blatant asshole seeing someone *socially* hurt and continuing on. Because your social setting isn't the public. Your material in the public is fair game because it's for anyone to view at their choosing. But being in front of someone and making jokes at their expense they are clearly being hurt by is just bullying in its truest form. How funny a joke is doesn't matter above your social interactions, it matter for your public presentation. "Mean" in this context is saying the joke that *is* funny but not the most polite in a standard social setting, which comedians will do, and we non-comedians refrain from because it's usually rude. This doesn't mean comedians are actual assholes, just that the humor is their first thought, and typically how they communicate initially. Because their profession is always the funny coming first. But a comedian isn't inherently mean in a literal sense, as kind people who are also comedians, will lay off the joke, as they value the social bond over some laughs.
You can be mean, but punch up. If you’re mean and punch down and hurt someone, that’s not funny. Comedians subvert the power dynamic and take risks by doing so, but no one gets hurt so it’s funny. The targets of humour should be above taking offence.
@@InformationIsTheEdge Right. Not mean as in cruel. Mean as in pushing the boundary of polite and honest with maby just a degree too much of the latter.
DSP showing the tax folder and paper that the camera can’t pick up any writing on gives me massive two kids stacked in a trenchcoat vibes. “One alcohol, please. After all, I am a grown man.”
I'm reminded of Bo Burnham addressing hecklers back when his career was getting going. He became so verbally abusive towards these people, and I thought, Yep, that's how you get famous in showbiz... you fight your way to the top.
I mean, if ur literally asking for it by fucking with the comedian u dont really have room to cry about them being "mean" when they snap back 😂 i love seeing hecklers put in their place and then escorted out for being a bummer and a nuisance.
It's why roasts are really only for comedians & true lovers of comedy. The goal is for the best humor to break into reality, and then break reality itself.
It's funny you say that because roasts are the only times you see non comedians presenting themselves as funny. Without the crutch of insulting people a lot of "roast" comics are usually pretty comedically impotent, such as Jeff Ross or Lisa Lampanelli. So I would argue roasts are primarily for people that enjoy comedy at it its most superficial level
Cuz comedy is just the cool fun side of social swaggering and dominance. You can either take over a room by being the biggest muscles there. Being the most charismatic one there. Or being the subject matter expert. Comedy is saying the intrusive thoughts, noticing of "the other", or pointing out dicotomy or brokedness within a structure. But in a funny kinda borderline acceptable way 😂😂 This is why people with "the tisms" can be the funniest people alive. Cuz they see n deal with those three things mentioned above ALL the time, and if they get down delivery to where strangers get it quick. Thats a 40yr career of laughs right there!
It only occurs as mean if you take your self too seriously. If a joke gets a laugh, it’s funny. if it’s funny, it has at least a seed of truth. If the truth hurts, you have a problem with reality, and that’s on you.
When I finished the eighth grade, I was the class Valedictorian. (Stupid thing to have, I think, but whatever.) I cracked some jokes in my speech and got like 90% of the audience to laugh. The principal found the written version of my speech and read it after the graduation, then proceeded to put out an all-call (how we refer to automated calling of all parents of a class) to apologize for my words. It's kinda hilarious looking back on it, but she obviously just wasn't in on the joke I guess.
My sister used to get so upset with my parents because they would laugh at the mean things I said to her. It kind of undermined them chastising me when they're laughing. Relentless bullying is my family's love language.
They never set down with a bunch of french people, talking french and just laughing their a** off of you in french in a mockery kind of way about you. Because that's their biggest pattern... I work with frenchman 5times a week... they are all very kind and friendly, but that's how they interact even in between them
I can’t and won’t believe Martin Short is mean-spirited. He seems like a truly lovely man. He knows when the performance ends. Not a lot of entertainers do.
