Remember my previous post about Daniel Tosh?

[ladyofleithian]

Yep. We have a sequel. :/ 

For those who aren't in the know, let's say you can get the whole story here. Basically, during one of Tosh's stand-up routines about how rape jokes are funny and how rape jokes can never not be funny, someone in the audience stood up and called him out on it, causing Tosh to go on about how funny it would be if the girl was to be gang-raped immediately after by five guys. In the uproar, the owner of the club defended him, saying that he heard it differently and Tosh scrambled to edit any rape jokes out of the pilot for BRICKLEBERRY, a show he's producing. Which is a tad difficult considering that most of the pilot involves rape jokes, according to the Huffington Post.

And now, from what I've heard from the grapevine, it's gotten worse. Apparently, Tosh is calling for men to film themselves sneaking up on women and grabbing their stomachs and send him the clips as well as showing a (possibly acted?) clip on his show of a "dildo fight" that turned quickly into the rape of a teenage boy. 

*Sighs*

Fortunately, there is a petition to get him off the air. I definitely encourage you to go and sign it, if you can. 

Comments

[kinofsimon.livejournal.com]

I never thought that guy was funny. His Tosh.0 show is dumb and weird. It's all green screen of him taking videos from youtube and making fun of them. It's just...odd.

And this just shows that he's an immature little putz.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

*This*. Seriously.

[darth-eldritch.livejournal.com]

Well said.

I'm pretty thick skinned myself, but there's shit you don't joke about.

[theonlymeyouget.livejournal.com]

OK, here's what I think:

Item the First: I absolutely, totally, 100% in every way possible DISAGREE that rape jokes are funny. I've never been raped but I have been assaulted and it's messed me up pretty badly. NOT funny.

Here's the thing though... if we say "You can't discuss XYZ or say ABC in public"... where does that end? There are some "offensive" things that are important to me. Animal cruelty. BSL. Vegetarianism. I know the stories and pictures upset some people. But if it was said "You can't post pictures/descriptions of animal abuse", a lot of animals would die.

Now, I realize that's not a perfect argument. Because no one is JOKING about animal abuse. No one is saying "Wouldn't it be funny if 5 people hung this guy's pit bull?". And rape is NOTHING that should be stood up for or advocated. Ever ever EVER.

I'm not on the "It's OK because of Free Speech" bandwagon.

It's NOT OK. Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD. But at the same time, if assholes are going to be assholes, I think it's MORE effective to let them prove themselves to be assholes and eventually hang themselves because of it.

Tosh went to far. But now he's taking THAT too far by encouraging people to put their hands on women.

Fail, failed, and then failest.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

*This*. Seriously.

[forcewatcher.livejournal.com]

I'm going to have to go with Lewis Black on this one. Anything depressing or distressing in the world can be made funny by somebody, somewhere. Without a sense of humor, this world would be in tears. If the joke doesn't appeal, find one that does. Humor is subjective. There are all kinds of jokes out there where the topic is beyond offensive and the joke is somehow still funny. Look no further than the one joke that comedians tell each other because it's the foulest thing out there to tell: The Aristocrats. After hearing that one in the hands of a master, anything's tame. Anything.

Having said that, I won't defend Tosh. Comics like him are a dime a dozen and won't be remembered when this whole thing blows over. He's no George Carlin. But then, few can be.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

I know. It's the whole sexual harassment thing as well as the (seeming?) rape of a minor that just makes me a bit on edge. Plus, how he responded to that woman...? You just don't make "jokes" about someone being gang-raped. It's just not okay. (And that's an Understatement)

But that said, I do agree with you. Especially on the him not being remembered once it all blows over. (Hopefully)

[forcewatcher.livejournal.com]

There are comics who can make that funny, odd as that sounds. I know one local who WAS gang raped. She's a co-worker who moonlights as a stand-up comic. She does her routine about the ordeal as a means of dealing with it. It's all in the perspective and the delivery.

The religious say you don't make religious jokes. The pet lovers of the world say you don't make pet jokes. I won't make the blanket statement that something is all right or all wrong. The older I get, the more exceptions make themselves known where you least expect it. Again, I point to The Aristocrats. After hearing that told by the masters, Tosh's offenses are MINOR at best.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Definitely good on her, I say. How she copes with it, that is. *Prays this didn't somehow come out wrong while she was typing it*


The religious say you don't make religious jokes. The pet lovers of the world say you don't make pet jokes. I won't make the blanket statement that something is all right or all wrong. The older I get, the more exceptions make themselves known where you least expect it.

Very true, I must say! :D Still, I think at the very least, there are classier ways to handle a disgruntled audience member, and what Tosh did was not it. Now, I'm guessing in the live shows you kind of have to be fast on your feet, there isn't much time for retakes, etc. etc., but still...yeah.

I do agree that there are some comics who can pull it off, though. You'd probably have to have a lot of skill, though, I can imagine.

Honestly, I think the appeal of the Aristocrats thing is just how over-the-top appalling it is, really. That's what makes it funny. :)

[forcewatcher.livejournal.com]

Exactly it - you have to have skill to pull off something like that. Comics nowadays just go out there thinking that pushing the envelope means being rude and offensive. There's so much more to it than that. And no matter how hard we try, something is going to offend somebody somewhere. That's what the 1st Amendment is all about. I don't agree with what the guy's saying at all, but I'll defend his right to tank in front of a live audience, and I'll tell him to his face he's not funny. lol.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Comics nowadays just go out there thinking that pushing the envelope means being rude and offensive.

This, seriously.

Not to mention the whole "getting offended" part. I mean, no matter how hard you try, you're probably going to end up inadvertently hurting someone's feelings. I'm thinking if you do a scripted performance, maybe first run it by, say, some of your friends and ask them, "Hey, is this out of line?" And in cases of live shows -- well, maybe set up a bit of a back-up plan for when things go awry. That way, you can handle it gracefully, and shit won't go down on the Internet (well, hopefully).

Very true. :3 He can be as much of a dickbag as he wants, but we also have the right to tell him when he's being a dickbag. XD

[forcewatcher.livejournal.com]

Now you're getting it. The nature of most of our comedy is that it's offensive by its very nature. How many successful comics do you know make money telling clean jokes anymore? For every George Burns, there's a Sam Kennison. For every Groucho Marx, there's a Bob Saget. And when they're douchebags, absolutely tell them so! Odds are good, that's what they're wanting, and you're probably putting money in their bank by telling them so. Scary, isn't it? Remember, in show business, any publicity is GOOD publicity.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Somehow, I'm terrified thinking about that. *Buries face in hands* *Uses Lord and Lady Vader icon as a mode of solace*

[forcewatcher.livejournal.com]

Yeah... how many internet hits did this news make? And he's still nowhere near as offensive as Andrew Dice Clay was back in the day. Talk about not funny... and that guy was a legend! Tosh is just having his 15 minutes of fame. If we ignore him, he goes away, but...

We won't ignore him, not in the world of the internet.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

The Internet doesn't really leave much room for ignoring people, really. If everyone's talking about it, you bet that everyone's talking about it.

Honestly, I shudder to think of how bad Andrew Dice Clay was...

[forcewatcher.livejournal.com]

Yup. Any fool willing to paint a target on their back can make quick money now through advertising dollars alone. Content is nothing, packaging is everything.

Look up Dice on YouTube if you want to see just how down the bottom of the barrel goes - you'll get the idea. Greaser wanna-be meets barely literate bully. They still play his schtick on comedy radio channels for the simple reason that people talked about him. And even then, he's not the most offensive guy out there either.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

So very true. Seriously.


Look up Dice on YouTube if you want to see just how down the bottom of the barrel goes - you'll get the idea. Greaser wanna-be meets barely literate bully. They still play his schtick on comedy radio channels for the simple reason that people talked about him. And even then, he's not the most offensive guy out there either.

That's...even more terrifying. :P

[forcewatcher.livejournal.com]

It is, isn't it? But then, we live in a world now where Bugs Bunny or Tom and Jerry are considered offensive. More perspective.

Anyway, I just thought I'd offer the opposing view to take some of Tosh's power away from him. He's nothing and should probably be treated accordingly.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

That's...the most horrifying fact of all. XD

Well, thanks. *Hugs*

[forcewatcher.livejournal.com]

Anytime. *hugs*

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

*Hugs more*

Love your icon, BTW. :)

[forcewatcher.livejournal.com]

Thanks. lol

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome. :)

[pwalkeri.livejournal.com]

A response to Daniel Tosh's rape jokes.

AMEN, seroiusly.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

I saw it. Already posted it to Facebook. Seriously, I salute you, good sir who made that comment. You are *brilliant*. :)

[astridmyrna.livejournal.com]

I signed the petition and complained to Viacom. How this walking PR nightmare is still signed with CC I will never understand. He's not funny. He makes fun of videos with the reading-aloud skill of a first grader.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Good for you. Seriously.

And this, so very much.

[yukinoomoni.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I used to like Tosh. Tosh.0 used to be funny. But now, he just seems to be a hateful racist misogynist, and this puts the crown on his shitty little head.

Hate him. Hate hate hate hate him.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

This. Seriously.

[ophelia-violet.livejournal.com]

I've hated this douchebag with a burning passion for a while, and the fact that everyone is just now realizing he's a load of horse-shit is slightly amazing to me.

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Appropriate icon is appropriate.

And yeah. :(