Brocket 99..... It wasn't me

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Not if you aren't the intended audience.

Okay. Carry on....

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Not if you aren't the intended audience.

You're missing the point. That's now like as if I was saying a KKK rally shouldn't offend anyone because you weren't there. The two key points to what I was saying are context and comedy.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by btimbit

You're missing the point. That's now like saying a KKK rally shouldn't offend anyone because you weren't there. The two key points to what I was saying are context and comedy.

Okay, so what is the context here? Was it a couple First Nations dudes making jokes about their own culture? That would certainly change the context.

The "comedy" in the whole thing was laughing at stereotypes, insults, and jokes aimed at another group of people. That's what it was.

Trying to go back and say "it was just a couple fellows having a laugh at the people they know..." is bull####. The people who made the tape don't even want to be identified.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Okay, so what is the context here? Was it a couple First Nations dudes making jokes about their own culture? That would certainly change the context.

The "comedy" in the whole thing was laughing at stereotypes, insults, and jokes aimed at another group of people. That's what it was.

Trying to go back and say "it was just a couple fellows having a laugh at the people they know..." is bull####. The people who made the tape don't even want to be identified.

It was a couple of dinks who worked at a radio station who had heard a parody tape and decided to do their own as a joke amongst themselves. They lived in Lethbridge so wanted to play on the stereotypes of the first nations people around them. Again, it's all in the name of comedy, you're making the mistake of taking it serious.

To me it's hardly different than the way Chappelle's Show made fun of black, latino and white stereotypes when it was on. Maybe a slightly touchier topic because of the area, but still in the name of comedy.

I'm not saying you have to find it funny, but it's not like this tape is worsening any of the situations they parody.

[V]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

The "comedy" in the whole thing was laughing at stereotypes, insults, and jokes aimed at another group of people. That's what it was.

Isn't that consistent with about 50% of stand up comedy out there?

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Again, it's all in the name of comedy, you're making the mistake of taking it serious.

Comedians in blackface were "funny" too. I'm sure you can see how people would be offended by that.

Just because someone says "it's in the name of comedy" doesn't automatically give it a free pass.

Originally Posted by btimbit

I'm not saying you have to find it funny, but it's not like this tape is worsening any of the situations they parody.cc

I did find it funny, when I was young and stupid. Now I'm just old and stupid, but at least now I can see it for what it is, or at least what it became, and what it became was a thing that white kids laughed at, and the only context was "ha ha drunk Indians".

That stereotype has never gone away. Even as an adult (though I try to steer clear of these types of people) I've heard people pull out the Brocket 99 "accent", and while it's probably meant as a joke, the object of that joke would not think it's funny. And the person doing it would, of course, be a racist moron.

[btimbit]

You're not wrong but it's no different than any other comedy based on race or stereotypes. This one is "ha ha drunk Indians" but what about the "ha ha lazy Mexicans" or "ha ha dumb rednecks", etc.

I get that this one hits a little closer to home because of the demographic in this area but to me it's still just comedy. And like I said, my wife is half native, the #### they're joking about on Brocket I've seen from my dumbass brother in law and her cousins. I like being able to make light of it, it's just a bit of fun.

[northcrunk]

Wow people really are uptight these days. It was comedy, there really is no right or wrong in comedy and there are a few examples of if going to far where comediens face a big backlash (kramer melt down for example). Most topics are not taboo for comedy and what Chapelle did on his show was much more 'racist' than Brocket 99 was. Everyone should be able to laught at themselves IMO and not be so damn serious all the time. The instant outrage of the internet gets annoying sometimes.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by northcrunk

The instant outrage of the internet gets annoying sometimes.

The tape is nearly 30 years-old and people were outraged by it when it first saw the light of day.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by btimbit

You're not wrong but it's no different than any other comedy based on race or stereotypes. This one is "ha ha drunk Indians" but what about the "ha ha lazy Mexicans" or "ha ha dumb rednecks", etc.

I get that this one hits a little closer to home because of the demographic in this area but to me it's still just comedy. And like I said, my wife is half native, the #### they're joking about on Brocket I've seen from my dumbass brother in law and her cousins. I like being able to make light of it, it's just a bit of fun.

Yeah, fair enough. I guess it depends on the spirit of the thing, and the spirit of that thing (to me at least) never seemed to be a "we're laughing with you" parody, its got a somewhat darker "we're laughing at you" feeling to it.

Like I can laugh at Chris Rock talking about being poor and his family using Robitussin to treat every ailment including a broken leg, but he's not actually insulting black people, he's making a joke about something he knows, including his own family.

Maybe the guys behind Brocket99 were just a couple dinks screwing around at work and the truth is "they weren't hateful, or racist, they were just having a laugh about people they know", but it never came across that way to me.

[blueski]

Originally Posted by getbak

The tape is nearly 30 years-old and people were outraged by it when it first saw the light of day.

With many outrageous laughters too.

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Yeah, fair enough. I guess it depends on the spirit of the thing, and the spirit of that thing (to me at least) never seemed to be a "we're laughing with you" parody, its got a somewhat darker "we're laughing at you" feeling to it.

That's certainly fair. And like I mentioned earlier, if you take away the perspective and the comedic undertones it is definitely racist. It's just that age old debate on where the line is drawn when it comes to comedy.

Is it offensive? Absolutely. There's no doubt about that. But I also get a kick out of offensive comedy (Jim Jeffries anyone?)

[fatso]

offensive humour is defensible when it's showing you something you hadn't thought about or illuminating why we might think the way we do. Actual artists like Bill Burr, Louis CK, Chris Rock, Bill Maher, etc., all make race-related jokes all the time, but it's funny or at least defensible because they're trying to make a bigger point (even if as a member of their audience you don't agree with the point).

Impersonating stereotypes isn't funny, or defensible, because it's not showing you anything. Russell Peters or Carlos Mencia are unimaginative hacks in this respect. They get a pass for ripping on their own people, I suppose, but what they do certainly isn't funny.

I vaguely remember this Brocket 99 thing. Checking it out now on youtube, admittedly briefly, it's offensive. Is it defensible? Well, it's certainly not funny. Is it making some kind of broader comment? It's just impersonating stereotypes so no. I don't hear anything redeemable about it. Apparently neither do its creators.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by fatso

offensive humour is defensible when it's showing you something you hadn't thought about or illuminating why we might think the way we do. Actual artists like Bill Burr, Louis CK, Chris Rock, Bill Maher, etc., all make race-related jokes all the time, but it's funny or at least defensible because they're trying to make a bigger point (even if as a member of their audience you don't agree with the point).

Impersonating stereotypes isn't funny, or defensible, because it's not showing you anything. Russell Peters or Carlos Mencia are unimaginative hacks in this respect. They get a pass for ripping on their own people, I suppose, but what they do certainly isn't funny.

I vaguely remember this Brocket 99 thing. Checking it out now on youtube, admittedly briefly, it's offensive. Is it defensible? Well, it's certainly not funny. Is it making some kind of broader comment? It's just impersonating stereotypes so no. I don't hear anything redeemable about it. Apparently neither do its creators.

Except Russel Peters is the hottest comic in the world right now. He is selling out stadiums while many very good comedians are playing casino show rooms.

The thing with comedy is that nobody is an authority on what is funny, it is an art form, just like music. Some of the hottest music out there I would say is awful, yet the sales tell another story, so I just don't listen to it. Comedy is the same, I think Modern Family and the Big Bang Theory are awful, yet there is a large portion of people out there who enjoy laugh track comedies. I can say to myself that these shows suck, but to tell my Mother In Law who is 60 some years old that the show is not funny is wrong, she laughs her teeth out at these shows. I like the Mike Tyson Mysteries and The Trailer Park Boys, I laugh at racist jokes, I'm an entirely different audience. Though Brocket 99 does not hold up much anymore, to say it is "not funny" is like me saying Lil Wayne does not make music.

I grew up in the "words will never hurt me" era, media and society has since deemed words more offensive then real actions and violence and now everything is unacceptable. For whatever reason talking with my East Indian accent makes me racist, no matter how well I treat and interact with them, respect them and their culture and help them adjust to a new life in Canada (FWIW at my wife's job the mix is about 50/50 Canadians and New Canadians).

It's not only race based comedy either, I can listen to Dice rattling off the nursery rhymes day in and day out. Jokes against Catholicism and Christianity have become very socially acceptable while jokes mocking Jewish or Muslim religions are taboo.

[Jordan!]

Brocket 99 was amazing