Posted: July 13th, 2015

Offensive humor

For your third assignment, you should find an attempt at humor that some people consider offensive. It could be a single joke, viral video, TV episode, movie, etc. (Don’t go for longer than a movie.) You can choose something you like but think others might be offended by it. You can also choose something that other people laughed at but you felt was offensive or in bad taste. Pick whichever would be easiest and answer the following questions.

1. Briefly describe the attempt at humor, and why some may find it offensive. 2. Are there clear social groups involved, where a member of that group is more likely to be offended? What are they? (This could probably be one sentence.) 3. Is the person who is trying to be funny a member of the group most likely to be offended? 4. Does the identity of the person who is trying to be funny in this case affect whether you find them funny?