[garinda]

In response to something raised in another thread, in which someone was chastised for admitting to finding a joke about a disability funny, what, if anything should be off limits when it comes to jokes?

For centuries we Brits have paid people to entertain us, and make our sometimes dreary lives a little brighter.

From Sheridan’s Mrs. Malaprop to Caroline Ahern’s Mrs. Merton, our comedians and playwrights have taken the micky out of life’s vagaries. From the uneducated in the case of Mrs Malaprop, to batty old ladies as portrayed by Ms. Ahern.

The period post the second World War was a period when comedians made jokes about everything, from their ugly mother-in-law to the darkies living next door.

With the rise of political correctness in the 1980’s, the days of the old school comedians seemed to be numbered. People like Jimmy Tarbuck and co. were dropped from the television schedules quicker than a hot brick, to be replaced by the men in shiny suits like Ben Elton.

In the last ten years there has been a move away from comedy that might be deemed politically correct. We can now see on the box queer performers telling jokes about gay life, black women making fun of their husband’s, even...gasp, white middle class men making jokes about how ugly the girl they picked up last night was, when they had their beer goggles on.

People since the dawn of language have made jokes about the things that make them nervous, embarrassed, or just at a loss for words to express themselves any other way, except through making light of it. Just think how many hours after a terrible tragedy do jokes about it start to circulate? Is it wrong to wince a laugh, does it demean the victims?

So, what do you think should be off target when it comes to making a joke, or is it anything goes, if it makes someone smile?