# Do you find censored profanity funnier than uncensored? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 29, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465 "2010-07-29T15:37:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/21 "2010-07-30T07:05:23Z")
There are times when it’s just horrible, like when they tweak song lyrics or try to play movies like Goodfellas on network TV. It’s funny when you can see the lips say “Asshole” but the words that come out are “butthead” or something else unrelated. Then you get classics like “Do you see what happens when you meet a stranger in the Alps and you feed him scrambled eggs?” off The Big Lebowski. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/22 "2010-07-30T07:56:53Z")
I recall a Playboy cartoon from long ago. The first panel is an interview show, a la Johnny Carson, and the guest says, “And I told them I don’t give a damn.” In the second panel, a family is watching the show on TV, and the guest says, “And I told them I don’t give a _beeeep_”. The though bubbles over the family’s heads reads, “fuck?” “shit?” “crap?” ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/23 "2010-07-30T09:03:33Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > > [@madmonk28](#): > > > > It can be, for example on Arrested Development used it very well. Buster gives a bleep laden rant that you just know was bizarre, the looks on his family’s face was awesome. > > When I read the title of this thread, I decided to post about that very scene. And there was another similar one where Michael responds with “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, buddy.” When Buster goes on his bleep filled rant about his mother that ends with the phrase “you old horny slut,” I fall out laughing every time. The look on his siblings face from amusement at the start of the rant to discomfort to absolute shock is one of the funniest moments in TV. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/24 "2010-07-30T11:04:24Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Haven’t Trey parker and Matt Stone said that they don’t really have to bleep _South Park_, but that they do it because they think it’s funnier? I wouldn’t be surprised. They did do that episode where the kids said the word “shit” over and over, uncensored. Ah, here we go - [It Hits the Fan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Hits_the_Fan). 162 utterances of the word “shit,” with a counter running in the corner of the screen. The article does mention needing to run the concept by Comedy Central execs, so I suspect they mean something like, “it’s funnier with bleeping - we probably could have persuaded them to let a few swear words past earlier, something huge needed approval, and these days they obviously know there isn’t a big deal since the episode didn’t create much controversy.” ---
**Author:** ![Gustav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Gustav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gustav)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/25 "2010-07-30T12:50:30Z")
Good imaginative cursing is funnier than bleeping, which is funnier than bad unimaginative cursing. ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/26 "2010-07-31T15:45:02Z")
Joel McHale does bleeped profanity on The Soup quite a bit. To me, the fact that it’s bleeped sounds funnier than if you heard what he said. They also bleeped a lot on Whose Line Is it Anyway. One example of the bleeping sounding funnier is when Colin Mochrie introduces a song called “You Yellow Bellied, Lilly Livered Oooh, (bleep)!” The word he said was ‘mother’. For me, hearing ‘mother’ would be nowhere near as funny as hearing the bleep, and I’m assuming Colin knew it would come out that way on television. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/27 "2010-07-31T18:25:15Z")
[quote=“begbert2, post:16, topic:548465”] > [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > O…and which caused the bible he was holding to burst into flame… “Xander, don’t speak Latin in front of the books.” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2010, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/28 "2010-08-01T08:11:51Z")
I enjoy profanity, but I do find bleeped profanity even funnier. The funniest case of it I’ve ever come across was from the Sam & Max game, Season 2. [spoiler]There was a young rat named Timmy whose running gag was that he was constantly being bleeped. This isn’t the funniest Timmy bit, but it’s on YouTube: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ybza0RXWgzY/hqdefault.jpg "Sam & Max - Teen P\*\*\*\*") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybza0RXWgzY) It turns out that there was a department in hell in charge of bleeping words. To advance the story, you have to find out the name of a certain character, which Timmy knows, but it keeps getting bleeped. So, you go down to hell and replace the list of bleeped words with a grocery list. Then, when you talk to Timmy again, not only does it turn out that the words he was getting bleeped on weren’t all that profane (freakin’, heck, and the like) but now he’s getting bleeped on words you know are actually groceries, and it’s still hillarious. The name, by the way, turned out to be Dick Peacock. > **[\- YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIKfWLQ8me8%5B%2Fspoiler%5D)** > > Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2010, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/29 "2010-08-01T08:33:28Z")
And then you have Mrs Doyle from Father Ted going off on [a foul-mouthed rant](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCJK_yDAeOM), and that would have been crap with bleeping. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2010, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/30 "2010-08-01T08:40:12Z")
Ofttimes, yes. The only time regular profanity is funnier is when it is actually shocking. The beep simulates the shocking factor by implying impropriety and being annoying enough, so it won’t be used. When the profanity is actually replaced, the word choice if often deliberately funny, and the way people respond to it like it’s real cursing adds to the humor. And again they don’t want to overuse it, not only because lip lock is hard, but also because it will make people focus on it too much. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2010, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/31 "2010-08-01T09:17:56Z")
Also, I found an [old TV Land commercial](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU8fHw6KHJQ) that’s similar to the Count video. Remember this actually aired on TV, and watch the lips. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2010, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/32 "2010-08-01T12:33:37Z")
> [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > And then you have Mrs Doyle from Father Ted going off on [a foul-mouthed rant](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCJK_yDAeOM), and that would have been crap with bleeping. Not available here unfortunately. Can you give me a rundown? Was it the Irish swearing typical of the rest of the show? Feck arse etc. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/33 "2010-08-01T15:37:40Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Generally, yes. I think Adam Sandler’s “Ode to My Car” is much funnier in the version with with car horns beeping out the obscene words. > > One of the funnier bits on “I’m Sorry, I’ll Read That Again” was the “Julie Andrews Songbook (expurgated version)”. They played her performance of songs from “My Fair Lady” with harmless words beeped out. > > > [@](#): > > > > "All I want is a (beep) somewhere, > > Far away from the cold night air > > With one enormous (beep) > > Oh wouldn’t it be loverly? … > > > > Lots of chocolate for me to eat > > Lots of coal makin’ lots of heat > > Warm (beep), warm (beep), warm (beep)…" > > > > “If you’re in love, (beep) me” On probably the same show, they did a censored version of “I could have danced all night”. Equally amusing. I could have (bleep) all night! I could have (bleep) all night! And still have begged for more. I could have spread my (bleep) And done a thousand (bleep) I’ve never done before. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/34 "2010-08-01T18:12:51Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > > [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > > > And then you have Mrs Doyle from Father Ted going off on [a foul-mouthed rant](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCJK_yDAeOM), and that would have been crap with bleeping. > > Not available here unfortunately. Can you give me a rundown? Was it the Irish swearing typical of the rest of the show? Feck arse etc. There was several big, hairy bollocks, an arse or two, a few bastards and lots of the “F” word. And not “fecking”, mind you! ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/35 "2010-08-01T22:20:18Z")
One of the local Chicago radio stations (WXRT), not long after the whole hubbub about Janet Jackson’s exposed breast on TV, did a April Fool’s prank where they claimed that the FCC was really cracking down on obscenity, and that therefore they would be censoring their songs more heavily. So the next song on is Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why.” Clean song, right? For the joke, they pulled out all of these obnoxious sound effects (like “boi-oi-oiiiiinggggg” and kazoos and so on), and blanked out words like each instance of the word “come,” “ecstasy,” “wine,” etc. I was laughing pretty hard by the end. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/36 "2010-08-03T01:59:59Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > The “clean” version of the Jay-Z song “Can I Get A…” on a Def Jam compilation CD a friend of mine had always cracked me up. Dogs woofing, whistles, car horns, all for less than half a second each. On top of replacing the lyrics “Can I get a FUCK YOU” with “Can I get a what-what”. It’s like they went waaaay over the top to show how fundamentally “unclean” their hip-hop was/is, that to sanitize it was to sillify it. This reminds me of the version of Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” that they played on local radio station KROQ here in LA. “I wanna **[dog bark]** you like an animal…” Still makes me laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Engineer\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc29f/32.png) [@Engineer\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engineer_Dude)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/37 "2010-08-03T17:06:01Z")
The funniest example of bleeped speech that I’ve seen is the episode of the X-Files called “Jose Chung’s From Outer Space”. Most of that episode is flashbacks while someone else is telling a story, and whenever they get to someone swearing (within the person’s story) they actually say the word “bleep”. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF0I2h8xx-0](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF0I2h8xx-0) ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/38 "2010-08-03T22:39:23Z")
> [@Joe Frickin Friday](#): > > Jimmy Kimmel has a recurring segment called [Unnecessary Censorship.](http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=unnecessary+censorship&aq=f) Mundane, non-profane video clips are shown with certain words bleeped out from time to time, giving the impression that the speaker is swearing like a sailor, or discussing subject matter they are not actually discussing. It can be pretty funny, since many times the speakers are people who have never been seen swearing in public. The [Lost](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di3w1yV4Ehg) one is truly exceptional. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465/39 "2010-08-03T22:42:49Z")
> [@Joe Frickin Friday](#): > > Jimmy Kimmel has a recurring segment called [Unnecessary Censorship.](http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=unnecessary+censorship&aq=f) Mundane, non-profane video clips are shown with certain words bleeped out from time to time, giving the impression that the speaker is swearing like a sailor, or discussing subject matter they are not actually discussing. It can be pretty funny, since many times the speakers are people who have never been seen swearing in public. That sounds like it could be fun, although for the most part, my opinion is that Jimmy Kimmel would be a lot funnier if his whole show were one long bleep. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-censored-profanity-funnier-than-uncensored/548465.md?page=1)