# Things that seemed funny at the time but you couldn't get away with them now **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comedian-jokes\ **Created:** [September 25, 2020, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472 "2020-09-25T04:50:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/101 "2020-10-02T16:18:19Z")
For the record, I laughed my ass off at these videos and didn’t feel guilty. ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/102 "2020-10-02T20:48:38Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > The NYT has an article last weekend about blackface. I was unaware it appeared so often in the 2000s: and by people like Jimmy Fallon ( _The Man Show_ ), in _30 Rock_ **twice** , _The Office_ and quite a few bad but popular movies. The **30 Rock** episodes featuring blackface have been pulled out of circulation: [https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/23/entertainment/30-rock-episodes-blackface-trnd/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/23/entertainment/30-rock-episodes-blackface-trnd/index.html) Another **30 Rock** episode which featured a fake Fox News chyron that read “Exclusive Interview With Kenyan Liar,” a reference to Barack Obama birther conspiracy, is also being pulled. I disagree with that decision. The joke in question is _mocking_ the birther movement, and ridiculing Fox News for treating it as a legitimate “controversy”. ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/103 "2020-10-02T20:52:56Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > I remember that. I remember it as a rant against necrophilia not homosexuality. Correct. There had been a recent news item where some mortician had been arrested for ‘desecration of a human corpse’ for using them for, um, sexually gratifying himself. Kinison was riffing on that. The joke was basically, “Even after you’re dead, you’re _still_ not safe from the craziness of this world.” I don’t think the joke would’ve worked if he’d attempted to reference a female mortician abusing his dead body. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/104 "2020-10-02T20:54:53Z")
> [@LLCoolL](#): > > Another **30 Rock** episode which featured a fake Fox News chyron that read “Exclusive Interview With Kenyan Liar,” a reference to Barack Obama birther conspiracy, is also being pulled. I disagree with that decision. The joke in question is _mocking_ the birther movement, and ridiculing Fox News for treating it as a legitimate “controversy”. The blackface episodes were also mocking blackface as horrible and cringeworthy, but now the subject is so toxic that even satirizing it is unacceptable to many. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/105 "2020-10-02T20:57:40Z")
Never seen the show, although I did read Bossypants. The article listed ten recent examples, not including two less public interludes featuring Canada’s leader. I do remember laughing heavily at SNL’s _whiteface_ when Eddie Murphy put on makeup and found he was able to get generous bank loans, receive free money and gifts and join in “bus parties”. His ice cream bit would now be contentious. So would looking mighty fine in jeans and Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood . A gifted comedian. ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/106 "2020-10-02T21:01:20Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > People may have used (Sam Kinison’s act) as an escape from political correctness, but he believed in what he preached. > > Sam was a man who had his heart broken and was pissed off over it so he ranted against women and marriage. Interestingly, Kinison married a Moroccan-American actress six days before his death. > **[Sam Kinison | Death](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Kinison#Death)** > > On April 10, 1992, Kinison was driving his Pontiac Turbo Trans Am when it was struck head-on on Needles Highway (.mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}34°53′46″N 114°38′42″W / 34.896180°N 114.644944°W / 34.896180; -114.644944 (Sam Kinis Kin... ---
**Author:** ![LLCoolL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/llcooll/32/3596_2.png) [@LLCoolL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LLCoolL)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/107 "2020-10-02T21:10:49Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > The blackface episodes were also mocking blackface as horrible and cringeworthy, but now the subject is so toxic that even satirizing it is unacceptable to many. I guess that’s where we are now. I think it’s sad if even mentioning a topic is deemed out of bounds. Reminds me of some Christian fundamentalists out there who think: “You can’t show King David consorting with Bathsheba, because that’s _adultery_! Think of the children!” Um, yeah - that’s what the story says. And King David winds up paying a very heavy price for it. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/108 "2020-10-07T06:19:36Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > Several things come to mind. First, the “lovable drunk,” the “town drunk,” drunk acts (like Foster Brooks) or drunk jokes in general. [Drunk History - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drunk_History) Canceled in 2019, but now in Australia. Also, [comedy while drunk - Bing video](https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=comedy+while+drunk&qpvt=comedy+while+drunk&FORM=VDRE) People still think drunks are funny. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/109 "2020-10-07T09:22:24Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Jimmy Fallon Wrong late night Jimmy. It was Kimmel, not Fallon. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/110 "2020-10-07T13:35:10Z")
You’re probably right. Been a while since I looked at the article, and (much longer ago) only saw the TV show a few times. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/111 "2020-10-07T13:42:42Z")
> [@LLCoolL](#): > > Interestingly, Kinison married a Moroccan-American actress six days before his death. Yep. He always said he was stupid and would fall for it again. But he believed in what he ranted about and stated numerous times in interviews that his statements weren’t just an act. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/112 "2020-10-07T14:42:09Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > Wrong late night Jimmy. It was Kimmel, not Fallon. Both the Jimmys have done it. From the CNN article upthread: > [Jimmy Fallon’s blackface portrayal](https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/26/entertainment/jimmy-fallon-apology/index.html) of Chris Rock on “Saturday Night Live” in 2000 made the rounds again earlier this year, while [Jimmy Kimmel’s blackface impression](https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/07/us/celebrities-in-blackface-list-trnd/index.html) of NBA player Karl Malone resurfaced last year. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/113 "2020-10-07T14:51:21Z")
(Too late to edit.) Anyway, these examples differ from the 30 Rock episodes, in that the Jimmys were actually _doing_ blackface, while Krakowski was _playing a character_ doing blackface. Granted, that line can get blurry, but there does need to be a line. Otherwise fictional characters could never do anything objectionable, and how boring would that be? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/114 "2020-10-07T14:59:19Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Anyway, these examples differ from the 30 Rock episodes, in that the Jimmys were actually _doing_ blackface, while Krakowski was _playing a character_ doing blackface. > Granted, that line can get blurry, but there does need to be a line. Otherwise fictional characters could never do anything objectionable, and how boring would that be? I don’t know which side of the line Robert Downey’s performance in Tropic Thunder goes. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/115 "2020-10-07T18:36:42Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I don’t know which side of the line Robert Downey’s performance in Tropic Thunder goes. He was very clearly playing a character who wore blackface, and the movie specifically condemns and mocks the practice. That’s why he’s never faced any significant blowback for it, he wasn’t using blackface to play the part of a black guy or to mock a black person or black people in general, he was mocking the practice itself (and acting as the butt of the jokes and criticism). ---
**Author:** ![thdudescar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thdudescar/32/4638_2.png) [@thdudescar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thdudescar)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/116 "2020-10-07T19:52:02Z")
Lifeguard (1976) Sam Elliott has an affair with an under age girl. No big deal. Teenager gropes girls under the waves and steals their bikini tops. Now that’s funny! Old man exposes himself to females at the beach. Pffft, he’s harmless. And more… ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/117 "2020-10-07T21:36:29Z")
How about the movie Animal House: ”Daddy, this is Larry Kroger, the boy who molested me last month. We have to get married”. This after she told Larry she was only 13 prior to having sex with him on a football field. Of course, AH might fall into the South Park exception of being in bad taste just for the purpose of being in bad taste, and thus acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/118 "2020-10-07T22:51:37Z")
Re: blackface The suits of _Mad Men_ have declined to remove the episode where Roger Sterling dons blackface for his wedding party. > **[Why 'Mad Men' is keeping its blackface episode upon its return to streaming](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2020-07-01/mad-men-blackface-episode-streaming-amazon)** > > Lionsgate has decided not to pull an episode of "Mad Men" featuring a character in blackface, but a disclaimer explaining the choice will be added. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2020, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/119 "2020-10-07T22:52:25Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > This was from just a few years ago, but on Modern Family there was an ep where Mitch and Cam were competing for adopted, Asian daughter Lily’s affection. Cam buys here a battery operated car which she crashes. One of the guys says “well we knew there’d be a good chance of that” or something like it. Bad enough if they were talking about women drivers but the first thing I thought of was the stereotype about Asian drivers. At the time I remember being surprised they went there. There was also a flashback scene where they were adopting Lily. I think Cam and Mitch named her themselves? Anyway, someone commented something like, “Lily? Is she going to be able to pronounce that?” mmm ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472/120 "2020-10-08T00:54:39Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > This after she told Larry she was only 13 prior to having sex with him on a football field. Supposedly, the writers put in “13” as a censor decoy, expecting to get it flagged and have to “compromise” on “16”, which was the original intent. It didn’t get flagged and didn’t get revised. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seemed-funny-at-the-time-but-you-couldnt-get-away-with-them-now/921472.md?page=7)