Brownbear
|
If people use war and terrorism as material for comedy?From today's Telegraph:
| Quote: | Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has duped a former Mossad agent and a Palestinian academic into a spoof interview in which they debated the difference between Hamas and hummus.
Israeli Yossi Alpher and Palestinian Ghassam Khalib agreed to be interviewed by Austrian television presenter Bruno, unaware that the camp character is Baron Cohen's latest alter ego.
In the interview, which took place in Jerusalem, Bruno asked: "What's the connection between a political movement and food? Why hummus?"
One of the guests politely explained: "Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist political movement. Hummus is a food."
But Bruno went on: "Ya, but why hummus? Yesterday I threw away my pitta bread because it was dripping hummus. And it's too high in carbohydrates."
He told them: "Your conflict is not so bad. Jennifer-Angelina is worse."
And he baffled the pair with a string of questions including: "Why don't you settle the conflict with a time share on the land?", "When will you Jews return the pyramids?" and "Why can't Jews and Hindus get along?"
Baron Cohen was finally rumbled when he asked the guests to hold hands and sing a crazy song about the Middle East conflict.
Alpher said: "We knew something ludicrous was happening but couldn't quite figure it out."
He accused Baron Cohen of "exploiting our tragic and painful conflict in the most cynical and deceptive manner" but admitted: "The end product will undoubtedly be hilarious. We'll try to be good sports about it." |
|
Jonnyboy
|
Comedians exploiting 'taboo' subjects in the name of humour is nothing new.
|
Gervase
|
I thought comedy was supposed to be about taboos. Though, of course, taboos should be taboo, being simply expressions of non-modal behaviour.
|
Shane
|
If you peel away the outer layers and get down to the bare bones of the issue, it's about two groups of grown men fighting over the same thing, a bit like a couple of two year-olds in nursery.
I think all he's trying to do is point out some of the absurdities of the situation.
Yes, yes, I know it's a very complex issue, before anybody shouts me down...
|
Jonnyboy
|
I don't even think he's being that complex. I think he's just trying to be funny.
|
Stacey
|
Comedy should never be censored IMO. That may mean there are some people who go too far or upset or offend but that's a small price to pay for some of the sublime comedic material from people like Dennis Leary and Lenny Bruce (again IMO)
I think mixing up Hamas and hummus is childishly brilliant and having the balls to actually ask it in an interview makes me giggle
|
Stacey
|
| Jonnyboy wrote: | | I don't even think he's being that complex. I think he's just trying to be funny. |
I dunno - I think most of Cohens' comedy is about bubble pricking.
|
Róisín
|
| Shane wrote: | | I think all he's trying to do is point out some of the absurdities of the situation./size] |
I agree.
|
jema
|
Black humour will always go too far for some, and will always be tricky to pin down, for example holocaust jokes are liable to struggle and in the hands of say Bernard Manning would never succeed, but some Jews have made funny holocaust jokes  You can rarely say there is a limit to comedy beyond which it is not funny.
|
Brownbear
|
| jema wrote: | | Black humour will always go too far for some, and will always be tricky to pin down, for example holocaust jokes are liable to struggle and in the hands of say Bernard Manning would never succeed, but some Jews have made funny holocaust jokes You can rarely say there is a limit to comedy beyond which it is not funny. |
An old friend of mine used to say "The gas chambers were the only time that Germans understood the concept of a queue."
|
tahir
|
| Stacey wrote: | | I think mixing up Hamas and hummus is childishly brilliant and having the balls to actually ask it in an interview makes me giggle |
Yup
|
cab
|
| jema wrote: | | Black humour will always go too far for some, and will always be tricky to pin down, for example holocaust jokes are liable to struggle and in the hands of say Bernard Manning would never succeed, but some Jews have made funny holocaust jokes You can rarely say there is a limit to comedy beyond which it is not funny. |
And we need the occasional comedian to push the limits, otherwise its kind of hard to discern where they are.
|
Rob R
|
Don't mention the war!
|
Róisín
|
| jema wrote: | | Black humour will always go too far for some, and will always be tricky to pin down, for example holocaust jokes are liable to struggle and in the hands of say Bernard Manning would never succeed, but some Jews have made funny holocaust jokes You can rarely say there is a limit to comedy beyond which it is not funny. |
Absolutely. I think as well that there's a distinction to be made about what 'side' the comedian/comedienne comes down on. Even though it's through humour, they are either condemning or condoning a situation, and if it's not a situation that the public has generally condemned or condoned themselves, then it won't be seen as 'black humour' but as 'wrong'. If that makes sense!
|
Blue Peter
|
| Shane wrote: | If you peel away the outer layers and get down to the bare bones of the issue, it's about two groups of grown men fighting over the same thing, a bit like a couple of two year-olds in nursery.
I think all he's trying to do is point out some of the absurdities of the situation.
Yes, yes, I know it's a very complex issue, before anybody shouts me down... |
At the risk of igniting old wars, it should be pointed out, it's a bit like a two year old and an adult fighting over things in a nursery,
Peter.
|
Jonnyboy
|
| Blue Peter wrote: |
At the risk of igniting old wars
Peter. |
Change 'risk' to 'certainty' and you're there.
Let's try and keep this debate on topic and on the level everyone, please.
|
Brownbear
|
| Blue Peter wrote: | | Shane wrote: | If you peel away the outer layers and get down to the bare bones of the issue, it's about two groups of grown men fighting over the same thing, a bit like a couple of two year-olds in nursery.
I think all he's trying to do is point out some of the absurdities of the situation.
Yes, yes, I know it's a very complex issue, before anybody shouts me down... |
At the risk of igniting old wars, it should be pointed out, it's a bit like a two year old and an adult fighting over things in a nursery,
Peter. |
I think we did that one to death already. The fact that this incident involved an Israeli and a Palestinian is tangential to the issue.
|
