Controversial Jokes

I believe there are 3 factors to consider when deciding if a joke is 'acceptable' or not. The first is the person who's telling it or the motive behind telling it. eg. As Stuart Lee points out in the clip i posted in 'stand up comedy again' many of Jimmy Carr's gags would fit quite nicely into a Jim Davidson set, if we accept that Jimmy Carr is not a racist or sexist (which Davidson admits to being) then is it ok to laugh? The second consideration is who is laughing at the joke. As i mentioned in the lecture, Richard Herring who wrote the sitcom 'Time Gentlemen Please' became uncomfortable with the audience the show attracted. He felt they were laughing 'with' the pub landlord and not 'at' him. The 3rd is a more controversial opinion, that is, a joke is just a construct that either works or doesn't. My friends and i will often repeat controversial jokes we have heard because we find their mechanics hilarious. We aren't racist or sexist but take delight in the freedom and sheer 'wrongness' of some gags. Is this hypocrisy? i'm really not sure. Being a white male can be tricky sometimes, we are never in a minority and so don't truly know how humour affects the oppressed. Any opinions would be welcomed. (keep it clean).

I assume many of you will remember the 'Kramer' incident? This is when Stand up comedy goes very, very wrong. Michael Richards was forced to make a televised apology after this moment of madness.

Warning: contains very strong racial language, don't watch if you are likely to be offended