re: Wanda Sykes ‘controversy’, how is it any different than jokes about Swine Flu, AIDS or the torture that the US did at Abu Ghraib? Plenty of jokes about the latter subjects.. What is 9/11 to sacred? Fuck off.

I just think most people need to get that stick out of their ass and laugh. Fuck being PC (or Mac RIMSHOT!)

My humble opinion…and by humble I mean the most important opinion. I think that your job onstage is to be funny. If you can pull it off then do it. But just dont do abortion jokes on mothers day show.

In re Sykes:
The conservative thinkers I follow, and this does not include Rush, Hannity or O’Reilly, had their commentary on this and what bothers me is that the majority of them said they didn’t know who Sykes was. It’s not like she’s some cultural icon, but we know that so many younger voters are watching Stewart and Colbert, and they are kicking our ass in getting a political message out. As conservatives we need to be more culturally aware. It’s really shameful and no wonder we are sliding, we are not competing to get younger voters and don’t seem to care much if we do.
As far as content, the news isn’t the joke so much as the venue. This site traditionally is for cracking jokes about the President and his administration, keeping them grounded and not letting them get “too big for their britches”. Even the pres himself is expected to be self-depricating, W was very good at this and so was Cheney. And their was some of that. But you don’t go after your opponents here.
My opinion only, but I don;t like a joke like this in the presence of our President, I feel his is an office that should be kept dignified and wishing Rush dead is not that.

Also, I feel that this generally is an inappropriate place for me to comment on politics where there is no comedy connection, but long-time participants might know I have an opinion or two I always want to share. If interested in these thoughts, please visit my blog at http://pragerfan.blogspot.com/
Consider it a spinoff of this site, I never would have started it without some of the conversations that have come up here.

I think Stephen Colbert set the bar as far as White House correspondents dinners. Though it was probably easier to rip Bush and Cheney than it is Obama. Just like it’s easier to be self-deprecating when you’re dumb and evil.

I listened to a story on NPR recently about the Colbert Report. Apparently a study showed that a lot of conservatives think Colbert genuinely believes in the conservative causes he mocks on his show. I guess conservatives are so out of touch in the humor department, they can’t even tell when they’re being made fun of.

here’s the webpage if you want to check it out:

http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2009/05/08/07

“I hear all the time how mean and hate-filled conservatives are. Seems like projection to me.”

Maybe you hearing this so much yourself just means a lot of people think you’re a mean hate-filled conservative?

.

Leonardo, I think you may be doing exactly what you are accusing the rest of us of doing to a degree. Granted, I can’t speak for anyone else but it seems to me you’re making a blanket statement that we aren’t well read but in fact couch potatoes. I personally read quite a lot and what TV I do watch, beyond sports and a few series, is mostly the History Channel, Discovery channels etc.

Personally I could give a damn about what some beauty contest girl says. As a rule the general populace assumes that these girls are vacuous at best no matter which side of the political spectrum they fall on. IMO for every Limbaugh there’s an Olberman. They’re both idiots.

I think this is getting off topic a bit here. I’m fairly certain Brian could give 2 shits about where any of us stand on the gay marriage issue and I assume he never wanted this conversation to be about partisan politics. In my perception, the focus here is comedy and whether or not the venue and joke itself was appropriate.

Not trying to overstep my bounds or put anyone down but I just don’t want to see this get to be an ugly conversation. No one may come in with that intent but things can take a bad turn fast.

I have to say, I was actually impressed by Miss California’s answer. I go into insane rages when I hear these contestants (or politicians) give insane answers that have nothing to do with the questions being asked. I credit her for having an opinion, even if it differs from mine.

What’s sending me off the deep end is why anyone gives a shit what she thinks. When did Miss California become the spokesperson for our country? Half of the US opposes gay marriage, yet she’s on every talk show. Honestly, I didn’t even realize they were still doing the Miss USA pageant. Those shows became obsolete once the internet began providing me with the “help” I needed.

1) The thing to learn from the Miss American pageant is that if you are looking for a specific panel of judges to vote for you, perhaps you should dodge politically sensitive questions (especially when one of the judges is super-gay icon Perez Hilton). If you’re asked a question like this, say something innocuous like “I stand for personal freedom”, or “People have a right to be happy”… This isn’t an indictment of the political Left, it’s a stupid bitch who doesn’t understand how contests work. You don’t go on American Idol and say you hate prescript drug abuse, bad jewelry, man-tits and heavyset men of color who still say “dawg” 20 years after it stopped being cool.

2) “What I am asking of you is that you question these assumptions, like conservatives are xenophobic-homophobic-islamophobic-racist-sexist”… well… I thought about it and based primarily on the rhetoric from the Republican Party and Fox “news” it’s abundantly obvious that what passes for conservative thinking in modern America is xenophobic-homophobic-islamophobic-racist-sexist-douchbaggery.

3) Rush Limbaugh said it was “treason” to not support the Republican president when he initiated multiple wars, lied to congress and the American people and drove the country into debt, and basically pissed away our children’s inheritance. Now someone from the center of the political spectrum tries to fix all these problem and Rush is hoping the country fails. Sounds like Sykes was just pointing out the obvious.

4) “Remember the violence surrounding the GOP convention? No protests at the Dems.” Violence??? How many people were killed? How many people were injured? Are you talking about the protests of the people who were bared from attending “town hall meetings with the president” because they weren’t Republican donators? Are you talking about the Mothers of children killed in the Buish-fire wars? Are you talking about senior citizens who had their retirements stolen away first by Enron and the Bush buddies, and then by the Republican mismanagement of the economy?

Wow… it must suck to be a douchbag… good luck with that.

That’s what I love about being a comic… use of the phrase “douchbag”… it’s my new favorite word.

— Dennis

That’s because “kooky loony moonbat” sounds like someone fun to hangout with, while a “douchenozzle” is someone who’s only happy when their ass raping the cell mate. Kinda fits.

—D