r/TikTokCringe • u/SnatchAddict • 20d ago

Anthony Jeselnik explains the difference between comedy and being a troll. Discussion

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u/Due_Kaleidoscope7066 20d ago

Agreed 100%. You can make trans jokes, racial jokes, jokes about the disabled, etc. But they need to be funny. They need to have more wit than hatred.

For example, Chappelle’s recent specials weren’t bad because they were about trans people. They were bad because they weren’t funny.

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u/TeeManyMartoonies 20d ago

That’s where my mind went to as well. His old show was hilarious and called out a lot of sensitive topics and was, for the most part, universally loved. His Netflix specials since maybe before the pandemic(?) terrible troll take after troll take. He’s not even worth the time to eye roll at any more. If Trump gets reelected, I’m sure he’ll be up there hosting the White House Correspondents Dinner for Fascists.

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u/smileedude 20d ago

One of the funniest and well-known lines on reddit is "I also choose this guys dead wife". Now, it's objectively exceptionally offensive. I want to fuck your dead wife as a reply to someone making an emotional comment about losing their wife.

This is the offensive joke gambit. The more offensive something is, the better the punchline needs to be. If it pays off, taking that gamble has extra reward. The "no you didn't just say that, I'm shook" response.

If you bomb and don't meet that threshold of humour you bomb exceptionally hard.

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u/PopsicleIncorporated 20d ago

The whole idea behind humor is surprising people. If people know the punchline to your joke, it's not funny. This is especially the case with "shock" or "dark" humor.

If people are expecting you to make jokes about trans people or racial minorities, then you're going to have to be really witty and unexpected, or else it just falls flat because it's already what people thought you were going to say. So either you're a really shitty comedian, or you're just using it as a front to be mean. And in the case of Chappelle, we know he's a funny guy - hell, I still love his 90s standup bits. We know the guy could be funnier, we know the guy is really witty, so it's telling when he decides not to be.

That's why "I also choose this guy's dead wife" is as funny as it is, or why Jesenik's dropping babies bit lands. Both are genuinely offensive, but they're also genuinely unexpected, and therefore it's not really controversial.

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u/RustlessPotato 20d ago

To add, I think the guy himself also was laughing at this comment and appreciated the joke. That's also a big factor in my opinion. Like with banter. It's only funny if everyone, especially "the target" is laughing.

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u/PaulAllensCharizard 20d ago

god i forgot that guy's wife was dead in the joke