Too soon/far?

[Quistrix]

Most of you should have heard about those shootings in Connecticut. It's pretty heavy but that hasn't stopped the usual culprits of the internet from making fun. I'll admit, I'm no prude. I laugh at things that would probably make my grandmother disown and exile me, sometimes you can't help it. But in this instance, I can't laugh. Children as young as frickin' 6 were among the victims.

I realise that to certain members of the net, this makes me look lame. When you look at the usual IRL social taboos, this is bizarre in contrast. It's easy to laugh at something when you can't relate or are not going through it yourself. Though, personally, I do laugh at some things I relate to sometimes. It even helps me feel better.

I have a 4 year old niece. I'd throw myself in front of a train for that insane, little kid. So, maybe that's why I can't laugh. Or maybe it's just too soon, too far?

I'm not debating whether the internet shouldn't make fun or not, afterall, free-speech blah blah. In fact, I don't really care if they make fun, they can do what they want. It's just me that can't laugh.

Of course some could argue that, it's just a joke.

 

[Gikoku]

It's easy for people to make fun of something when it doesn't directly affect them. I don't have a problem with much offensive humor, but some things are just in bad taste no matter how you slice it.

Yeah, it's "just a joke", but jokes are supposed to be funny.. I can't see someone making a joke about such a situation and actually being funny with it.

 

[TRA Rotid]

I bet the ones who first said the words "just a joke" knew where to draw the line. I haven't seen any jokes you speak of, but it certainly sounds like some boundaries were crossed.

 

[Quistrix]

I bet the ones who first said the words "just a joke" knew where to draw the line. I haven't seen any jokes you speak of, but it certainly sounds like some boundaries were crossed.

I don't know, I'm pretty certain maybe I'm just being a prude for once but things like this have popped up. Not the worst of it, no. But still...eh. Not really all that funny either.

God damnit, maybe I'm just getting old. ;_;

 

[Gikoku]

but things like this have popped up.

Lame.

 

[TRA Rotid]

Yeah that's kinda retarded.

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

I hate to come in and wave the free speech flag, but given my experience I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't. Granted, if ever there was a time for the internet to stop being the grave of all humanity, it's now. I'm not joking about this one. Anyone who knows about my past relationship with the internet knows the weight of that statement, though it's mostly because I'm older now. A little more mature, if I'm capable of such a thing.

I do my best to not let that humor bother me. They're not letting how the rest of us feel stop their humor. Who knows, in a strange way maybe some of them are trying to cheer us up. I guess what I'm getting at is I don't want to let their humor affect how I feel either. It would be unreasonable for me to expect most other human beings to take my stance on the issue, so I can imagine how the internet humor is getting your goats. Just try to take a deep breath and close your eyes. They'll run out of puns. They'll run out of photos to caption as well as clever captions for photos. It'll all go back to cat pictures within a month. I promise.

 

[Quistrix]

I hate to come in and wave the free speech flag, but given my experience I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't. Granted, if ever there was a time for the internet to stop being the grave of all humanity, it's now. I'm not joking about this one. Anyone who knows about my past relationship with the internet knows the weight of that statement, though it's mostly because I'm older now. A little more mature, if I'm capable of such a thing.

I do my best to not let that humor bother me. They're not letting how the rest of us feel stop their humor. Who knows, in a strange way maybe some of them are trying to cheer us up. I guess what I'm getting at is I don't want to let their humor affect how I feel either. It would be unreasonable for me to expect most other human beings to take my stance on the issue, so I can imagine how the internet humor is getting your goats. Just try to take a deep breath and close your eyes. They'll run out of puns. They'll run out of photos to caption as well as clever captions for photos. It'll all go back to cat pictures within a month. I promise.

Again, I don't care that they're doing it. I fully believe in free speech. So wave dat flag. I'm not sat here rocking back and forth because I've been so emotionally damaged by some of these things. I've done it, we all have. I make fun of terrible things that I should never make fun of and I'm not afraid of admitting it because everything you said is true. In a strange way, at times it can cheer us up. I'm not complaining about what they're doing at all. I'd be a bit of a hypocrite if I were.

I just wanted to know everyone else's limits. What others feel is right to laugh at. When it goes too far for you. And if now is one of those instances. 'Cause I feel all alone and stuffs here guys. I feel old. :'(

Also, anyone else noticed the large amount of comments related to the situation being posted under nearly every notable sad song on youtube?

Even you REM?

Even you?

 

[HobbeBrain]

I don't know, I'm pretty certain maybe I'm just being a prude for once but things like this have popped up. Not the worst of it, no. But still...eh. Not really all that funny either.

God damnit, maybe I'm just getting old. ;_;

That's not actually funny though. And kind of offensive. To laugh at that is basically to laugh at the fact the people that have been killed are very young children, which isn't funny at all. To be a joke it has to actually have some humour in it.

 

[Tsuyu]

I guess he took the "How many school children can you take in a fight?"-test too seriously.

 

[queenofdisco]

Nothing is sacred on the internet, well cats were but....

Not anymore.

 

[Quistrix]

That's not actually funny though. And kind of offensive. To laugh at that is basically to laugh at the fact the people that have been killed are very young children, which isn't funny at all. To be a joke it has to actually have some humour in it.

To some people it is genuinely funny. The sheer shock value is hilarious to them. The more shocking the better. The more shocking the more hilarious. Nothing intelligently funny about it at all, but just the sort of thing that makes you go "Hahaha, oh ****!"

 

[HobbeBrain]

To some people it is genuinely funny. The sheer shock value is hilarious to them. The more shocking the better. The more shocking the more hilarious. Nothing intelligently funny about it at all, but just the sort of thing that makes you go "Hahaha, oh s***!"

Well... fair enough, but I can personally see literally no possible way in which that could be considered funny. Not even because it's offensive, because it's genuinely not funny.

EDIT: For example - "I've had thoughts about becoming a primary school teacher. Should I give it a shot?" or "I guess Santa has a few less stops in Connecticut this year" I find kinda funny, offensive I know, but at least they have puns and stuff in them.

 

[SelfAppointedGunslinger]

Don't usually find things like this funny to be honest, but then I am a pretty humourless person. Usually I just want to find the person who made it and punch them...violently for their idiocy.

 

[Tyloric]

There is a special place in hell for people who laugh at children being murdered. It's just in bad taste, you know? They're dead, as in no longer living. Think of all the grieving families and friends. That is in no way funny.

Just because you have the right to free speech doesn't mean you have to be a dick about something. It also doesn't mean you shouldn't be punished for saying stupid things.

Sorry. Things like this have always been a sensitive subject for me. This is just another form of cyber-bullying.

 

[Gikoku]

I just wanted to know everyone else's limits. What others feel is right to laugh at. When it goes too far for you. And if now is one of those instances. 'Cause I feel all alone and stuffs here guys. I feel old. :'(

Stuff like the topic incident really.

When a user of a social networking site ends up dead and then you get those nitwits that see opportunity for a laugh over someone's death by making meme pics, or typing out happy messages like "Finally the fat bitch is dead, now there's more food for everyone." Just crap like that, people that don't even know the victim nor care about their family, but feel a necessity for trolling... and it's not even proper trolling, it's just stupid. It's more sad because it's the type of people where it's all fun and games until it happens to them.

So yeah, the internet has definitely made a lot of things no longer offensive for me over the years, but there are still some stuff that I honestly find aren't necessary. There's really just no good enough reason for it other than to be a complete idiot.

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

One of the best talks I've ever seen. He breaks down why free speech shouldn't be limited even in these circumstances.

 

[Tsuyu]

Of course it shouldn't be limited.

But there is such a thing as "good taste".

 

[SelfAppointedGunslinger]

It shouldn't be limited but it'd be nice if the people who made these stupid pictures were exposed so everyone would know how disrespectful they were, then they could use their freedom of speech to tell them how pathetic they are.

 

[Quistrix]

EDIT: For example - "I've had thoughts about becoming a primary school teacher. Should I give it a shot?" or "I guess Santa has a few less stops in Connecticut this year" I find kinda funny, offensive I know, but at least they have puns and stuff in them.

Funny, I find puns to be the most cheapest of humour. Laughing at something both offensive and cheap makes you a very bad boy Master Hobbelet.

Don't usually find things like this funny to be honest, but then I am a pretty humourless person. Usually I just want to find the person who made it and punch them...violently for their idiocy.

Pretty sure punishment of the mentally retarded is usually frowned upon.

There is a special place in hell for people who laugh at children being murdered. It's just in bad taste, you know? They're dead, as in no longer living. Think of all the grieving families and friends. That is in no way funny.

Just because you have the right to free speech doesn't mean you have to be a dick about something. It also doesn't mean you shouldn't be punished for saying stupid things.

Sorry. Things like this have always been a sensitive subject for me. This is just another form of cyber-bullying.

To cause harm for no reason at all is completely inexcusable but it happens all the time. At the same time there is always this little voice in the back of my head that screams out "FREE SPEECH!". It's safe to say that most of my morals conflict with one another.

When a user of a social networking site ends up dead and then you get those nitwits that see opportunity for a laugh over someone's death by making meme pics, or typing out happy messages like "Finally the fat bitch is dead, now there's more food for everyone." Just crap like that, people that don't even know the victim nor care about their family, but feel a necessity for trolling... and it's not even proper trolling, it's just stupid. It's more sad because it's the type of people where it's all fun and games until it happens to them.

Sometimes I wonder if the makers of these pages ever really think the focal points i.e the victims or their families will ever see these pages. I suppose they do. I doubt any of them truly realise the full consequences of their actions but not like it matters; not like any of them would care anyway but that doesn't change the fact that for some people, even just calling them ugly, which might seem like a harmless joke to you can be a huge put down for the person you've directed it to. We've all seen those movies*WARNING HEAVY CLICHE APPROACHING* where the girl gets called ugly at school and then she runs home and stares in the mirror, crying her eyes out. Then cuts into her skin, with a lil suicide action on the side. Turns out, most of that movie actually happens. Sounds stupid, and it is but my point is that no action is harmless and everything has consequences.

But now I'm rambling.

I think... at the end of the day whatever I say here I'll still be a hypocrite. I'll be back to making questionable jokes within a week, I'm sure. I'm no bully, but I'm definitely guilty of laughing at things I shouldn't laugh at. I've made jokes before but never delibrately to cause any real harm to someone. If I hurt someone's feelings, I'll usually apologise. I guess that's my limit, knowing whether or not my jokes will really hurt the target. This situation hurts me, and I know why. I've said why. It's because of my niece. It seems silly but it's the only real reason why. I can relate so I don't find it funny. Doesn't help that one of the kids shares the same name as my niece. But now it just looks like I'm digging for sympathy. And don't get me wrong, I know kids her age die everyday. But when something is so widely circulated and all over the news it's a little harder to ignore and yes, I said ignore. We all do it, ignore the f*cked up **** in the world. It's just hard to do that when it's thrown in your face all "LOOK AT THIS TRAGIC STUFF" "I THINK YOU SHOULD CRY ABOUT IT"

And now I'm rambling again.

I'm gonna go drink some chai tea and laugh at some cat pictures a la Cheez.