Paul Gascoigne investigated for joke

[ruthless rocco]

Abuse is what you do to yourself Miles.

The ridicule that's thrown at you is because we all know you-- and we know you love it. You'd probably die without the attention.

I see you won't address the real issue here and instead will continue to skirt the issue, act like a baby, and continue to compare this to the nazis. So I'm gonna walk away from your racist excusing, self pittying masturbation session now.

[Gandalf]

Pfft, the argument is a simple one, should one be allowed to tell a joke involving race? Yes or No. All this other waffle about death, wanking, and fucktarding is all your own. You made some fairly decent points earlier in the thread, but then you lost control and went all fluffy marshmallow on me. I am not angry with you, it happens sometimes.

I posit forth the view that comedy is a realm, like art, where anything goes. You choose to listen to that person or not. You can walk away if you don't like the style. I would never listen to Jim Davidson for that reason. However, I would never take away his right to say whatever he likes. Likewise, you can say whatever you like, but it should really be in joke form rather than just flat out abuse. Still, that is your call.

I haven't played a victim in this thread, but merely pointed out that racial jibes happen all the time and why is a racial joke more significant than to be told to kill oneself for instance? I don't understand how the joke can result in a police investigation and the behavior of people like you is perfectly fine. See it was a joke. It was not malicious. I don't get your arbitrary distinctions and hypocritical behavior. It is illogical.

[Master]

Rocco has said you can make a joke but it has to begin context and he gave examples on when it would be a joke.

[Gandalf]

I said he made some fair points early on, but he unwound quite messily thus discrediting his entire point of view. He has no consistency.

Comedians regularly mock their audience. It could be a fat person, an ugly looking person and people accept that it is cruel, but the nature of a certain type of comedian. Why is race more important than those other things. There shouldn't be an arbitrary choice where this is okay but that just isn't. There needs to be logic. If being offensive is this issue then you should probably outlaw comedy. I saw Jimmy Carr was investigated over some tiny joke about dwarves too. Not by the police but some TV watchdog. There is seemingly no free speech. Ban the word mong and all kinds of silliness.

[Britkid]

There is a place for 'racist joke'; but the joke's punchline has to be the 'comedian's' ignorance. For example (as a Brit):

Curry?! I hate foreign food! Instead give me a nice pizza.

[Gandalf]

That's where I think Gascoigne probably gets away with it. He isn't known for saying very astute things and thus you can probably laugh along with the 'fool'. Rocco tried to say it was some 'power play', but you would struggle to find anyone more ridiculed or mocked than Gascoigne himself and by institutions that claim to transmitting news or stories of interest to the public.

[Master]

That's where I think Gascoigne probably gets away with it. He isn't known for saying very astute things and thus you can probably laugh along with the 'fool'. Rocco tried to say it was some 'power play', but you would struggle to find anyone more ridiculed or mocked than Gascoigne himself and by institutions that claim to transmitting news or stories of interest to the public.

Power play was the fact that he was white. Paul is also alcoholic, broke and unhealthy no power to laugh at others.