John:

Much agreed. Not only do they not care if they offend people, they don't care if they humiliate, embarass, insult, traumatise or otherwise hurt a member of their audience so long as they get enough laughs to make it feel good for them.

Perfect specimens for the solipsistic bent, until their ox is gored...

Now that's hilarious...make fun of the dead and the living!

It's never too soon.

This thread reminded me of the scene in "The Nutty Professor", with Eddy Murphy, specifically, the scenes involving the night club comedian, first with Murphy as Prof. Klump, and later as Buddy Love. The comedy didn't center around someone who died, of course. Just made me think of those scenes.

Politeness is the PC way of saying PC. It is polite to hold a door open for someone.
"Taste" is subjective, and wether or not is in bad taste should be up to who?

There is a HUGE difference between a joke and malice.

To cheer BILLY MAYS IS DEAD would be malicious but a joke about him hawking caskets funny if I find it so.



NUMS

No, politeness is not PC.

Michael Richards...

Jay Sankey told me in a lecture he was doing that he once did a joke about Vernon and some magician in the back of the room yelled out "too soon!" It had been like 15 years since he The Professor died.

Jay said "oh whatever...his first name was DIE for cryin' out loud!!!" (Dai).

Brought the house down and shut the guy up...

Classic!

He's dead. There, I said it. Jackson is dead. Farah is dead. Contrary to what most people seem to beleive, There is nothing wrong with death. Guess what, We will all be there. I see no reason not to veiw the subject with that understanding and, God forbid, a little humor.

But that's really the problem when it comes to death, Isn't it? We all see ourselves there. We know it WILL happen to us. Seeing someone die fills us with dread because we know that we will join them someday. This makes us somber. Even frightend. Most people don't accept death as a part of life. Because they have this fear of the unknown they will tell you that speaking of it in any sort of way other than with tears in your eyes and sadness in your heart is downright tasteless.

Just let me ask this, If you knew, Absoultly knew for a fact that after they died, Billy and Michael Jackson and all the others went to a beautiful place filled with peace and happiness, Friends and loved ones, How sad do you think you would feel? How much would you mourn those people?

See... that's the problem. Everyone speaks of heaven and eternal rewards and such. But when it comes down to it most don't really, truly believe. If they did, What reason would there be to be sad when someone dies. Or frightend of death yourself.

Anyway, Besides all that you would think after thousands of years people would have gotten used to it. Its a fact. Live your life well and don't fear death. Don't dwell on it and think its lurking behind evey corner. An evil dark robed figure waiting to strike at the first chance it gets and carry you away to the great, unknown space that you keep locked inside your imagination.

Remember the meaning of life. Which is simply to live a meaningful life.

I think Billy Mays did that.


V.

Forget about Billy, Michael, Farrah, and Walter...

Gidget is dead!