Is Ted Cruz Satan? Discuss.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by Replaced_Texan

I'm not trying to pick a fight, nor do I have an opinion, but does it matter if his mother is half-Jewish?

So you're thinking it's okay, like his dad told him mommy doesn't suck dick?

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

What I find so weird here is that everyone (and maybe I'm unfairly lumping you in with everyone else) is so quick to make a determination on whether the guy is funny based on the 6 cherry-picked jokes held up to show he may not be qualified. That seems insane to me whether we're talking about whether he should be given a fantastic show or whether we're deciding whether the guy is funny.

TM

I agree that's an overreaction by people. I'm not sure that's the reaction people here are having, and it's certainly not mine. You are correct, I think, that Stewart's recommendation goes a long way.

As a combination of my kids and I will tell you, someone can still tell a lot of bad jokes but actually be enormously funny.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by Tyrone Slothrop

For Sidd (and anyone else -- Happy 4/1).

Happy Birthday to ME!

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch

As a combination of my kids and I will tell you, someone can still tell a lot of bad jokes but actually be enormously funny.

2. sidd tells me he is funny, and constantly says I am not- I trust him so he must be telling the truth that he has a command on humor, yet I have never found anything he said on the net or irl funny.

[Sidd Finch]

Just thinking - can you imagine if all the dumb shit that's been said on these boards had been tweeted for all the world to see? Makes me happy that I'm old

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

See this goes to my general thesis that the various types of offensive humor - ethnic, racial, gender, what have you - just aren't funny. Those are some of the stupidest, most lame, least funny things I can imagine anyone saying.

Yes, I concede that there are a few exceptions. But my god, those tweets are only funny in a world where Sebby can dance.

True, the worst of his sins is the stuff just wasn't funny. However, recall:

1. He's packing audiences into stadiums in SA, so the shit's probably funny to someone with a way different sense of humor than us;
2. He was a guy trying to make it in what may be the most difficult of fields, and so gets a pass for initially pandering to the lowest in the audience; and,
3. Gotcha journalism sucks, and presents only the worst of people.

This guy brings a new perspective to late night TV, and seems able to stand on the "irony as reality" line Stewart crafted as the voice of DS. That's no easy feat. So he did some shitty jokes in his green years. If Jon Stewart thinks he deserves a shot, I'm withholding judgment until I see the product this fall.

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally Posted by Hank Chinaski

And the focus on a run of the mill fat joke proves the guy lives despite truly hateful Jew jokes. Sad.

The Jewish stuff is tricky. You almost have to be Woody Allen, or someone in the music industry doing a cynical shtick, to pull that off. Noah's Jewish material is pretty flat and nasty. Also, he's too attractive to get away with disparaging material. Comedians have to be self deprecating and almost pathetic to do that material really well. Or they have to have killer delivery. Noah looks too much like an actual newscaster.

Lisa Lampanelli does nasty racial material, but she's such a mess, I can't get offended. The woman is a true train wreck. Chelsea Handler did Jewish and Black jokes all the time. But she was so clearly phoning it in, and so dead in the eyes from a mix of street and pharma chemicals, you just figured it was canned material on cue cards authored by hack writers who couldn't discern offensive from clever.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

This guy brings a new perspective to late night TV, and seems able to stand on the "irony as reality" line Stewart crafted as the voice of DS. That's no easy feat. So he did some shitty jokes in his green years. If Jon Stewart thinks he deserves a shot, I'm withholding judgment until I see the product this fall.

Oh, come on. He's just another black guy with two strikes against him before he starts. What's new about that?

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

1. He's packing audiences into stadiums in SA, so the shit's probably funny to someone with a way different sense of humor than us;

This is an interesting point that I hadn't really thought about. Leaving aside the whole tweet-thing, it's interesting to wonder whether South African audiences have a taste for humor that doesn't go so well here, or alternately that gives someone who started there a really interesting and different spin and flavor here. Or that influenced his early comedy but no longer does, at least not so strongly.

I have no idea (though the Chris Rock show in SA certainly translated well).

I'm not making my point very clearly (wayyyyy too much to drink last night), but imagine if Stewart had selected a French comedian and we were now all wondering why the prospective DS host had posted a bunch of videos of himself doing mime on YouTube.

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch

This is an interesting point that I hadn't really thought about. Leaving aside the whole tweet-thing, it's interesting to wonder whether South African audiences have a taste for humor that doesn't go so well here, or alternately that gives someone who started there a really interesting and different spin and flavor here. Or that influenced his early comedy but no longer does, at least not so strongly.

I have no idea (though the Chris Rock show in SA certainly translated well).

I'm not making my point very clearly (wayyyyy too much to drink last night), but imagine if Stewart had selected a French comedian and we were now all wondering why the prospective DS host had posted a bunch of videos of himself doing mime on YouTube.

People, people, people. The guy built his brand on intelligent, political and race-observational humor. Dude speaks six languages (see clip below where he talks about his Hitler-like German). He threw out a few crass jokes on twitter years ago. He is successful in South Africa for the exact same reasons he has become successful here.

With Kamau Bell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjMzYGtWS3s
Here he is in 2009 (I think): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcyuIKzpYJQ
2014 in London: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF7Nxoy-1tI

eta: I just found this NYT piece on him as well: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/03/ar...=1419773522000


TM

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

People, people, people. The guy built his brand on intelligent, political and race-observational humor. Dude speaks six languages (see clip below where he talks about his Hitler-like German). He threw out a few crass jokes on twitter years ago.

Which is why I said "Leaving aside the whole tweet-thing" before musing about how the culture and background he's from might affect how he plays here (the US generally, but more importantly the Daily Show, which has been a show focused on US politics).

Note, also, that I said the effect might be negative (things considered funny there might not be funny here) or positive (different perspective, tone, etc -- or maybe that things considered funny there are fucking hilarious here).

He is successful in South Africa for the exact same reasons he has become successful here.

With Kamau Bell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjMzYGtWS3s
Here he is in 2009 (I think): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcyuIKzpYJQ
2014 in London: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF7Nxoy-1tI

eta: I just found this NYT piece on him as well: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/03/ar...=1419773522000
TM

So.... his culture and background may have influenced his comedy, in a way that may or may not translate well to the Daily Show? Huh, who would have guessed?

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch

Which is why I said "Leaving aside the whole tweet-thing" before musing about how the culture and background he's from might affect how he plays here (the US generally, but more importantly the Daily Show, which has been a show focused on US politics).

Note, also, that I said the effect might be negative (things considered funny there might not be funny here) or positive (different perspective, tone, etc -- or maybe that things considered funny there are fucking hilarious here).





So.... his culture and background may have influenced his comedy, in a way that may or may not translate well to the Daily Show? Huh, who would have guessed?

One of the things I love about this place is how damned seriously we take comedy. It's like the Derrida squad back in college was fed stimulants and steroids and set loose on Noah.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy

One of the things I love about this place is how damned seriously we take comedy. It's like the Derrida squad back in college was fed stimulants and steroids and set loose on Noah.

I never wore enough black or patchouli to run with the Semiotics crowd.....

[ThurgreedMarshall]

Originally Posted by Sidd Finch

Which is why I said "Leaving aside the whole tweet-thing" before musing about how the culture and background he's from might affect how he plays here (the US generally, but more importantly the Daily Show, which has been a show focused on US politics).

Note, also, that I said the effect might be negative (things considered funny there might not be funny here) or positive (different perspective, tone, etc -- or maybe that things considered funny there are fucking hilarious here).

So.... his culture and background may have influenced his comedy, in a way that may or may not translate well to the Daily Show? Huh, who would have guessed?

Yeah. Who knew? Sometimes you are adversarial for seemingly no fucking reason at all. Have you ever had a conversation in which you didn't try to prove how right you are? Or do you just enjoy sounding like a dick all the time.

I am giving you and everyone else more background than the 6 tweets discussed here. He seems like a pretty interesting, smart guy. Wait. I know, I know. You don't care and don't have time, even though you've responded I don't know how many times now. Exasperating.

TM

[Sidd Finch]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

People, people, people. The guy built his brand on intelligent, political and race-observational humor. Dude speaks six languages (see clip below where he talks about his Hitler-like German). He threw out a few crass jokes on twitter years ago. He is successful in South Africa for the exact same reasons he has become successful here.

With Kamau Bell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjMzYGtWS3s
Here he is in 2009 (I think): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcyuIKzpYJQ
2014 in London: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF7Nxoy-1tI

eta: I just found this NYT piece on him as well: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/03/ar...=1419773522000


TM

Watched the last of those videos, and a couple of others that showed up. He's pretty damn funny, and the take of a South African on a show about US politics should be interesting.

Plus, he speaks so well.

eta: given your last post, and the fact that you're reading my posts as being adversarial and confrontational when I really don't intend them to be, I considered editing to delete that last joke, because I think you will see it as intentionally offensive and not as a joke that riffs off of one of Noah's videos. But, I decided not to be such a pussy. If you're offended and decide I'm being a racist, I'm sorry but I'll add it to the list of posts on this subject that you are taking as an attack when they are not.