Madeleine McCann jokes

On a related theme, I used to be part of an email 'group' with some guys I went to football with and they were forever making cracks about somebody, usually the same victim, being a paedophile because he expressed a liking for Natalie Portman, who was quite young at the time. Round about the same time, there was a news story about someone seen hanging around a playground and there was great anger amongst some of the worst bullies (because that's what I think they were), who said that if anyone went near their daughters, they would 'fucking kill him'.
I didn't really get this - how they could be making jokes and calling one of the group a 'pervert' and a 'kiddy fiddler', whilst expressing massive outrage at a real scenario. They didn't see a contradiction and I suppose this is a similar thing. It's not real until it happens to you.

I am reminded of another tragedy leading to jokes:

Q: Did you know that Christa McAuliffe was blue eyed?
A: One blew left and one blew right.

Q: What were Christa McAuliffe's last words?
A: "What's this button do?"

Q: What were Christa McAuliffe's last words to her husband?
A: "You feed the kids - I'll feed the fish."

Q: What does NASA stand for?
A1: Need Another Seven Astronauts
A2: Need Another Shuttle Also

Q: Did you know why there was only one black crew member on Challenger?
A: They didn't know it was going to blow up.

Q: Did you know that NASA has a new space drink?
A: Ocean Spray - It was their second choice because they couldn't
get 7-UP.

Q: When the next shuttle launches into space, what will the senior
controller say?
A: "72, 73, 74 BOOM! - Just kidding guys!"

Q: What do Playtex tampon users and Christa McAuliffe have in common?
A: They both should have stayed on the pad.

Q: What does a sea lion, the space shuttle and Tylenol have in common?
A: They're all looking for a tight seal.

Q: How many people will fit in a Florida Volkswagen?
A: Four in the seats and seven in the ashtray.

Q: What's the difference between the Patriots and the Challenger?
A: The Patriots made it past Miami.

Q: What do Christa McAuliffe and Donna Rice have in common.
A: They both went down on the challenger.

Funny or not?

The subject of many jokes is not funny. There are so many jokes made about death, etc.

The reason is the fact that Komland keeps bringing up my name, even though I am and was not the only woman who commented on the jokes. The reason why they keep picking on me obviously lies somewhere else, and they use this topic to get back at me for something, maybe even make others here dislike me as well, and that is just pathetic.

Hear hear (I couldn´t resist clicking on this again unfortunately). Not that they would care anyway, however certain people´s reactions to these jokes have changed my opinion of them and as for the original poster... .

I think Marshbot makes a good point. Of course there is nothing funny about what may have happened to this individual child, but we make cynical jokes about it for the same reason we make jokes about illness, death, etc. Bad things - very bad things - happen in the world, they always have and always will. We wish they wouldn't, but we are powerless to change the world, so we try to cope by making jokes. I would even say if you can stomach jokes like that, it raises your awareness of the true horror of the worst things mankind is capable of.

As for why Ed Bob started the thread, well I'm pretty sure he wasn't thinking "Ha ha, that's a funny joke, I think I'll share it". I imagine his only purpose was to get a juicy debate going and I bet he's sitting back and enjoying every minute of it now. In fact, it rather reminds me of a contentious image he posted in another thread. It may be just a coincidence, but I can't help wondering if the all-knowing Ed Bob was making a subtle and clever point with his tasteless joke in that thread because he had sussed out that the person in the pic was from the same home town as me, his point there being that if I am amused by stuff that he finds offensive, well then he can post stuff that will offend me (well actually it didn't, and maybe I'm reading too much into it anyway). In any case, do not underestimate TT's leader. Ed Bob moves in mysterious ways.

Marshbot for mod. Ahem.

Congratulations. You've all fallen for the real joke. Nice one, EB.

I've never liked dark humour like this, whether it be about a child, the space shuttle, tsunami or 9/11 etc, but I can't help but basically agree with original posts from Marshbot and ER in a way. I think what gets me most is that many of those complaining are the sort that would usually make such jokes about other subjects involving people dying - so it smacks of double standards to me - people who get too aggressive about and want to lynch 'kiddy fiddlers' strike me as having a bit too much of a mob mentality that usually reminds me of when 'the mob' attacked a paediatrician's house

I for one don´t think I am being hypocritical as I don´t find "bad taste" jokes funny nor participate in those threads. Though it would be hard for me to say I have never laughed at any black humour to some extent (movies and TV shows, thinking of Blackadder perhaps and any movies involving hitmen or death).

Perhaps I am boring or spiessig, but I was brought up in a family that laughed at Fawlty Towers, The Two Ronnies, Are you Being Served, Dad´s Army etc and that is where the core sense of my humor comes from.

That would be the part about the wonky eye, right?

As usual, one can split the responses to this thread into a few groups:

• People who are truly offended by these jokes and are voicing their views
• People who feel it is their duty to tell others how uncool or stupid they are for looking at this thread, reading it, feeling disgusted by it and who feel the need to justify their own positive reaction to this thread
• People who couldn't give a damn about the contents of this thread or the views expressed on here
• People who are using this thread for generating traffic, thus income

There are only two things of mild interest on this thread. The fact that once again the different users are behaving exactly the way one expects them to behave and the fact that the majority of people feeling offended are people who have their own children. I think that says more than enough about it.

And this thread would've died like a dog had it not been for all the sanctimonious people in the first two groups clicking on the damned thing and posting their holier-than-thou opinions. It was a beautiful troll from the owner of a generally troll-unfriendly site which exposed an awful lot of hypocrisy. Rather than ignore the thread they thought was so horrible, people clicked on it, read through it, and then felt the need to respond from their ivory towers. As I wrote before, pure comedy gold.

woof.

You forgot

• Those who don't feel duty bound or have a need to justify their own reaction (either way) but who are actually interested in the way people respond to apparently taboo subjects and how people can make claims about others morals and personalities simply based on their own distaste.

I must admit, I'm over the jokes. Only read them the once, laughed, cringed and would have forgotten about them probably but this lucky glimpse at reflex behaviour is just too fascinating, well done EB.

I think it's bizarre as well as hilarious... an awful lot of posturing all over a few dark twists on words covering a subject that's been in our faces for the last few weeks.
Btw, the last peg hole is not right either, there are parents who have posted on this thread who can't see what all the huffing, puffing and twisted panties is over either.

I'm sure everyone has laughed at some form of dark humour. Just think about the poor wildlife in the world these days, and how human expansion into their habitat has caused many creatures to die in unnatural and painfully long winded ways. How humans are either ignorant of completely immune to the suffering of these animals, and will happily maim or kill animals they could easily avoid, and go about their business as if nothing had happened...

Or, to put it another way, "Why did the chicken cross the road"...

Wildlife dying is black humour?

Is Black Humour like Black Music? It's just I'm going over to Saturn later and I might check out the DVD section.

Again, confusing actually finding an event or circumstance funny with finding a word play about any subject funny.

To clear things up; there is nothing funny about child abuse, death or harm to animals. However, if someone can gently twist words to give you a double meaning, one of which is often surprisingly dark or distasteful.. it may cause an involuntary action known as a laugh and does not necessarily represent any persons moral standpoint on any particular issue. You would have to ask them what they think to find that out.

Although.. it appears some people do not separate humour from real life so I am starting to understand the confusion. I hope it's at least becoming a little clearer to the "that's not funny because it is a horrible subject" side - those of us who laugh at these things do not automatically condone them. People who abuse children may also find child-abuse jokes particularly un-funny. You really can't make instant judgements about somebody because of their sense of humour. Oder?

There's only so many ways you can try to explain this however and it seems some people are rather attached to their gut reactions.

Some people on this British web site have lost their sense of humour – stiff upper lip is one thing but stiff upper face – well that’s taking things too far.

What do you do if an epileptic person falls into a swimming pool while having a seizure?

Grab your dirty laundry and some detergent and toss it in the pool.

But Ruthie! What if the epileptic person drowns!!? And all you can think of is your laundry?
I'm disgusted at you and the owners of this website for letting you post, you must be a very bad person who likes to laugh at drowning people.

Oh my goodness, I've seen the error of my ways. Thank you for opening my eyes to my morally decrepit soul.

Hang on a second Ruthie, is this epileptic person a child? I just want to know whether I should start a tirade of a thousands posts against you over my guilt for laughing, or whether it was OK to laugh.

Let's say it is a 16.5 year old boy from Mauritius

Agree, thanks for adding another one to the list. Indeed, TT is nothing but a large informative, amusing social experiment with the aim of making some money on the side line. It's a little bit like BigBrother, with EdBob being BigBrother.

It's probably OK to laugh a little bit then (stifled laughter would be acceptable), but you should have made it clear in your joke that he is over 12.

As much as Komland tried to win the point it seems free speech has won the day. Maybe Komland should go and live in China – even the internet is controlled there so he wont have any problems trying to persuade other people, as they all have to think the same.

http://www.china-airlines.com/en/index.htm

have a nice flight.

Komland is as welcome to his/her/its view and opinion as the next person. Komland's opinion is no more an attempt at censorship than the posters who are disagreeing with him/her

Ah, so horse bondage jokes are next.

Bondage? Equine? Already been done on Adult Chat. And look who started the topic?
Couldn't make that one up.

Spot on! Now tell me where the gentle twist of words or double meaning are to be found in Ed Bob's limerick or BD's virgin joke? The space shuttle jokes and Renia's epilepsy joke are funny, because they do play on words and twist meanings. People see the funny side in all kinds of situations and laughing in times of distress can help us dealing with it, but that is not what sickipedia is about, instead the cart is being put before the now well flogged horse, and contributors are contriving the most infantile attempts at humour as a reaction to whatever tragedy next hits the headlines. Nothing wrong with black humour, but mosts of these Maddy jokes aren't black, they're just crap, and without the humour they just sound sick. Oh and anyone who finds the reaction of people who disapprove funny must be very easily amused indeed.

Not my joke...

When the next racially motivated attack results in the death of a person within a "minority" community(and this board has become a little quite), can we rely on Ed Bob to come out with some "nigger", "paki", "coon", "wog",etc jokes to liven up the board a little. May we then rely on some of the old "hacks" (Keydeck, Sarabyrd, etc (though I have heard that latter part of the name is mis-spelt and debatable) and mob to then back him/her along with other contributers?))

Ed Bob (Bad Dog/Bad Bob)? When things are quite then one of them will liven it up and put the cat amongst the pigeons (Read that as: among th lefty liberal, cannnot let go of their student day types)

We will see. Still, I suppose as it is his board he can do as he sees fit and if anyone that does not like it then they can sling their hook...(Having a little experience of this board we can now make comments akin to "A little man from Austria with a moustache that once said if you do not like it then leave")

Q. How do you know when a member of an ethnic community living in poverty on the sub-continent that is being exploited by corrupt western powers manipulating the general population through their financially and militarily backed, corrupt, puppet government is going to be sick?

A. all his "friends" gather around him

I fully expect to see an influx of jocular threads varying from the racist to the religious to the handicapped. Any posters out there (including the walk-on-water "old sweats") should now post jokes about handicapped members of their family (anyone that is paralysed(whether from birth or an accident)) would be a particularly hilarious read. Dying members of their family would be wonderfully apt and no doubt, equally side-splitting. Surely, some of the people making fun of the possibility of a child being raped and murdered must have a a funny story about; "The day my sister gave birth to quadraplegic triplets made us laugh...we have made up 20 jokes about it!!!"

Controversy for the sake of controversy...oh well I suppose if you were a member of the "student union" then old habits die hard. Suprisingly I am with Schotte on this one.

So you see the twist/double meaning in the other jokes then? Good.

Limericks are limericks - they don't usually have a double meaning as far as I'm aware. Not sure which virgin joke you're referring to.

Jesus is this still going on?
Bullseye, Ed Bob!

When my Dad was dying of brain cancer last year he looked through his mail and, with a sly smile and a glint in his eye, handed me an envelope from his travel agency embellished with the words "Paradise awaits you!". I handed it back with the words, "Nice that you have the confirmation".
Was he not allowed to make that joke? Was it in bad taste for a dying man? Hell, the joke was on him and he knew it.
signed, Old Hack, sarabyrd

For a thread with the word "jokes" in the title and over 180 posts there are very few to be found in fairness.

I like that one, Sara, nice moment.

My older sister has cerebral palsey and I WISH she would joke about it. I remember when we walked to school there was a neighbor (grown man) who always called her "Wobbly". And plenty of other people who made fun. But none of it was funny, showing an absolute lack of empathy.

Simply makes one wonder what our esteemed website owner thinks of in his private time.

I for one wouldn't like to have a pint with him, simple as that.

Have you noticed how many of those who found the jokes funny tend to be single and not parents?

Now why don't ye get yer knickers in a twist over something REALLY sick and not a wind-up.

Elaborate Jeremy. Based on passing along these jokes, please enlighten us with the kinds of things you believe he thinks about. This sounds most interesting.


That's not very polite, bound to cause tears.


Have you noticed how you actually have no idea which TT'ers are parents?

Dunno. I'd be interested as well to know how many parents found the jokes funny.

If people aren't allowed to tell bad jokes should this man be allowed to rub his balls on a dead bear? Well?

Obviously there's something wrong with me. I didn't find that funny either. Ho-hum.

Is that Edge from U2?

Yeah, that was a postcard he sent to Marshbot - A postcard from The Edge as it were.

Anyone? Anyone? Anyone?

Check with Jeremy, he has information on everyone's personal situations.
He's gonna come back and tell us what kind of stuff Editor Bob thinks about in his spare time anyway.. can't wait.

I didn't exactly burst out laughing but read them with raised eyebrows. OJ Simpson's e-mail address is more my thing (read the symbols out loud, i.e. slash, backslash)
oj_simpson//\//\\\@del2_esc_lockup_esc_home

Well, don't you think it is up to the parents themselves to say? It might not actually be relevant, unless being a parent automatically transforms a person's entire being making them entirely and completely different from before?

But that would mean certain posters would be on the same old santimonious "Wooooot look! We had kids! We've better than you! Look at us! We're special and blessed and all those things you'll never know because you don't have any you childhaters! Not only better but we know best too, just like automatically for we have bred! Wooooot!" trail again right?

Some with kids found the jokes funny, some did not. Some of the parents I know on here might not have liked the jokes, but they sure as hell prefer the blackest of black humour to the alternative. Those I'm glad to be friends with, barren-type that I am. Although how I can possibly bear to be near those that have spawned, I know not...
At least two of the posters have kids the same age as Madeleine as well. Fancy that eh?

Agree to disagree, because this topic is about as dead as I fear that poor child to be. And that's no joke.

And the click rate goes up and up and up. Editor Bob knows your buttons, people.