last week, a link to this two year old video was shared on my facebook wall. for those too lazy to click, it contains an obviously mentally challenged and/or intoxicated man making a fool of himself at a funeral by singing quite possibly the worst rendition of amazing grace ever recorded.
actually, thats too kind. this is, without a doubt, the worst public or private rendition of any song ever made, and this includes my bi-weekly shower beatbox remix to bohemian rhapsody.
basically, its comedic gold, and the only thing i witnessed last week more funny than that was a too talkative boise state university football player getting knocked the f*ck out by something called a “leGarrette blount”
another video made the internet rounds last week, showing what looked to be a prostitute sitting in a car and having an indecipherable conversation with two men, including what seemed like her pimp, practically mimicking a deleted scene from a dolemite flick. yet, although this video was also roasted and ridiculed, most others admonished the ridiculers, some even saying that (paraphrasing) “our reaction to her situation is a shameful indictment on all of us.”
the difference?
the funeral crasher in the first video is anonymous, and the second vid provided more visual confirmation of former actress maia campbell’s sad schizophrenia aided transformation from ultimate dime piece to compton crack whore.
i know, i know, i know. the subtexts behind these videos are far from similar. one shows a man in no immediate danger, while the other depicts a woman being verbally assaulted and physically threatened by two men.
still, for all we know, the funeral crasher could have also been a strung out schizophrenic slowly descending to perdition. he might even be dead now. but, because we don’t have any context, he’s just funny…just as funny as the thousands of context-less crackheads selling stolen patchouli in barbershops in every hood in the country. our contrasting reactions just proof of how thin line the line is between humor and hurt, and how quick some of us are to admonish something as exploitation or degradation just because it doesn’t fit our personal idea of entertainment
you know, this actually reminds of me a few months ago when i was blackmailed into seeing that 145 minute long piercing heavy metal snuff film otherwise known as transformers: revenge of the fallen.
although the movie itself was more forgettable than shine’s career, my feelings of anger about the excessively coonish and borderline racist depictions of skids and mudflap stayed with me for a couple of days…until my girlfriend reminded me that i list borat, a film that takes a sometimes cruel aim at basically every possible ethnic group in the country, as one of my favorite comedies.
my point? even though we don’t all have to find the exact same things funny, none of us have the right to decide who and what can’t be made fun of. nobody. while we obviously should make an attempt to respect each others feelings, trust me when i say that legislating “funny” is dangerous territory we definitely don’t want to occupy. we all have our sad stories and sore spots, but if you start deeming certain subjects unconditionally untouchable because of sensitive context, where does it stop?
who knows?
all i do know is that i just read that maia campbell is currently in a rehabilation facility, and i know that i hope this is true
—the champ
Good news on Maia Campbell + rehab.
As everybody’s Mom used to say…everything ain’t funny. I do agree with you that the unfunny line should not be mandated by a specific group of
humorless tight a$$esself-appointed conscious folk. It’s just one of those things where you know it when you get the side-eye.@ebonyI,
so basically comedy is like p*rn?
@The Champ, quite the coincidence, n’est ce pas?
@ebonyI,
i dont understand what you’re saying, so i’m taking it as a sign of disrespect
*slow clap*
maybe its because I am from the hood, maybe its because my family tree has more than enough current and reformed crack heads that It pisses me off when people laugh at the crack heads on the street, not recognizing that mental illness and drug addiction go hand and hand, and then have the audacity to cry foul about Maia. Are the two men wrong? He-ll yes but guess what she is being treated like every other crack ho on the block. And guess what she is a crack ho on the block mental illness or not in conjunction its some crack use up in there thats how them ninjas know her and thats how them ninjas treatin her. But you dont care about the other crack whores, the faceless ones that populate the streets of dayum near every city in America you walk past them every day in disgust, not knowing or caring about their story or where they came from. Howver because this chick use to be on tv now its no she isnt a crack whore, she is crazy. Crack makes you crazy. Crack addicts over time exhibit the same behavior as the mentally ill.
Okay so now only poor people from the hood can be cracked out? come on! its a sad situation but hell if I can laugh at my uncle trying to sell me 1 walkie talkie? i can laugh at this chick. I dont care what you say “anti horny a$$” ninja is my new favorite insult next to banana eating jungle monkey.
and last I checked shizophrenia didnt make you itch, nor f!ck up them flaming hot lays like that….
and she wasnt really rambling she was cussing dude out for disrespecting her. she goes far to the left and gets EXTRA pi$$ed but except for the lmno peay/I go to church baby jesus shyt she is just roasting dude…. for agitating real bytches…LOL
@shay_d_lady,
nor f!ck up them flaming hot lays like that….
she was tearin them chips up, wasn’t she?? lawd. i was like take.a.breath.chile. sheesh. inhaled them bad boys.
i laughed too, honestly. girlfriend sounded like the average socal hoodrat from around the way at the crib. her slang and accent made her no different then chicks i went to HS with. i was entertained at the banter back and forth.
but i will say, drug addiction and mental illness often are comorbid. yeah, sometimes drugs can make ppl “look crazy” but its likely the case that “crazy” (mentally ill) ppl turn to drugs and get strung out. its a terrible cycle.
@Gem of the Ocean,
““crazy” (mentally ill) ppl turn to drugs and get strung out. its a terrible cycle.”
So true; these often go hand in hand. Lisa Nicole Carson (Jason’s Lyric, Loves Jones) had a booze and weed problem but is also schizo (or is she bi-polar).
Still…it was funny.
@V.E.G., crazy” (mentally ill) ppl turn to drugs and get strung out. its a terrible cycle.”
So true; these often go hand in hand. Lisa Nicole Carson (Jason’s Lyric, Loves Jones) had a booze and weed problem but is also schizo (or is she bi-polar).
dont forget Bobby Brown and DMX
LOL ……but im for real……
@V.E.G.,
i hear she was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder.
@shay_d_lady, “nor f!ck up them flaming hot lays like that….”
This here line right here??? This line??? Had me dying. LMBO.
@shay_d_lady,
lol, that was a bottomless bag of lays. when she gets out of rehab she should pursue a career in magic
@shay_d_lady,
I concur wholeheartedly!!!
(1) good post, Champikins. and good use of examples. (tho i’m not sure maia has actually been diagnosed with scz)
(2) maia’s mama, bebe moore campbell, is a pitt alum.
that is all.
@Gem of the Ocean, tho i’m not sure maia has actually been diagnosed with scz)
yeah people got extra inch high private eye web md about it and put it out there… the closest thing I heard was right before he death her mom wrote “72 hour hold” about a mother dealigh with her daughter’s bi poler issues and Bebe Moore Campbell stated it was based on her own interactions with a family member but never outrigh said Maia. All the symptoms people are saying are shizo behavior? is all just regular ol crack head behavior to me.. but either way..she was all f!cked up….so I am glad she is getting help if thats true….
@shay_d_lady,
All the symptoms people are saying are shizo behavior? is all just regular ol crack head behavior to me..
lol basically. i could give any VSS/B a shot of amphetamine riiiiiiight now (got some in the fridge at work) and they’d be tripped out. talkin bout “schizo deez”
@Gem of the Ocean,
i could give any VSS/B a shot of amphetamine riiiiiiight now (got some in the fridge at work) and they’d be tripped out
you should bring some to the game tonight
@The Champ,
and Ivy can bring her drugs (and the receipts)
@Gem of the Ocean,
Lol, trust me. My excessively thirsty teenage ass knew that maia campbell has (indirect) ties to the burgh, and I did every thing within my power (read: “nothing”) to set up a potential meeting
I shed a single salty tear when I saw that Maia clip last week….another one of my teenage fantasies bit the dust.
@Anti-horny azz ninja,
^^that was the funniest part!
@Anti-horny azz ninja,
me too. First lisa nicole carson, now her. if I read something about ananda lewis or stacey dash getting sick, I might not leave my bedroom for a week
@The Champ,
Speaking of Ananda Lewis. Was I the only one who wondered why her hair always looked so greasy and stringy? Iunno what mousse she was using back in the day but did she quit yet?
@Luvvie,
The same kind Prince DaJour was using…
@miss t-lee, as well as Bret Hart.
@miss t-lee,
LOL!! Where is that ninja…him and Chris “The Mayor” Thomas….
Bond.
@ Stuff Ghetto People Like
OMG-I totally forgot about Bret hart….lol
@BlkBond
Good question!!! I have been seeing Joe Clair in a new Progressive commercial lately.
Actually Fresh from C+D had a post about Prince DaJour not too long ago.
@miss t-lee, Joe Clair’s been doing commercials real tough for a minute now….I remember one that was particularly coonishly annoying:
“Traaaade in ya breakfast for this Dannon Frusion smoo-thay!”
@Luvvie,
Was I the only one who wondered why her hair always looked so greasy and stringy
she has hair?
@The Champ,
Hush.
I’m sorry. That Maia video is funny. It’s also sad.
Comedy can be found in tragedy.
While I hope she – and any addict – can recover, it does not take away from the fact that her monologue in this video is perhaps the funniest she will ever deliver in her life.
@V.E.G., LOL it was funny.. I mean she was f!cking them lays up!
and when she said I represent the death of you son….. LOL she got really gutter with it…
@shay_d_lady,
I don’t know how she didn’t stop to laugh at herself.
@V.E.G.,
who knows? she might be on some borat or andy kaufman type sh*t right now
@V.E.G.,
“Comedy can be found in tragedy.”
Yep. People make 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, even slavery jokes ALL the time. Some may find it distasteful, but a lot will also find humor in it all. Sometimes you gotta laugh to keep from cryin’.
I didn’t watch the entire Maia video b/c I didn’t find it funny from jump. I don’t laugh at cruel and distasteful humor. But that’s just me. Even if she was some random crackhead on the corner, I still wouldn’t find it funny.
@deN.I.A.l is not a river in Egypt….,
Word. I was too busy thinking this WOMAN is surrounded by MEN who don’t give an eff about her while she is clearly incapacitated! More than that she is fearful of getting her ass beat by a man. I don’t give an eff what else was goin on in that video, that isht is upsetting to me.
Anyone waiting on me to approve of and validate their sense of humor needs to reevaluate whether that just may be the guilt talkin. We don’t live under the Taliban. Who y’all know got locked up for laughing at Maia???? Ain’t nobody legislated isht.
If you don’t want ppl offering unsolicited opinions about your sense of humor, save your opinions of what I should be offended by or speak on. Nobody asked you for a reason. Mainly cuz we don’t give a fcuk.
P.S. How y’all know she smokes crack? Not that its of much consequence but if she’s truly BIPOLAR (not scz) like her mama’s best friend says, ya know WEED can make you do that too rite? Also, how do y’all know she’s a hooker? Did I miss smthg, cuz I ain’t see anybody make mention of her selling ass?
@Me fail english?, P.S. How y’all know she smokes crack? Not that its of much consequence but if she’s truly BIPOLAR (not scz) like her mama’s best friend says, ya know WEED can make you do that too rite? Also, how do y’all know she’s a hooker? Did I miss smthg, cuz I ain’t see anybody make mention of her selling ass?
Co-sign this whole post. Who said she was on crack or a prostitute?? Someone on the internet? So now it’s gospel cuz someone on the internet said it??
@pgh muse, a prostitute
well… according to what’s in the vid and other things around the internet she is apparently selling her body. I’ll concede that… but who said she’s on crack??
Ummm. I watched the video, not all of it but enough and I don’t think it’s funny. I think the man in the car and the man with the camera in that poor child’s face should be ashamed of themselves. Who really knows if she is on crack? If she is schizophrenic (or bi-polar) and isn’t taking her medication – her behavior could be explained by that. Anyone who has spent anytime around the mentally ill, especially schizophrenics who aren’t on their meds would know that and wouldn’t find her situation to be a laughing matter. My brother, who never really harmed a fly a day in his life is in jail now because he stopped taking his meds.
Anyway. People have a right to be wet blankets… sheit the internet NEEDS wet blankets. How many people are out there who live on and through what they read and see on the internet – but don’t logoff long enough to actually experience real life? Personally, i DO think that it is an indictment of our society that the internet is burning up with these clips. People can put a video on you tube and spin it into almost anything and millions of sheep just follow along with it like it’s gospel.
And Champ, comparing a video of a man, who may be drunk or high or whateva who can’t sing but thinks he can, to a video of a woman who is widely known to have a mental illness caught in a possibly dangerous transaction is really comparing apples to effing watermelons. That man is SAFE – he isn’t in harms way. He is making a fool of HIMSELF. At worse he’ll get roasted and wake up with a hangover and have a silly memory to pass on. And if he is mentally ill well shame on whoever put him out there like that. But as for Maia Campbell – if she is tricking, she IS in harms way. Prostitutes get beat, robbed, raped, and killed all the time. That is reality. And it’s not funny.
@pgh muse, This was supposed to be a separate comment…sorry for the dupes.
@pgh muse,
I made it clear that I realized there was a much difference subtext behind the videos.
again though, its not so much about maia campbell and the amazing grace man as its how we determine what is and isn’t funny, and that I’m sure that the people denouncing those who found humor in the maia video are hypocrites.
also, for the record, I didn’t find that video amusing or entertaining at all. still, who am I to tell someone that they shouldn’t?
So why make the comparison if you’re so clear in the difference in subtext? Way to lazily steer folks into seeing your point and then abandoning ship when called to task.
Also, I’m not sure what yalls point is about the hypocrisy. Presuming to know what I laugh at and why is a judgment in itself. Yet, all I can put 2gether from this post is y’all bellyachin about being judged. Hypocrisy, no?
Everyone’s a hypocrite. It does not and should not stop us from voicing our opinions on what’s right or wrong. That’s how dialogue and progress happen.
@me fail english?
“So why make the comparison if you’re so clear in the difference in subtext? Way to lazily steer folks into seeing your point and then abandoning ship when called to task.”
because sometimes you have to use a bit of hyperbolic analogy to get people to see your latent point. in this case, i saw the reaction to maia campbells situation as a perfect example to write about my personal feelings about comedy, and whether or not certain subjects should be off limits
@pgh muse,
And Champ, comparing a video of a man, who may be drunk or high or whateva who can’t sing but thinks he can, to a video of a woman who is widely known to have a mental illness caught in a possibly dangerous transaction is really comparing apples to effing watermelons
That man in the video could have a mental illness as well. You never know…he could have been frontin’ and put on a show for sh*ts and giggles…and how we know if it was really at a funeral? None of the readers here (that I know of) were the ones to first add that vid to the internets, so we don’t know the whole truth behind the man howling in the video.
It was still funny…and Maia was too…but at the same time, both vids were pretty sad…
@K to the…,
What’s your point? You, I and everyone else here make our judgments based on the info available to us. Not a bunch of random hypothetical BS like “but what if he had a bad taco for lunch??”, “what if a lone gunman on the grassy knoll threatened him into doing that?”
Were you considering that maybe these guys raped Maia off camera after they turned the camera off? Or did u just see flamin hot cheetos and decide it was worth a laugh?
@Me fail english?,
complete co-sign!! beautifully stated, Me fail!
@Me fail english?,
you’re right. nobody has been or will be locked up for laughing at maia campbell or any of the thousands of clips on the internet of people behaving weirdly. still, there are those who think that there are certain subjects that should never be joked about, and this entry isn’t about maia campbell as much as me attempting to show how all comedy is based on someones pain.
Its a tricky subject. I mean, even here on vsb, both panama and I have gotten criticized for speaking about certain subjects that are sensitive to certain people, and its just interesting to me how some people wouldn’t comment on whether something is funny or entertaining but on if we have the right to try to approach a subject in a humorous light.
Ok, I’m rambling and I need some toast and sh*t
@The Champ,
“and this entry isn’t about maia campbell”
But it makes for great SEO strategy
@Luvvie,
SEO deez
@The Champ,
Nah, you’re not rambling and I understand where you’re going with this…I just couldn’t disagree more.
F’r'instance if a tape of Jaycee Duggard being raped for the very first time by her abductor got released and y’all called it funny, I wouldn’t just say “IMO its not funny. The end.” Id start talkin all kinds of shyt about yalls mamas and stuff. Kay, I wouldn’t talk bout ya mamas, but I would certainly be LOUDLY passing judgment. All caps locked up. Yall feel I have no right to judge/I’m a hypocrite cuz if she was a less famous, uglier boy surely Id see the humor in child rape! Then you’d show me a vid to make a poorly thought out juxtaposition of some “of age” girl voluntarily participating in a porn and suggest that there’s no difference between laughing at Jaycee and laughing at her.
I see your point. We just don’t see eye-to-eye here.
@Me fail english?,
juxtaposition deez
@Me fail english?,
I said basically this same thing lower in the thread.
Mofos be looking for a pass for doing what they want to do.
Nah ninja.
You go ahead and say what you want, laugh at what you want. That’s your right.
Then I’m going to exercise my right to respond how I want to respond. You are not going to limit my rights so you can more easily enjoy your own.
Freedom of speech, or laughter, cuts both ways. You can say what you want, and you can deal with the consequences of your choices.
@Big Man,
Smart man! I don’t know why I get the wet blanket award for going in on my peers who have an opportunity to explain and defend themselves, but folks going in on Maia just get the “Que sera, sera” treatment. I disagree with MOST of what is said in the comments section here. I don’t recall crying foul and telling ppl they don’t have a right to judge my thoughts and how hypocrites should just saddown. I just go on with the bizniss of expressing my point.
Get it how ya live, folks
@Me fail english?,
I said basically this same thing lower in the thread.
Mofos be looking for a pass for doing what they want to do.
Nah ninja.
You go ahead and say what you want, laugh at what you want. That’s your right.
Then I’m going to exercise my right to respond how I want to respond. You are not going to limit my rights so you can more easily enjoy your own.
Freedom of speech, or laughter, cuts both ways. You can say what you want, and you can deal with the consequences of your choices.
@Me fail english?,
The threat of physical abuse is a troubling part of the video that does not seem to be addressed.
I agree with your assessment; but you seem to take this video personal for some reason. F on your chest for feminist?
Bond.
@BlkBond, but you seem to take this video personal for some reason.
What does that even mean? Why is it every damn time someone (always a vss) says something on here, it has to be for a “personal reason”? That sh*t is getting really TIED. Why can’t I just find the sh*t messed up? Are we so da*n jaded and disconnected we cannot display a trace of empathy? If folks can’t justify ignorance, or find a substantive way of making their argument, yall can lurk. This is a general feeling I’ve been wanting to express for some time now.
@BlkBond,
I do consider myself a feminist… to the same extent that balck ppl concerned with racism can be called “militant”. Or maybe I’m just bitchy cuz I got the swine flu and some dude is tryna sell me a baby powder and kool aid concoction (he calls it Love’s Essence; I call it Sex Panther by Odeon).
But nah, thank God I’ve never witnessed anyone I cared about being expoited. My family tends to be the villains in these situations. So I agree with Overit. I’m just passionate and outspoken.
@deN.I.A.l is not a river in Egypt….,
My senitiments exactly. I don’t laugh at the crackheads selling patchouli oil and I didn’t laugh at this.
And if it’s true, I am glad Maia Campbell is getting help. She definitely needs it.
okay I just saw that dude singing.. I couldnt laugh.. he was so serious.. it was so terrible..I didnt laugh but I couldnt stop watching it…..like for real? and then it just got real loud out of nowhere…and the ad libbs? I think this will be hearing this in my sleep…..
@shay_d_lady,
Lol, yeah. That was my reaction as well. It was like watching a car accident, but only if the cars were driven by monkeys
This has nothing to do with this post but yall need to check this out anyway.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQOds0kCgOk
Have no idea why this is funny to me…
@Blacklaw,
That baby reminds me of Big Red when he bout to dangle Bird (of the Midnight Falcons) from the window but stops to crack a smile at the ladies….but then proceeds to dangle a ninja
@Me fail english?, 3 points for the 5 heartbeats ref
@Blacklaw, That is hilarious and cute.
@Nicki Sunshine, why is that baby so damn funny?
@Blacklaw,
although i realize that this statement will be at least 56% gay, i have to say that this baby video was one of the cutest things ive ever seen. you’re not a human being if you don’t chuckle at this sh*t
@Blacklaw,
I LOVE that baby. What’s funny is that it’s basically an angry side-eye. That baby will grow up to be Lady Cameroon or Joe Biden, just you wait…
i definitely agree that no one should judge someone else’s character because of what they find funny. but i think it’s important that people be able to speak up if they don’t find something funny, because that’s all part of the public discourse. all opinions have to be thrown into the pot, even if they’re wet blanket-y. now legislation of comedy, or any speech for that matter, is completely unacceptable. but i completely respect the right of holier-than-thou’s* to ruin my dam* good time. and i understand that there’s a slippery slope between a, “how dare you laugh at that?” culture and a “can we make a law that people can’t say that?” society, but it is what it is.
*omg! i have to admit that i was totally one of those holier-than-thou’s when that picture of biggie’s daughter was floating around the blogosphere and people were talking about her. i was all like, “yall wrong!! we need to make a law that says it’s illegal to talk about biggie’s daughter!!!!!!”
@charli skipp,
I think when you’re dealing with a more intellectual set folks are more prone to absurd over-rationalization, semantical debate and hyperizin’ (I just wanted to say three things) all at the expense of common sense and obvious truths.
Let’s be real. We all judge ppl’s characters based on how they dress, where they grew up, etc. I think sense of humor is one of the better indicators we’ve got. What bothers me more than judgmental wet blankets are the folks that judge and criticize them,as if that ironing ain’t delicious.
I suggest folks grow a pair and settle into the fact that much like defecation, judgment happens. Take solace in the fact that you’re judging the wet blankets right back. That’ll learn em!
@Me fail english?,
Hi, my name is Luvvie and I judge perpetual wet blankets. The folks that know how to murk up ANY lively convo. Yes them. These are my judging eyes O_O. It’s also the blank stare.
@Me fail english?,
dang, ebff. you’re starting to BE a wet blanket all up in thru this post.
did that YOU LIE comment really hurt you to the core?? cuz you seem like you got somethin to get off your chest lol
@Gem of the Ocean,
I’m a wet blanket cuz I don’t agree with y’all? This must be The Mirror pt. 3!
Nah, I’m just tired of ppl crying about being judged as if someone’s threatening their freedom or smthg. Its like the Imus thing when ppl brought freedom of speech all in it like that had anything to do with it. Just as you enjoy laughing at the vid, I enjoy my right to say its a shame what’s happening to that girl. I can get wit folks not wanting unsolicited opinions. I have twitter friends that went on in Maia and I said nothing. But if we gonna talk about it I have to say what I feel.
@Me fail english?,
ok. be easy. i’m not calling you a wet blanket for not finding the Maia vid funny (never said or implied that). i’m talkin about you goin in hard on those saying its hypocritical to laugh at some situations and then condemn ppl who laugh at others.
and for the record, i think it’s quite possible to laugh at somethings and not find other things funny. i do it all the time. and sometimes it depends on WHO is making the jokes that determines my acceptance of things. but i dont judge ppl who do find things funny that i dont find funny (and i’m not saying YOU do this. but there are ppl who do– who i think Champ’s talkin about).
@Me fail english?,
ok, i lied. i might judge. but my main point was that i recognize it’s not my RIGHT to say what is and is not to be laughed at
@Gem,
Ok, then that’s where we disagree. I defend your right to judge whatever you’d like. Hypocrisy be damned.
@Me fail english?,
lol for me its not about hypocrisy. i just recognize ppl find different things humorous. or try to find humor in poor situations. i guess of all the things i’ve felt very strongly about, what jokes ppl find funny aren’t one of them.
but i’m not knockin your incessant need to make your point. do you. i was trying to be funny when calling you a wet blanket (some one who mentioned wet blankets). apparently YOU didn’t find it funny. i did. it happens.
@Me fail english?,
My “incessant need”? Its a message board. Discussing is what we do.
@Me fail english?,
wait, what? lol. maybe “shouldn’t judge” was imprecise phraseology. of course people are (i do. everyone does. it’s natural) going to assume things based on what other people laugh at, wear, look like, etc. it really doesn’t matter to me if they do (and may, might, must, can, or could), but they “should”n’t because assumptions are usually a waste of time. that doesn’t mean that we all won’t continue to make them of course…it’s human nature. and a great pastime.
people that laughed at maia hate president obama.
@charli skipp,
Pictures of biggies daughter?
@charli skipp, why did I Google her picture just now and laugh my damn self? See what you done did?
@Stuff Ghetto People Like,
and i love how i’m all indignant when people talk about her, as if i don’t talk about rain pryor like a DOG at any chance i get. oh, there i go…lol
@charli skipp, just the shiny Yum Yum Donuts face she had threw me for all kinds of loops.
People feel like they “know” celebs so part of the outrage stems from that. It’s no diff from people caring that MJ died despite never meeting him. I also think the differing reactions were due to her being female. Generally Blacks, children, old people, and women are ‘off limits.’
@K.unwrapped,
that’s a good point. there seems to be much more public leeway with making jokes about men. I mean, even if you take an unfunny subject like rape, I can think of at least a dozen instances off the top of my head where male on male rape, implied or not, was the basis behind a very funny joke.
Forget about gains in the workplace and in the household, to me that fact that we don’t have the same audience for jokes about women that we do about men says more about our notions of gender equality than anything else. I guess its similiar to our feelings about race, and how some feel that racial humor is off limits…unless its about whites.
@K.unwrapped,
that’s a good point. i think people feeling like they know celebs is the same reason why i don’t buy the whole “r. kelly bounced back THAT, so of course chris brown will bounce back from THIS,” argument. in 1992, wasn’t nobody trying to watch r. go to the corner store, give people tattoos, and just live his daily life. so nobody was really connected to robert kelly, the person, anyway. chris’s fan base feels like they KNOW him. and he let their a&s down.
My only question is, since when does a simple admonition equate to “legislating the funny”? Idont laugh at Maia just like Frankie (Keyshia’s mom) and her crackish behavior were never funny to me. Laugh at some unfunny isht and y’all get ostracized. You don’t have a RIGHT to be liked. Quit cryin’ folks.
@Me fail english?, Frankie’s behavior just always makes me stop and stare…
And why are her and Neffe always yelling and crying when around eachother?
@Me fail english?,
This is a very very good point.
@Me fail english?,
Damn! you in here taking it back Forward Forward Back Back + A
Just finishing ni99as all up and down this post
@Dorian G.,
“you in here taking it back Forward Forward Back Back + A”
*Mortal Kombat geek coming out*
Was this either Johnny Cage’s or Mileena’s fatality? I’m having a hard time remembering, because after a while, I just pushed the buttons outta instinct and didn’t need to know the actual combo anymore. Sorta like how your finger just knows how to go to a particular letter in the keyboard.
@Dorian G.,
“WOOPSYYYYYY!”
@Me fail english?,
I ain’t laugh at Maia b/c I couldnt make it past 5 secs of that vid. But I do admit at laughing at Frankie’s antics. Hypocrisy? YES. Will I quit laughing at Frankie? No. Why? B/c she has such witty catch phrases as “MAN DOWN!” and “Tyra Mail!”
@Luvvie,
LOL she does have some hilarious phrases.
@Me fail english?,
I don’t mind being unliked, I’m just not a fan of hoiler than thou hypocrisy when it comes to humor.
@The Champ,
Say dat, Champie!
@The Champ,
I think the presumption that a “holier-than-thou” attitude is reserved for ppl who didn’t laugh at this vid is a bit self-righteous in itself. Y’all act like you never got angry about some isht you saw ppl laughing at. And just cuz u didn’t SAY anything about it makes you no less judgmental or hypocritical.
@Me fail english?,
Agreed.
@Me fail english?,
Just want to let you know that I get your point completely.
@Me fail english?,
“I think the presumption that a “holier-than-thou” attitude is reserved for ppl who didn’t laugh at this vid is a bit self-righteous in itself.”
i’m not making that presumption about this video. again, this vid really has nothing to do with my main point.
but, i am making that presumption about people who think jokes shouldnt even be attempted about certain broad subjects unless they personally find it funny
@Me fail english?,
I wholeheartedly agree with you statement, that people do not have a right to be liked. Stand by your principles and beliefs, whatever they maybe. Too much PC ish going on these days…it’s sickening.
Bond.
@Me fail english?,
umm….did you see tyra’s menstruation show?
@me fail english,
i don’t think anyone here is that hardup to be loved by the internet community. but, yes. in theory–minus the 808s, PMS, and heartbreak–you’re exactly right.
@charli skipp,
My tivo is racist against Tyra. No matter how much I try to program her, she refuses to record. So no, haven’t seen it
Was this guy seriously singing from his heart? God must of was in heaven saying, I can’t let him up here when he dies, as much as I love my people and don’t want them to go to hell. but I will reserve a place for him, so when he sings like that, he can help torment the people who are burning in hell, as well as Satan, when God throws him back out to outer darkess. He can sing to them and torment them forever
@Alan Johnson,
can you translate this to american for me please?
@The Champ,
Let me give it a try.
With this fella’s singing, God must be in Heaven saying “As much as I like my people and don’t want them to burn in Dereon H*ll, that negro ain’t walking thru these glorious gates if he gon be in my house sanging like a dying cat.”
And blah blah blah.
This translating thing is hard. Where’s AIF?
@Luvvie,
I think you did a fine job here.
@Luvvie,
LMAO!!!
Ummm. I watched the video, not all of it but enough and I don’t think it’s funny. I think the man in the car and the man with the camera in that poor child’s face should be ashamed of themselves. Who really knows if she is on crack? If she is schizophrenic (or bi-polar) and isn’t taking her medication – her behavior could be explained by that. Anyone who has spent anytime around the mentally ill, especially schizophrenics who aren’t on their meds would know that and wouldn’t find her situation to be a laughing matter. My brother, who never really harmed a fly a day in his life is in jail now because he stopped taking his meds.
Anyway. People have a right to be wet blankets… sheit the internet NEEDS wet blankets. How many people are out there who live on and through what they read and see on the internet – but don’t logoff long enough to actually experience real life? Personally, i DO think that it is an indictment of our society that the internet is burning up with these clips. People can put a video on you tube and spin it into almost anything and millions of sheep just follow along with it like it’s gospel.
And Champ, comparing a video of a man, who may be drunk or high or whateva who can’t sing but thinks he can, to a video of a woman who is widely known to have a mental illness caught in a possibly dangerous transaction is really comparing apples to effing watermelons. That man is SAFE – he isn’t in harms way. He is making a fool of HIMSELF. At worse he’ll get roasted and wake up with a hangover and have a silly memory to pass on. And if he is mentally ill well shame on whoever put him out there like that. But as for Maia Campbell – if she is tricking, she IS in harms way. Prostitutes get beat, robbed, raped, and killed all the time. That is reality. And it’s not funny.
@pgh muse,
are you suggesting that those subjects (prostitution, murder, rape, and robbery) should never be broached for humor?
@The Champ,
You just described the TV show “Oz”. I used to wince everytime I saw someone get Adebisi’d.
@The Champ, Nope. I’m not saying that at all. I have a sense of humor, I think… and I’m saying that I don’t find THIS particular video to be funny. Nor do I think that I would find a similar video of any other “crack whore” in a similar situation to be funny. Maia Campbell or not. I can see how someone may laugh at her language, her outbursts, and her tearing up them chips… but as a whole the video is sad, the situation is sad, and I (me, myself, and I) don’t find the humor in it. We are all individuals with our own stories and what have u… this hits a nerve with me cuz i have people that i care for dearly that could have been “Maia Campbell” in this way. It is my opinion that we should be careful of what we say. I’m human – I’ve definitely laughed at things that someone else may deem inappropriate or have taken lightly what may be a crisis to someone else. That’s life. Opinions are like a$$holes – everybody’s got one – just like everybody passes judgement in some form or fashion. Basically, if you give it u should be able to take it. How can one make a crack about someone else, and then cry foul when someone disagrees?
@pgh muse,
Amen, ED. The point is not that I don’t fin it funny and u shouldn’t either. My beef is with the assumption that if I do something insensitive, unsympathetic or just plain offensive ppl don’t have the right to wag their finger at me, just cuz they laughed at MJ or smthg…
I’m human and do hypocritical isht all the time. Feel free to call me on it. I can either apologize, explain myself or simply disagree that I’m being an ass. What I WON’T do is tell you you have no right to call me on it as if my isht don’t stink. Therefore, I simply don’t understand the ppl who do.
Also laughing at endless flaming hot Cheetos or anti-horny ninjas & calling it sad with some funny parts and coming away with the idea that the video as whole is funny are two very diff things to me. I can understand the former, but the latter baffles me. Expect to be judged.
@pgh muse,
I can see how someone may laugh at her language, her outbursts, and her tearing up them chips… but as a whole the video is sad, the situation is sad, and I (me, myself, and I) don’t find the humor in it
i agree, actually
@The Champ, are you suggesting that those subjects (prostitution, murder, rape, and robbery) should never be broached for humor?
i just don’t understand how this is even a question. this “why not” response to questions is a slippery a** slope. but to answer your question, i don’t think they should. obviously, if its a video of a botched robbery where a criminal does something stupid, fine.
a video where a woman who is obviously mentally ill being threatened by some b*** a** men? NO.
@overit, are you suggesting that those subjects (prostitution, murder, rape, and robbery) should never be broached for humor?
And that’s another point. I could say that for myself personally, I find all of these topics to be a humorless vacuum… I don’t see anything funny about ANYBODY getting murdered or raped. Finding humor in stuff like that may just not be for me. But because there is this little thing in this country called freedom of speech, i can have that opinion, and state it.
The first time I saw the Maia Campbell video, I laughed.. it was funny. Yes her downward struggle is sad, but when I saw the video, I wasn’t thinking of that…. I was thinking of “EllEmEnOhPee arse ninja.”
But yes, I agree with Champ, no one should be walking around laugh policing. I am sure we have all laughed at things that may be deemed inappropriate by another group.
@Nicki Sunshine, Just read this online re: Maia
“Maia has been diagnosed with bi-polar/manic depression and because substance abuse is involved she has co-occurring disorder, which has symptoms similar to schizophrenia. In short, Maia is mentally ill and has a substance abuse problem.
Maia is in treatment, and she said that there is hope for Maia’s recovery. The prayers of “50,000,000? people can make the difference because Maia doesn’t like to stay in treatment, and her treatment involves drug withdrawal, as well as, treatment for her disorders. Maia’s disorders are exasperated and sent out of control by substance abuse. Pre-existing and early onset bi-polar, clinical depression and schizophrenia can be sent out of control by marijuana (the worst culprit), alcohol and of course, synthetic and street drugs.
Maia Campbell’s mother started an organization called NAMI Urban Los Angeles (NULA), the urban affiliate of NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. NULA, founded in 2003, provides education about severe brain disorders, supports increased funding for research and advocates for adequate health insurance, housing rehabilitation and jobs for people with serious psychiatric illnesses in communities of color. It also seeks to educate the public about the myths of mental illness to eradicate stigma. NULA seeks to be a beacon of hope in the community it serves.”
@Nicki Sunshine,
where did you get this?
It’s all fun and games until someone gets p!ssed off…
Glad to hear Maia is in treatment though…I literally had no words after watching. Just a shocked expression. Mental illness is real ya’ll…
I can’t even watch the Omazing grace guy…I can’t get sent home today. Nevertheless it’s an oldie but goodie classic.
It ain’t got nothing on my all-time favorite The Breakfast Song though!!! RIP to the singer…he makes my day at least once a week.
@miss t-lee, I just googled the Breakfast song.. I had to turn it off after 45 seconds.. it made me hungry.
@Nicki Sunshine,
*giggling* it has a tendency to do that…lol
@miss t-lee,
The Breakfast Song is MY ISH!!!
@Luvvie,
*what’s up head nod*
You already know…lol
I laughed my @ss off at Lil Darrell singing dahell outta the FIRST line of Amazing Grace. (Oh and the ad-libs, I. Couldn’t. Breathe.)
I could not bring myself to watch the Maia Campbell video. I thought it would hurt too much to see this beautiful young black woman in such a bad way. Or so I heard.
@SexyCool,
do you think it would make a difference in perception if it were an ugly black man instead of a (formerly) beautiful black woman in that video?
@The Champ,
“do you think it would make a difference in perception if it were an ugly black man instead of a (formerly) beautiful black woman in that video?”
Yup! People laughed and ridiculed when Stephon Marbury live-streamed himself for a week on Twitter. He wasn’t in the right frame of mind. Dude actually ate vaseline at one point. Mofos like Lil Duval, who started the trending topic #prayformaia were going IN on Stephon. No one was like “Dang, let’s get dude some help b/c he’s surely off”
@Luvvie,
great points.
@Luvvie,
Maybe its cuz I didn’t see him eat vaseline, but again I see no comparison.
- For one, Steph has no history of mental illness so one can easily come to the conclusion that he’s just displaying unprecedented levels of bitchassness. Not to mention I never liked his ass.
- Steph was taping himself. Maia was actually protesting the recording and its eventual release.
- Steph hasn’t been the extended butt of the same joke. If three years later, this same kinda cryin ass tape was released with Steph Id stop laughing at that too and want him to get help. Maia tapes/photos have been coming out for years now and at this point its just not funny, its a trainwreck.
Don’t think pretty female “crackheads” get laughed at? Ask Britney, Whitney or Lauryn.
@Me fail english?,
Though Stephon has no history of mental illness, his live streams seem to scream “I NEED AN INTERVENTION”.
@Me fail english?,
For one, Steph has no history of mental illness …
How you know? Cuz it’s not on the internet?
@Me fail english?,
lol, i’d argue that bitchassedness is a form of mental illness
@Me fail english?,
fallacies abound:
1. How do you know he has no history of mental illness?
2. Because you don’t like him, it’s alright to laugh at his arse, but NOT Maia Campbell?!?!?!
3. So WHAT he taped himself? Would it have made a difference if someone else taped him? Whether he protested or not, does not negate the possibility of a possible mental illness.
4. The time of the joke is irrelevant. People were/are still laughing at Marion Barry smoking crack.
Good logic on you. Don’t just rescue the people you like, save everybody or take the cape off.
Bond.
@Bond/K ,
I know of no public history of mental illness. If I did, that would be sad to me too. I can only assess the situation based on what I know (which is what we all do).
I mentioned that I ain’t like him not cause I can’t empathize with folks I don’t like, but cuz he is a whiny self-absorbed so and so and his crying vid fits right in with what I see as normal Steph ish.
Its not the timing that’s relevant, but the number of times plus the timing. If Steph was an a*hole that wigged out once in 09 that’s not a big deal to me cuz I wig out too. If I thought he had a chronic prblem with wigging out like Maia, the tape wouldn’t be as funny to me.
Finally, if Maia was jumping in the public eye actin an asz, Id still pity her but id have far less sympathy for her than if she was taped without her consent while trying to fight her demons in private. That embarassing element adds a whole new dimension of empathy for me.
And Mayor Barry was arguably in a less desperate situation than Maia flamin hots Campbell was.
@Luvvie,
Lil Duval is a dern trip. I had to hide that negro’s FaceBook status updates. I would log on and my whole freakin’ homepage would be him and his ‘basic b9tch’ rants. SMDH!!! (He is funny though.)
@The Champ,
I too thought about the “formerly beautiful.” It would possibly depend on the context. And I’m not saying the Campbell video was not amusing. It very well could be the funniest thing going. However, I won’t see it, so I have will no judgement.
I’m in agreeance that I don’t need/want anyone governing what I find funny. If it’s funny to me, Imma laugh. Call me a jerk, ignoramous, a$shole or what have you (I’ll.Be.Dat), but one must understand that different people are gonna find different things funny.
Some people find it hilarious when Chris Rock or ANY Black comedian refer to whites as “cracka-a$s-crackas” but let a white person refer to Blacks as coons and those same folks are ready to boycott and shyt. Many people think it’s all fine and dandy to joke until the shyt hits home for them OR if they just don’t find it funny and someone else does.
Everyone’s guilty of laughing or joking about SOMETHING that another may be terribly offended by. EVERYONE. Shiiiddd..I still make jokes about “Vickin’” a dog or two when I see an owner who can’t control them properly. That may not be funny to sincere animal lovers. Oh well, bite me. Everyone can be laughin’ at “yo’ mama” jokes until that one person says something about someone’s moms who is deceased. Everyone has that line that they want to be respected and not crossed but it’s no way of knowing EVERYBODY’S line so occassionally, some feelings are gonna get hurt.
I feel like I’m rambling now, but yeah, I just think it’s contradictory to condemn someone for something that you do also. And as I said, EVERYONE has done it.
@Monk,
That’s real, though. Nobody know’s everyone’s inner pain and ish, so how are they supposed to know what they should and shouldn’t find funny?
@8th Wonder,
Right! Now if you’re in my inner-circle of folks and I know certain things may offend you, of course I’m gonna be more sensitive to your feelings about certain things.
@Monk,
Word to Big Bird.
@Monk,
on so many occassions i’ve almost said “ya mama” to some one who’s mom was deceased or sick. it’s such a natural comeback for me to something i dont have a witty or appropriate comeback for. i’d feel bad tho if i was talkin about somebody’s dead mama. but not somebody’s mama who is healthy and really was a ho. *shrugs*
@Gem of the Ocean,
Yeah, if their mama really is a hoe, they should know and shouldn’t be too offended by you pointing out the obvious and shyt.
Didn’t think the video was funny in the end. I started watching it thinking it was funny but I quickly stopped laughing. It actually hurt to see it maybe because it put a face on mental illness in our community, one that is often hidden and to some extent still hidden in this particular situation. I remember when I was a teenager, I really wanted to be like Maia because she seemed like she had everything together, yet this video was a sad display that indeed she doesn’t have anything together. Most like to think Maia is a crackhead case and that’s it, but she’s been mentally ill for quite some time. Months before her mother passed, I was at a private book signing for her novel 72 Hour Hold (a novel about a woman who has a mentally ill family member) and it was in many ways a very somber event. It seemed as though Bebe Moore Campbell wrote her book to tell more of her own story, one that was very pained. All of these reasons and more are why I didn’t think it was funny, nor can I respect anyone who thinks it’s humorous. While I agree usually you can’t tell people what is and what isn’t humor, it’s unfortunate that many of us think this is “hilarious.” Yes out of context the video might be funny, but most of us have context for Maia, a black woman, a young black woman, someone we know who needs help, etc.
In the end, I think you are wrong on this. “Someone” does have the right to determine what’s wrong to laugh at and what’s good to laugh at–generally this someone comes in the form of social contexts and norms. Context is what makes comedian’s jokes funny or unfunny, so to sit here and say we can’t judge what’s funny or not is ridiculous because we do it all the time.
@Liz,
Lizzard, Its not about judging what’s funny or not. I’m concerned with the attempt at humor, and those who think that there are subjects that are unconditonally untouchable.
btw, ridiculous deez
@The Champ,
What did someone say was unconditionally untouchable? If y’all were pointing to some commentary where someone actually did this and condemned whomever for laughing at the untouchable Id see your point but it seems nobody’s sayiing unconditional anything. In fact everyone’s being very specific to Maia’s case even though that may not have been the intent of your post.
I’m kinda torn on this. One half of me believes that we must talk about and find humor in most if not all things, just for the sake of sanity. Not everything can be so damn serious, which is why a lot of controversial comics have become so loved by all…for making us see the humor in what is otherwise an effed up world. The other half of me believes that common decency should let you know that some things just aren’t funny, and that its more of a respect thing than anything else.
The first time I watched it, before watching the entire video, I laughed a lot. Maia cussed that dude out in ways I haven’t even fathomed were possible, and I was dying. It was almost like Pootie Tang invaded her body and just ripped dude to shreds. Tippy Taiii-ed on his ass, seriously.
But I was definitely sobered at the end when she told whomever was filming her that she was about to be driven off to be handled…but he was gonna be fine, right? OMG that joint broke my heart.
I was definitely happy to hear that she may be in rehab now, and I do hope she is able to stick with it, becase as we know, so many get to rehab, but just cannot see it through.
@8th Wonder,
I do hope she is able to stick with it, becase as we know, so many get to rehab, but just cannot see it through.
i just hope that overit is able to read this
@8th Wonder, freat points, i feel you. comedy and laughter has been a coping mechanism for people of color for a long time.
moving on, i don’t see how this has become a topic on “legislating humor”. i’m not here to discuss hypotheticals, i’m simply talking about this video. the joint is sad and i don’t see how people find it funny. i didn’t tell folks to stop laughing, i said i don’t see HOW its funny. period.
Peopel reacted the way they did to the Maia because she was a pretty female. Most people had a hearty laugh at Jo-Jo Haley passing out in the middle of a show in downright court jester-ish fashion. Or the years of Bobby and Whitney doing their best Gator-Halle Berry in Jungle Fever routine. I think if there’d been no Bobbi Christina, no one would have even pretended to be concerned for either one of them. Or Mariah losing it during interviews in the early aught’s.
But Maia was a true dime and seemed like a nice person (even now she still seems sweet, just in a tragically messed-up place, figuratively and literally) so everyone chooses to root for her. It ain’t fair that those others up top got minimal love, but we already knew that.
@Scipio Africanus,
life aint fair and sh*t. unless, of course, you’re a penguin
I saw the Maia vid the week before last, and um I didn’t find it funny at all. tragic and sad, how easily one can lose their way in this journey called life……one wrong turn, or misstep, or mishap, can have life long consequences, sometimes the damage can be repaired sometimes not…I’m ol girl is getting treatment.
I feel the same when folk I see out in the street, on the block etc that are obviously lost…….
@OrangeStar616,
I feel the same when folk I see out in the street, on the block etc that are obviously lost……
even tourists?
My problem with Transformers:Revenge of the Fallen was not the coonish behavior of the twins, the excessive dialogue of Shia LeBouf and his male sidekicks, or the vertigo that I suffered after I tried to keep up with all the action on the screen. My problem lied with Megatron being made to be the villain. In my opinion he is the true hero of the film. Optimus Prime, or Optimus Tom as I call him, completely sold out his kind. What human being, aside from members of Green Peace and PETA, would sacrifice mankind for the sake of another species? When push comes to shove, you should ride with your kind. Optimus Tom did not get this memo. Megatron wanted to do whatever was necessary to keep the Transformers alive, if that meant destroying the Earth, so-muthaf*cking be it. I can respect that. I can’t respect the self-species suicide that Tom commited. He destroyed the energon creator without first studying it to possibly build a new one in an uninhabited solar system. What kind of sense does that make? I am rambling.
@Legendary Dash,
This is valid.
@Legendary Dash,
haven’t seen the movie (nor do i plan to) but i def feel you. us over them. God bless America! lol
@Legendary Dash,
*dead* I am now a stan for the decepticons! lol
@Legendary Dash,
LOL, best review I’ve seen for that film.
@Anti-horny azz ninja,
lol, sh*t this comment was more entertaining than the actual movie
@Legendary Dash,
lol, this post made me want to yell ‘Hail Megatron’. Damn cuzzo…lol
Bond.
I haven’t yet seen the Amazing Grace video and I can’t look at it right now because I’m not in the right emotional state* to view it at the moment.
I saw the Maia Campbell video recently though. I probably watched the entire thing with my mouth dropped open. Wow. I mean, wow. It really puts into perspective that you never know what road one may travel. Also, for some reason, was entranced by those hot chips she was eating…maybe I was hungry at the time. *shrug*
*”the right emotional state” means it’s early in the morning and that’s when folks near me are talking to attorneys and if I view this video now, I know I will bust out in extremely loud and involuntary laughter. Give me about an hour. I’ll be back with my Bwa-hahas.
Ok, I watched it. If I were there, I woulda been mad at him for being such a hilarious hot mess at a funeral of all places. That is the very last place you are able to laugh. Hell, you can’t even smile without getting the side-eye from Sister Odell, the third. AND, I woulda been labeled insensitive for laughin’ at his po’ self. *sigh* Challenges…
@Cheekie, sheeiiiih, I laughed at a funeral just two weeks ago! You know how that spiritual gets ramped up by people in the background yelling “YES!” “hallelujah!” “oh, comfort me, lawd!” which inspires the singer to start really sangin’ her lungs out and the whole shot. She was about to wrap it up, but as the pastor was about to grab the mic, he saw the crowd reaction and just yielded the mic back to her to continue, with a blink and eye roll that just put. Me. Away. I was the only one who noticed that subtle gesture in the entire audience, but I found that funny, that little pocket moment appealed to my sense of humor.
@Stuff Ghetto People Like,
Shooooot. There was an equally hilarious moment at my grandmother’s funeral back in Feb.
My grandma’s pastor was getting all out of pocket during the eulogy and my auntie just straight up cussed him out under her breath. (one of them “this mf’er right here…”)
She was sitting 2 seats away from me and when I looked at her she rolled her eyes and started giggling.
So did I.
@miss t-lee,
I too, have chuckled at a funeral. I just cannot keep a straight face during liturgical dance performances.
The day the Maia Campbell video was released, Twitter went nuts. The hypersensitive people were clashing with the insensitive ones. Everyone was either inappropriate comedians or judgmental pricks and it was ridiculous. Plus, by the end of the day, folks had diagnosed Maia with every disease in the DSM-IV.
Then Lil Duval, the person who will tweet for 4 hours bout “basic b*tches” went on a holy crusade for Maia. Lawd, hypocrisy ruled so hard on that day.
I didn’t watch the vid b/c after 5 secs, I couldn’t really continue. But glad homegirl is in rehab. And she isn’t schizophrenic. It’s just that certain drugs have effects that mimic some symptoms of schizo. She’s manic-depressive, and hasn’t been taking her meds.
@Luvvie,
Plus, by the end of the day, folks had diagnosed Maia with every disease in the DSM-IV
yeah. i even read on sandrarose.com that her behavior was because of untreated gout
Funny you should mention mudflap and skids. It’s like when something inhouse gets taken out of the house and it gets laughed @ instead of with. That is the criteria of unfunny to me. As Black people in UmIrEcUh learned to laugh through pain of hardship. People are learning to laugh @ or with other hardships. Like drug addiction people with mental handicaps n stuff. It is what it is. One of these days we’ll be one people and funny will just be funny. Everybody will see everybody else as family like or something n stuff.
@WuDaMan,
One of these days we’ll be one people and funny will just be funny
like 8th wonder, this day will never come
@The Champ,
This is only true if you’re involved.
I dunno. Either I’m just extremely lazy or I just didn’t feel like watching either one – I haven’t seen them. If the Campbell one is bad as folks say it is…everyone should pray for her. I guess something like that might be good for instant humor until you realize that is a real person going through that sh*t. It’s crazy that someone would put that on the internet too.
My Dad used to tell me be careful what you. Your transgressions can curse a family for many generations.
What was the question?
@mongo slade,
What was the question?
whats a mongo slade?
@The Champ, Character from old Bill Cosby movie. Let’s Do It Again.
I have a friend who grew up with Maia and years ago she told me about Maia’s story. For those who know her, the video is particularly painful to watch because someone as bright and talented as Maia could be doing beautiful things with her life.
I personally don’t understand what was funny about the video. While I have an excellent sense of humor, it’s difficult for me to find drug addiction and mental illness entertaining.
There’s a difference between the funeral clip and the Maia Campbell clip. The man at the funeral chose to perform and obviously didn’t care what anyone thought of him because his intent was to entertain or express himself through a song. In addition, he was not in a dangerous situation. Maia didn’t choose to entertain anyone, and it’s clear she was not safe in the car with whoever that random ninja was.
@Voiceofreason,
i think you, and many others, keep hammering Champikins’ point without realizing it.
many ppl find her behavior (i.e. effing up a bag of ghetto-flavored chips, use of verbage) funny. some ppl think its funny she might be on drugs and/or mentally ill. some ppl think its funny that she might be a prostitute. some ppl think what she was saying was funny.
its quite possible to laugh at one thing and not the other. YOU (and others) see a distressed girl in need of help, and therefore dont think it’s funny. others just dont find what she was doing or saying funny (she could have easily not been some one famous and not been on drugs or sick and it still not be funny).
its no different with ANY other types of jokes. ppl can joke about race, poverty, drug addiction, and all kinds of other things. and all of us have laughed at some one else’s expense. for you (or others) it might not be drug addiction or mental illness, but it’s something.
and i think that’s ok. it’s ok to laugh when there is something humorous to you. but just because you laugh at something that lies within a great context or issue, doesn’t necessarily mean you are insensitive or unsympathetic.
@Gem of the Ocean,
*dead @ “ghetto-flavored chips”*
@Gem of the Ocean,
“its no different with ANY other types of jokes. ppl can joke about race, poverty, drug addiction, and all kinds of other things. and all of us have laughed at some one else’s expense. for you (or others) it might not be drug addiction or mental illness, but it’s something. ”
I wouldn’t put this video in the joke category because it was real life not sketch comedy. I get Champ’s point; if someone thinks something is funny they have every right to laugh at it, and I agree. I was simply stating why I personally didn’t think it was funny. And just as an individual has the right to find the clip visually and aurally entertaining, I (and others) have the right to look at what we feel is a bigger picture. And the big picture tells us that while there were humorous elements to the video (effin up chips, crazy talk, crazy eyes, raggedy wig) there’s nothing laughable about what she’s going through. And I don’t think anyone can deny that.
@Voiceofreason, I wouldn’t put this video in the joke category because it was real life not sketch comedy.
And I think that this is the point of the day. This video isn’t COMEDY… it’s not on “In Living Color” or the Chappelle show… this is a real life situation, involving a real person. Someone can laugh at it if they want, but be prepared for someone to say, “It’s not funny.” I think that this is where the disconnect lies…
@pgh muse, Someone can laugh at it if they want, but be prepared for someone to say, “It’s not funny.” I think that this is where the disconnect lies…
THANK YOU.
@Voiceofreason,
i’m not saying anyone should or should not find this vid funny. or any other vid that exploits some one or a type of ppl–real life footage or sketch comedy. the point remains the same. ppl find certain things funny. it’s funny to laugh at a SKETCH of some one threatening to abuse “crack whores” but not funny to laugh at the real thing when you see it?? why not. just becuz it’s sketch doesn’t mean it doesn’t really happen. so then what are you laughing at??
i happened to laugh at parts during the maia vid. all the while feeling bad for her and any person in that situation. my research is built on mental illness. i know very well how mental illness is handled in the black community which makes mentally ill ppl even worse off. doesn’t negate the fact that something humorous caught my eyes and ears and made me chuckle. you think it’s wrong, but i don’t. plain and simple. we can agree to disagree.
but when you look at it in a greater scheme, there are plenty of things that you have in fact laughed at that some one else looked at and said “that’s completely unacceptable, that should not be put in the joke category, how could anyone ever find this funny”. it’s happened to us ALL. and i think it’s ok.
just my opin.
@WuDaMan,
Agreed. Its like who gets to sya the n-word or make yo mama jokes. I don’t mind being a hypocrite wet blanket or whatever else. I have my opinions and that’s that.
so initially i thought the Joe Wilson “YOU LIE!” comment was completely outta order, in general RUDE taste, and completely disrespectful to the POTUS, Congress, and the American ppl watching the address. who the hell does that?? (1) shouts out during a formal Presidential address to Congress, (2) calls the POTUS a liar, (3) does this in a public setting?? just bogus all the way around.
and then after watching replays of the incident, and seeing snapshots of Obama side-eyeing the hell outta Wilson, i laughed my arse off about it. becuz now it makes for a great sound bite and encourages me to want to yell YOU LIE to random ppl for no reason at all. not to mention all the hilarity tha ensued on twitter recounting this whole thing.
becuz YOU LIE is funny to ppl, does that mean they are accepting of disrespect to the POTUS or ok’ing such behavior?? no (altho they might lol). it just means Wilson better watch his back. or Rahm Emanuel might have to choke a b*tch. (another thing that many ppl found funny–in the Dave Chappell skit–the threats of choking b*tches workin the street corners. ppl laugh at that sh*t. but are they laughing at violence against women?? who prostitute themselves?? and give their money to pimps?? come on!!)
@Gem of the Ocean,
Exactly. He was rude and ridic but after seeing it over and over again, I think it’s hilarious.
@Gem of the Ocean,
EBff, I love you but I gotta call out a MAJOR REACH when I see it. If I thought Obama was in danger or Wayne Brady was really going to choke those actresses I wouldn’t have found that funny either. MJ jokes stopped being funny to me when I started to think the man was slowly hurting (possibly killing) himself. The Maia vid is her real life and imho she might be in real danger.
Aside, who said “y’all must condone crack whores to find that vid funny”? From what I can tell no one is concerned with WHY you think that’s funny. We just disagree on what our summary feeling is from this vid. Champ seems to think ppl who say the vid isn’t funny need to check themselves, to which we say check deez.
@Me fail english?,
we agree to disagree. i’m in NO WAY comparing the Joe Wilson incident to the Maia vid. so you can stop right there. i’m talking about what some ppl find funny (most ppl laughed initially and went in with the jokes… i on the other hand thought it wasnt funny at all…at first) and does it have any deeper meaning then simply finding something funny. i’m sayin, just becuz you laugh at something doesn’t mean anything more than you thought something was funny. it doesn’t necessarily mean you think that its funny for ppl to disrespect some one, treat them bad, or whatever else.
and again, i never said ppl should find this or that funny or not. i dont give 2 sh*ts about what ppl find funny or not. you dont like certain jokes, i wont make them around you. all i’m sayin is, just becuz you find something funny (for whatever reason), doesn’t necessarily give some greater deeper meaning into your psyche.
@Gem of the Ocean,
And if you’re not comparing then why mention it in this context? When did I say it gave me a “greater, deeper meaning into my psyche” whatevr the eff that means?
We’re all aware that what some find funny, others don’t. What does this have to do with champs original point that folks should reserve judgment if they don’t find smthg funny, but have the right to laugh if they do?
@Me fail english?, What does this have to do with champs original point that folks should reserve judgment if they don’t find smthg funny, but have the right to laugh if they do?
*choir*
@Gem of the Ocean, all i’m sayin is, just becuz you find something funny (for whatever reason), doesn’t necessarily give some greater deeper meaning into your psyche.
it may not, and it might. i know for a fact everyone on here who is acting all indicted cause they found this funny, have a list of topics/videos they would not find the humor in. again, i’m not talking about laughter in general. i don’t understand why people keep jumping to hypotheticals to validate they found this funny.
I can’t decide what other people can find funny.
But, I can damn sure decide what I think is NOT funny, and I can get pissed at other people for laughing at it.
To tell me otherwise is to tell me that I must subjigate my emotions for the feelings of others. That’s is BS.
You can do what you want, and I can do what I want. If you want to make risque jokes, then be prepared to deal with the consequences of that choice.
That is all.
@Big Man,
I can’t decide what other people can find funny.
But, I can damn sure decide what I think is NOT funny
i don’t disagree and sh*t
@Big Man,
“I can’t decide what other people can find funny.
But, I can damn sure decide what I think is NOT funny, and I can get pissed at other people for laughing at it.”
I’ve been reading this convo from afar and didn’t know exactly how to express how I felt (Blame it on the Thursdays), but this is the simple truth right chere.
I think when Person A laughs at something and Person B says, “That’s not funny”, Person A takes that as Person B mandating what’s funny or not, when sometimes it just means it’s not funny to just Person B. Other times, folks DO directly tell you not to laugh (and it’s their right to tell you, but it’s your right to either listen or not listen to their direction). I don’t think either occurence is the standard everytime, I think there are combos of both in life.
I am amazed that every one has such strong opinions on this.
We laughed when Chris Rock makes fun of Marion Barry an d his love of the pipe. All the MJ jokes in the past were funny. If that boy wasn’t mentally ill…who was? We have even laughed at jokes framed around 9/11. While the event itself was far from funny, humor can be found.
I agree with Gemmie: you can find humor in something and still realize that, in and of itself, it is tragic.
Hell, comedians been making divorce jokes for years. Divorce ain’t funny. But we laugh.
@V.E.G.,
For real. I personally know folks (females and males) with serious mental illness and a lot of times the stuff they say & do is HILARIOUS when they go off the deep end. That DOES NOT mean that I don’t wish for them to seek treatment, become better and be productive once again.
@V.E.G., hell, we can take it further, there’s a way older Maia clip where she’s tryna sing (and also hanging out with hood ninjas) that becomes a “come on tiddy” moment. Some people found that funny, some even found it sexually hot…even while at the same time saying “what has gotten into our beloved Maia Campbell?” But again, it’s that context counting for a lot, as well as the subjectivity of tastes.
@V.E.G.,
You’re right and Champ is right to degree.
We all decide, using our own standards, what we find humorous.
The problem I had with Champ’s post was the underlying point of “Y’all need to fall back from judging what other people find funny.”
I can’t agree with that.
@Big Man,
Zackly. Esp since the tone of Champ’s post seems to judge what SHOULD be funny (everything can be funny in its proper context). So he can judge what we should find funny but we can’t judge what he shouldn’t find funny. We’re all hypocrites sometimes, no?
@Me fail english?,
“Esp since the tone of Champ’s post seems to judge what SHOULD be funny (everything can be funny in its proper context). So he can judge what we should find funny but we can’t judge what he shouldn’t find funny”
thats not it. i don’t care what everyone else considers to be funny. again, it goes back to my bigger point about people feeling that certain broad subjects (and people) are ridicule proof, regardless of the context. i, obviously, disagree
@V.E.G., for the record i never laughed at MJ jokes. ever.
felt the need to share that, lol.
Off-Topic and Random:
My firm just distributed hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes for the H1N1 monster…and now I’m singing “Wipe Me Down” while cleaning my computer. Just a hot mess…
I need a day off.
@Cheekie,
I am sick and was trying to go in. Got an email telling me to keep my arse at home. Folks aren’t playing.
Note: they told me to work from home. lol. Not rest.
@V.E.G.,
LOL our whole student body got an email saying if you’re sick, stay in your dorm room or apartment.
h1n1 is the easiest no show excuse for school/work. i got that swine flu, not gonna be able to make it. who’s really gonna be like “you betta bring yo snifflin, sneezin, night time headache arse in here!!” lol
@Cheekie,
We have gallon sized jugs of hand santizer here in our office, and they gave us mini sized bottles for each cube.
Hilarious…
*cause I’m on.
OK, lemme get right on it now…
There is a thing about context to humor. Something in a vacuum might not be funny, but interpreted a certain way it is…and vice versa. This I’m sure everyone can agree on.
I fox with Patrice Oneal. He’s on a clip on Fix News where he put it best, his world as a comic is about finding what’s funny; other people’s worlds simply aren’t, they’re about play it straight and politically correct and what social implications stuff has…we can probably all clap to that here because as bloggers we’re all amateur humor writers or opinion columnists and what not. Some people feel what we felt, some people don’t. It’s hit and miss, like rap lines or beats, tryna fid the hot sh*t that will get the audience open.
Hell, there will soon be a day when we can kinda go there about September 11th related stuff…back in say, ’03, that would be absolutely tasteless to even be open to that possibility. I’m not saying it’s gonna happen literally tomorrow, but there will eventually be someone with the finesse and sophistication to open that door.
With that, onto the Maia clip…it wasn’t funny to me, but savage. Not necessarily due to Maia herself (who again, had people here on VSB pluckin’ lines from it that they found not only hilarious, but keepers! I ain’t mad at that at all) so much as I have a distaste for the ways of those “hood bully” type dudes, cats who seemingly go out of their way to be basterds to other people for their entertainment like that sort of thing is cool. There’s a certain slime and b*tch*ssness to how them ninjas operate that I never was down with. Hence it was gonna be a train wreck to me to begin with, Maia set completely aside.
@Stuff Ghetto People Like,
The ‘hood bully is a good point — grew up with a lot of cats like that.
@Stuff Ghetto People Like,
Good point, re: hood bullies. I grew up with them too. And now that u mention it, if I had no idea who she was and she appeared to be in perfect health Id still get mad watching 3 grown men pick on a woman and one of em (maybe inadvertently) intimidating her physically. Esp since he did nothing to reassure her she wouldn’t get beat up afterwards. He didn’t even flinch at her suggesting it was possible.
@Stuff Ghetto People Like,
“I fox with Patrice Oneal. He’s on a clip on Fix News where he put it best, his world as a comic is about finding what’s funny; other people’s worlds simply aren’t, they’re about play it straight and politically correct and what social implications stuff has…we can probably all clap to that here because as bloggers we’re all amateur humor writers or opinion columnists and what not. Some people feel what we felt, some people don’t. It’s hit and miss, like rap lines or beats, tryna fid the hot sh*t that will get the audience open.”
i actually had this clip in mind when i was writing this, but i couldn’t think of a way to tie it in without bogging down the post. he basically says everything i’m trying to say in the post
here it is for those who havent seen it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjIuPSuYSOY
all crackheads/bipolar/schizophrenic ppl aren’t naturally witty as witty as she was. maia had some one liners fo’ dat azz.
sad that she has all them problems…but does it make “anti-horny” less funny? not really.
@Chasdizz,
all crackheads/bipolar/schizophrenic ppl aren’t naturally witty as witty as she was
lol, so basically she’s a female version of ol dirty bastard?
just for the sake of discussion, Ill make an ass of myself and assume most Vsbers are some sorta minority.
Me Fail Poll: When Kramer went batshet crazy on stage, how many of y’all really didn’t express an opinion on that? How many of y’all had no opinion at all? And how many of y’all didn’t have an opinion of the ppl who publicly admitted to laughing at that vid?
Note +/- 90% of these answers may be BS given the fact I can’t prove anyone is lying.
@Me fail english?,
i remember watching it and thinking about how strange it was. it didnt offend or amuse me. it was like watching a monkey use a remote control.
my parents on the other hand? lol, these were two of the biggest seinfeld fans on the planet, but they havent watched an episode of it since.
@The Champ,
lol. i’m the same. i was never a seinfeld fan so the guy who plays Kramer did have any stand up material that moved me to even crack a smile. the whole incident that ensued was just weird to watch. like wow, you took it there cuz you were being heckled?? that’s what an comedic audience who isnt impressed does, heckle.
@The Champ,
The part I’m most interested in isn’t even whether ppl were personally offended or amused. I just find it hard to believe that if a 2520 co-worker came in the next day like “You see Kramer callin those dudes ni**ers? Wasn’t that hysterical?!” That none of you would give even an internal “That ish was not funny” side-eye.
@Me fail english?,
Oh, yes, I definitely would give that side-eye. After thinkin’ on it at the moment…I would also have to wonder WHY he found it funny. Simply because it was a random-arse outburst ,or because of what he called the hecklers.
@Me fail english?,
I think the strongest reaction I had with the Kramer thing was shock more than anger. I wondered why he had such an extreme reaction…like he never got heckled before (If he says he hasn’t? He LIE! He’s been a comedian for years…he should be used to it).
It was so bizarre how he just switched to the rant. Like his closet-bigot switch was turned on…
YOU LIE!!!
@K to the…,
My bad, I couldn’t control my emotions…and felt the need to shout that!
This is so off-topic, but I never heard of a Joe Wilson until last night. Who is he…the son Mr. Wilson thought he never had? What does Dennis the Menace have to say about this!?!
@K to the…,
ROFL…STOP it.
@K to the…,
*Joe Biden side-eye*
(It’s the default response to the above)
@Cheekie,
*Nancy Pelosi mean mug*
@Cheekie,
*ann coulter nut grab*
@Cheekie,
lol @ joe biden side eye. joe is a gangsta fa real. i would not test him. he does not look like he plays fair. just look at his already slanted eyebrows. he’s not right.
@Gem of the Ocean,
Yeah he was lookin’ at Joe Wilson all, “Yo, lay off my homie, ninja! You betta ease UP!”
And, yes, I imagine Biden to use that exact phrasing.
@K to the…,
*Backstage Rahm Emmanuel beatdown*
Lmao. I was hoping I could somehow sneak this into todays discussion. Thanks!
crackheads are like grown-up retards
if you laugh at them, then are considered an a**hole
i laugh at things that arent funny
1. crackheads
2.fat people
3.homos
4.crazy people
5.when that man slapped that baby in the store
6.when someone poots (i laughed so hard at my boss)
@flamboyantchiq,
“6.when someone poots (i laughed so hard at my boss)”
Ok, this cracked me up.
I laugh when someone who is an adult refers to their flatulence as “a poot”. Grownups FART. Only babies and comic book characters poot.
@Cheekie,
au contraire, i poot
define:
adults with big dirty butts fart.
adults with cute little booties poot.
P.s. GO STEELERS!!
Poor darling Maia. I hope she recovers. She is pretty!
As Scipio Africanus mentioned, I laughed HARD at JoJo falling out during his concert and at Bobby and at Whitney and at Dave Chappelle’s crackhead character with the chapped lips.
Here is the general rule:
pretty crackheads with mental problems — not funny
unpretty crackheads without any mental problems besides addiction — funny as hell; hilarious; knee-slapping fun for the whole family
You can make fun of crackheads in 2009. I understand that Maia’s mother passed away and I have crackheads in my family myself unfortunately so I know the deal. But crack is still funny the same way that seeing people do dumb painful or dangerous stunts is funny…because they knew what they were getting into.
Crack’s been around since the late 80s and New Jack City came out in 91, not to mention Losing Isaiah, Jungle Fever, etc etc…there’s too much evidence of the effects for people to still be picking up the rock. Pookie, Gator…are these characters the kind that anybody looks at and says “hey I wanna be like THAT brotha when I grow up”? And Maia shoulda known what this was going to do for her…only Halle Berry herself could look like Halle Berry on crack and that was A MOVIE.
I hate so much that I missed this post… I think people do pick and choose who to be offended by. If Champ would have posted a video from the old HBO show “Hookers on the Point” so many of you would have cracked jokes all the way through. I am not saying you are not allowed to crack jokes, but just take a look sometimes at what you are laughing at, if one of the women in the video was your mom, sister, or cousin all of a sudden it wouldn’t be too funny. I am guilty of laughing at something and then getting mad for someone else laughing at an identical situation, I recognize this… it’s just like when I get mad at racial stereotyping, but then rattle off 10 Black jokes. We are all guilty at times, but at the same time we can’t dictate to anyone else as to what they find funny. Just like I abhor domestic violence and laugh at Ike & Tina jokes… Does that make me a hypocrite? Yep, pretty much. So I say laugh at what you want to, cry at what you want to, but don’t tell me what to like or ridicule me for laughing.
*This comment is dedicated to the Michael Jackson fans who were cracking jokes up until August 24th, but now feel some kinda way and want to lynch anyone who says something about him… go saddown…