Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Pete10]

I understand the Chaser is about offending people to create humour, and all that. The main problem with the show though, is that whilst they succeed in offending people, their gags are not funny.

It's basically just offending people for no good reason.

I have a question for the users of this forum. I watched most of the episode last night and my entertainment was had by watching the team fail. That part of it was funny, I'll pay that. But can I ask you, which parts of the show did you find to be genuinely funny, and why?

[SG]

I understand the Chaser is about offending people to create humour, and all that. The main problem with the show though, is that whilst they succeed in offending people, their gags are not funny.

It's basically just offending people for no good reason.

I have a question for the users of this forum. I watched most of the episode last night and my entertainment was had by watching the team fail. That part of it was funny, I'll pay that. But can I ask you, which parts of the show did you find to be genuinely funny, and why?

Hi Pete,

Welcome to the Chaser forum.

One thing we have taught (or some of us have taught) people around here is that if you posit something you need to back it up with evidence or some form of logical argument.

You have posited that "the Chaser is not funny".

Problem being your argument in support of that position is very weak.

As evidence, consider this.

The Chaser is funny.

It's basically just offending people for no good reason

kind regards

SG

[Invisible Friend.]

And you don't want to know what happened to the first 9 Petes.

[Pete10]

Hi Pete,

Welcome to the Chaser forum.

One thing we have taught (or some of us have taught) people around here is that if you posit something you need to back it up with evidence or some form of logical argument.

You have posited that "the Chaser is not funny".

Problem being your argument in support of that position is very weak.

As evidence, consider this.

The Chaser is funny.

It's basically just offending people for no good reason

kind regards

SG

Well fair enough, if you want evidence as to why I don't find it funny, then just disregard that part of my post.

Just read it as: Which parts of last night's episode did you find funny, and why?

[Phenolphthalein]

lol, sg's getting his groove back...

you dirty slut insults were getting old.

[Invisible Friend.]

Just read it as: Which parts of last night's episode did you find funny, and why?

We think this and this and this. And also check out here.

[Bookworm.]

He has had quite a work out today, hasn't he? In one of the threads I think I've seen more sg posts in a row than I've ever seen...

Which parts of last night's episode did you find funny, and why?

Oscar Bait, because it's true. Although it was over done.
Hay thing, because it shows a)how fucking silly americans can be (who doesn't like laughing at americans?) and b) the ability marketing has to lure in people and make them believe what is wanted to be believed.
Brits thing, because british people are funny. I also like noting the difference between the more uh...'educated' of the people they interviewed and the less. Found it sad that it always seems to be the the 'lower classes' are the more laughed at though.

[SG]

Well fair enough, if you want evidence as to why I don't find it funny, then just disregard that part of my post.

Just read it as: Which parts of last night's episode did you find funny, and why?

OK, at it's simplest:

Dear Pete, I found most of last night's show amusing.  Not funny as such, I think they have done better work but not in the sense you are probably thinking.  What I expect from the Chaser is for them to initially offend me, but to make me think about some aspect of life and thus come to a conclusion that is different to my initial knee jerk reaction.

In short, I expect the Chaser to jab me in my soft, urbanised environment and, mentally at least,  move me out of that rut.

Skits such as the "Dying Children" achieve that.

The Chaser moved me out of my comfort zone.

The Chaser made me think about what *I* can do to help people in a situation such as that.

I can't do much but one thing I have done today is make an appointment to resume giving blood (Red Cross in Sydney CBD if you want a reference point).

So the Chaser satire poked and pricked and tore the scab off my social conscience to get me to do something I have been saying I would do for a while.

Hopefully it will do the same for others.

As for the rest of the episode, I wasn't too thrilled by it.  English Bobby was a deadset legend, the rest was pretty ordinary.  Hopefully now that Kev has had a go at the Chaser they'll get stuck into him in return.

I volunteer to assist if an unknown face is needed and have some skit concepts of my own that the team might like if they would like to make contact.

So Pete, in short I didn't find last night exceptionally funny.  The child skit was confronting and shocking.  and achieved a result.

Equally one show does not make a series.

Kindest regards,

SG

[Pete10]

Hay thing, because it shows a)how fucking silly americans can be (who doesn't like laughing at americans?) and b) the ability marketing has to lure in people and make them believe what is wanted to be believed.

How does it show how silly amercans can be? The people they interviewed knew it was obviously a joke, yet they barely got any laughs out of them, because it wasn't the most funny of topics. I mean, what's the joke? That hay is an abnormal thing to eat, so it would be out of the ordinary to suggest basing a diet around it? chortle chortle, how silly indeed. And gee, imagine the shock those people would have gone through when it was revealed that people don't actually drink out of fake elephant's trunks. What a hoot!

Brits thing, because british people are funny. I also like noting the difference between the more uh...'educated' of the people they interviewed and the less. Found it sad that it always seems to be the the 'lower classes' are the more laughed at though.

Did you just find the interviews with the brits to be funny, or when he tried to rent out rooms in buckingham palace? I think the reactions of the first black guy interviewed alluded to how funny the material was, and he was seeing it live, where it's usually more humourous than on TV.

[Majorie]

In short, I expect the Chaser to jab me in my soft, urbanised environment and, mentally at least,  move me out of that rut.

Skits such as the "Dying Children" achieve that.

The Chaser moved me out of my comfort zone.

The Chaser made me think about what *I* can do to help people in a situation such as that.

I can't do much but one thing I have done today is make an appointment to resume giving blood (Red Cross in Sydney CBD if you want a reference point).

So the Chaser satire poked and pricked and tore the scab off my social conscience to get me to do something I have been saying I would do for a while.

Hopefully it will do the same for others.

You seriously think that's their aim??

Come off it SG this whole moving people out of their comfort zone and getting to people's social conscience is absolute BS. Their aim is to make people laugh in whatever measure they can. They have no other agenda. The end.

[Phenolphthalein]

How does it show how silly amercans can be? The people they interviewed knew it was obviously a joke, yet they barely got any laughs out of them, because it wasn't the most funny of topics. I mean, what's the joke? That hay is an abnormal thing to eat, so it would be out of the ordinary to suggest basing a diet around it? chortle chortle, how silly indeed. And gee, imagine the shock those people would have gone through when it was revealed that people don't actually drink out of fake elephant's trunks. What a hoot!

I thought the dumbo diet was funny because it played on how people are obsessed with all these ridiculous wonder diets these days.

The hay sandwiches, bolognaise, drink were making fun of all the diet shakes and diet meals that people throw their money at despite how stupid they might be.

And the trunk was ridiculing the various stomach straps, weird exercise apparatus, straw diet etc. that people sell and to tie it back to the elephants losing weight.

Not everything is taken at face value you know...

[SG]

The people they interviewed knew it was obviously a joke, yet they barely got any laughs out of them, because it wasn't the most funny of topics. I mean, what's the joke? That hay is an abnormal thing to eat, so it would be out of the ordinary to suggest basing a diet around it?

Join me at Town Hall station where people pay $6 for pretty much the same stuff - blended/pulpes wheatgrass shots.

That's where teh humour comes from.

SG

[Adi]

Bee and SG have really good points. People are so quick to say "Oh, strapping on an elephant trunk isn't funny", without actually looking at what the point of the satire is. Ok, it might not be as superbly executed as it might be, but if you dig a tiny way down and actually think "Gee, what comment are they making about society by doing x?" then you might find something in it. Like SG was saying, even if it's not thigh-slappingly hilarious, it can still hit its mark as relevant social comment.

[Phenolphthalein]

but if you dig a tiny way down and actually think "Gee, what comment are they making about society by doing x?"

Or even just by being aware of what kind of society you live in for starters.... and get out from under that rock.

[SG]

You seriously think that's their aim??

Come off it SG this whole moving people out of their comfort zone and getting to people's social conscience is absolute BS. Their aim is to make people laugh in whatever measure they can. They have no other agenda. The end.

Given their history Msj I'm not so sure.

That's the thing about satire I guess, we read into it what we will.  The Chaser crew have done some very cool stuff, they have done some turgid rubbish, but they have always continued laughing at themselves and have made us think.

Maybe you're right, maybe I'm reading too much into it.  I always thought English teachers did that with various books so maybe I'm doing it here.

Regardless, that's how I see it, that's how I honestly call it.

SG