I don't think humour can go too far (without physically harming any other person). We need to be able to joke about everything.
If we can't even tolerate offensive statements conflicting with our views when they're just jokes, how are we ever going to be able to tolerate them in a serious debate?
I personally would never voluntarily hang around a person who makes a comment like that. I don't think there should be any limit, but I think it says quite a bit about a person if they use a veteran's injuries in war to push their "comedic" career -- and I don't have any desire to be around those types of people.
Why am i not surprised Jimmy Carr is involved in one of these scandals. ^_^; My favourite Jimmy Carr joke: "My girlfriend thought it would increase our trust and intimacy if we told each other about all of the sexual partners we had ever had. So i had to list my entire sexual history for my girlfriend, all the way from the girl i lost my virginity to, right up to her. And that is where i should have stopped."
But if you want an joke similar to the one that started the controversy: "This is a frightening fact i discovered recently. Apparently, if you took all of the money that we in the West spend on groceries in just one week, you could feed the Third World for a whole year. i don't know about you... but i think we're being seriously overcharged for groceries."
That's Carr's style. He likes to point out a horrible fact about modern society, then play the role of a completely self-absorbed idiot to break the shock with sheer absurdity. Observe:
<horrible fact>"British scientists have proven that cigarettes can harm your children." <idiot's comment> "Fair enough; use an ashtray."
<horrible fact>"i saw on one of those ads on the telly asking for charity donations, that a little girl in Africa had to walk 15 miles a day just to fetch water." <idiot's comment> "And i couldn't help but think: she should really move closer."
<horrible fact>"There are 1 million obese children in Britain today. Do you realize what that means? If they all jumped up and down at the same time..." <idiot's comment> "they might lose a little bit of weight."
It is social commentary, although it may not seem so at first glance. Carr is playing a role, the Devil's advocate. He points out a flaw in society, then hammers it home with absurdity. The absurdity shocks you into laughing (usually) with it's extreme cluelessness and wickedness. But when the laughter passes... quick: what do you know about how much we eat compared to Third World countries? You see? Some of it sticks.
In this joke's case, whether you laugh or not, consider this... did any of you think about wartime amputees from the current wars before you read this thread?
Comedy can be a powerful way to raise awareness of social injustices. And it doesn't have to be nice to do it. In fact, it's at its most effective when it's fearless.
Did he go too far? Yes, I think so. Can humor go too far? Yes, when it directly aims to hurt people with no power over their condition. Should there be limits? No, you can say (almost) whatever you want under freedom of speech.
If you walk into a school for autistic children and start calling them f***ing retards, that makes you a despicable person, but no one can put a limit on what you say. Whereas if you say "I'm going to assassinate the president at 2:30 PM tomorrow afternoon", that can get you into some shit.
