Rifftrax - please stop with the transgender "jokes"

[Artie]

Nearly every single feature length riff has had a fat joke (Or several) in it too. There was even a complaint a long while back from someone who felt offended by that. Much fun has been poked at Furries, Scientologists and I'm sure we haven't heard the last of the Brony-teasing. There was someone early on who didn't believe it was fair to make fun of Tom Cruise.

That doesn't disprove my point.   

I suppose my question is, why should this group be the one that gets riff-immunity?

Why don't they use racial slurs?  There's your answer.

[Sideswipe]

I need more of a frame of reference, what riffs are the jokes in?

[Pak-Man]

I haven't heard any transgender slurs either, unless using them as the subject of a joke qualifies it as a "slur." In that case there are tons and tons of racial slurs.

[Artie]

I need more of a frame of reference, what riffs are the jokes in?

Someone else asked me that as well.  I'm still putting together a more representative list but here's what I have so far:

High School Musical
"It's tough to be a gay man trapped in a woman's body"

Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny
   "Tape your wang back here"   

Clash of the Titans
"I'm no one's son"
"And the sex reassignment surgery discussion begins"

The Room
Walter  (His fiance left him because he used to be a woman, hilarious!)

Prisoners of the Lost Universe
Woman climbs up cliff, guy looks up
   "Shame that I saw a wang. Well, jumping off the cliff now I guess."

Mesa of Lost Women
Women dances
"She's fascinating"
   "Barely notice her taped up wang"
later
   "I should have used more tape, going to spring free any second"

Laser Mission
"I have always been a woman"
"Don't let those liars at the pre-op clinic tell you different"

I haven't heard any transgender slurs either, unless using them as the subject of a joke qualifies it as a "slur." In that case there are tons and tons of racial slurs.

Okay I'll concede that's probably not the correct comparison.

[Sideswipe]

There are jokes directed at particular characters, Like Edward Cullen is gay, I don't recall any jokes directed at transgendered people in general though.  I'm not saying there aren't, I just don't remeber them.

[Danecho1967]

Nearly every single feature length riff has had a fat joke (Or several) in it too. There was even a complaint a long while back from someone who felt offended by that. Much fun has been poked at Furries, Scientologists and I'm sure we haven't heard the last of the Brony-teasing. There was someone early on who didn't believe it was fair to make fun of Tom Cruise.

That doesn't disprove my point.   

I suppose my question is, why should this group be the one that gets riff-immunity?

Why don't they use racial slurs?  There's your answer.

Good question.  When Carroll O'Connor used racial slurs in his portrayal of Archie Bunker, it was understood that O'Connor himself wasn't the racist, Bunker was.  The show was immensely popular across many demographics.

Now, MKB have stated that, when Riffing, they are portraying stylized versions of themselves, or, to put it another way, they are acting.  The joke doesn't portray the inmost feelings of the person making it.  It's just a joke.

Not every joke is funny to every person.  Such is the nature of comedy.  It's a good thing, for those who are able to see the bigger picture, that there are two more hours of jokes in the riff, and many, if not most, of them will be funny.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

I'm still putting together a more representative list but here's what I have so far:

High School Musical
"It's tough to be a gay man trapped in a woman's body"

Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny
   "Tape your wang back here"   

Clash of the Titans
"I'm no one's son"
"And the sex reassignment surgery discussion begins"

The Room
Walter  (His fiance left him because he used to be a woman, hilarious!)

Prisoners of the Lost Universe
Woman climbs up cliff, guy looks up
   "Shame that I saw a wang. Well, jumping off the cliff now I guess."

Mesa of Lost Women
Women dances
"She's fascinating"
   "Barely notice her taped up wang"
later
   "I should have used more tape, going to spring free any second"

Laser Mission
"I have always been a woman"
"Don't let those liars at the pre-op clinic tell you different"

I haven't heard any transgender slurs either, unless using them as the subject of a joke qualifies it as a "slur." In that case there are tons and tons of racial slurs.

Okay I'll concede that's probably not the correct comparison.

The only one on that list I'd agree with is the jumping off a cliff one, that could bring up bad memories of reactions people have had.

The "tape" jokes have usually been aimed at fairly attractive women, how are those offensive?

I was going to back off a bit on the "slippery slope" argument but if the mere mention of a subject is to be forbidden then that would fit in with that argument.

[TheUnabeefer]

I suppose my question is, why should this group be the one that gets riff-immunity?

Because they asked, dammit.

[wurwolf]

I can see both sides of the issue, but mostly I find myself in agreement with Artie. It's pretty sad if a comedian feels he or she has to make gay and trans jokes at this point in history. It wasn't all that long ago that racist jokes were tolerated, too.

The difference to me between making jokes at the expense of the LGBT crowd and the fat/geek/gamer crowd is that while years ago people were picked on for being fat/a geek/a gamer, as far as I know no one was ever outright murdered for it. Whereas that has certainly been true for both LGBT people and people of color, many times over. These sorts of jokes only add fuel to the fire and are not at all necessary. Rifftrax is plenty funny without the jokes that are made at the expense of LGBT people.

Also, are fat/geek/gamer people still picked on? Last I checked most of America was fat and just about everyone I know considers themselves a geek or a gamer (although that may say more about the people I hang with).

[CHF01]

I think the guys @ RT are well within their First Amendment rights here. If you don't like it, turn it off...noone is forcing you to listen 
It's like tuning into a radio station playing a song you don't like...just change the channel. God, I love freedom of choice 

[Invader_quirk]

None of the examples given seem like they should really offend gay or transgender people. In each case, the joke does not lie in any sort of insult towards these people. I don't see the problem. :/

I can see thinking Bill's tweets were in poor taste, though.

[TheUnabeefer]

I think the guys @ RT are well within their First Amendment rights here.

Well no one is arguing that part... but just because you CAN say something doesn't mean that you SHOULD...

None of the examples given seem like they should really offend gay or transgender people. In each case, the joke does not lie in any sort of insult towards these people. I don't see the problem. :/

I can see thinking Bill's tweets were in poor taste, though.

And that's MY stance on the issue, is that all of the examples I've seen or heard myself don't seem like an actual insult directed at or with malice towards trans or gay people... but perhaps it's just because my bias is such that I simply don't find it insulting.

As for the tweets, I'd by hypocritical if I said that I haven't tweeted things far, far worse than what Bill said.  Especially because (knowing of his kid and the kinds of things Freddy says WITHOUT knowing any double-meaning) it was a joke spun off something his son did/said, most likely without being aware that it was not a good name to be giving a Transformer... Really it just came off to me as the obvious step from "Look at what ignorant/innocently wrong thing my kid just said.... now I will make it a joke."

That's really what Twitter is for, in my opinion... and anyone who gets upset over something someone says on TWITTER, of all places.... It's Twitter.  There's NO other point to Twitter (for a comedian) than to say some of the most outlandish things simply because you can.  It's the ultimate internet version of "rapid-fire hit/miss comedy, if it can be said say it and hope it's funny but if not whatever, you'll be saying something else in 3 seconds anyways."

Follow Gary Busey for a whole minute and you'll be offended thirty times over.

[TheUnabeefer]

Oh and my personal thought on "free speech" when it comes to jokes (or speeches, really) about ANY group/people... Unless it's actually INCITING violence or hatred, there's no reason to censor.  If any fucking moron wrongly decides that something that was said was a call to violence (when it wasn't)... THAT is when a public statement or "Look, that is 100% NOT what we intended" is necessary, and usually that would be directed towards the asshat that is acting out, not the social group itself.

[D.B. Barnes]

There's NO other point to Twitter (for a comedian) than to say some of the most outlandish things simply because you can.

...just because you CAN say something doesn't mean that you SHOULD...

Spoiler

[TheUnabeefer]

There's NO other point to Twitter (for a comedian) than to say some of the most outlandish things simply because you can.

...just because you CAN say something doesn't mean that you SHOULD...

Spoiler

I stand by my statements and belief that Twitter is retarded.