One thing I despise about shock humor

[Der/die AtheistIn]

When it throws excessive and/or unrealistic violence at us and expects us to laugh. In some cases there is little to no difference between comedy horror and actual horror. Sadly, the bad comedy horror I've seen wouldn't work as actual horror either, and I highly doubt that they ever do. I understand that humor is subjective, but the only persons I picture laughing at gore in it on itself are psychopats and idiots.
Imagine that someone took an episode of the original Tom and Jerry and made it gory, this would make the short less funny, because Tom and Jerry was not designed to be gory. However, it would still be funnier than most dark shows I've seen.
There are many ways in which you can make gore funny:

• make characters reactions comedic
  
• if you want to make it slapstick, think how funny you want it to be. The reason why Tom and Jerry are funnier without blood is because the audience feels less bad for the characters, therefore they take it less seriously. You can make very funny gory slapstick, it depends on what elements you're using. And if you're using too much violence it might loose it's shock factor or disgust your viewers too much or both.
  
• make it look like it's a disaster, but it's actually something small. Many bad dark comedies don't use this kind of joke. 
  

Those aren't the only ways you can make violence funny, but the point is shock humor should do more than shock, otherwise it's just shock.

[brewer]

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

In the words of the great Mel Brooks, 'Tragedy is when I stub my toe.  Comedy is when YOU fall into an open manhole and die.'

Boru

[Brian37]

In the words of the great Mel Brooks, 'Tragedy is when I stub my toe.  Comedy is when YOU fall into an open manhole and die.'

Boru

I used to do a segment on my public access radio show about stories about the odd and embarrassing ways people die.

I don't believe in an afterlife of course. But I did run into a story about a lady who worked at a wast water treatment plant, and fell into a pool of waste and drowned. 

If there was an afterlife I imagined her waiting in line trying to get into heaven with small talk in the line going something like this.

Guy in front of her, "Well I died jumping on a grenade to save my buddy."

Woman behind her, " I died running into a fire to save a baby."

Guy in front of her, "So how did you die?"

Waste Water victim, " I ........(mumbles)"

Women behind her, "I am sorry I didn't hear that."

Waste Water victim, " I..... (mumbles)"

Guy in front of her, " Speak up."

Waste Water victim, " I FELL INTO A VAT OF HUMAN WASTE WHERE WORKED AND DROWNED, YOU HAPPY NOW?"

[Der/die AtheistIn]

In the words of the great Mel Brooks, 'Tragedy is when I stub my toe.  Comedy is when YOU fall into an open manhole and die.'

Boru

He is right about that, this applies to Tom and Jerry. However,when a cartoon character gets hit the results are unrealistic and this does play a role to comedy. The jokes also work because the characters are stretchy or break like glass. Oh yeah, they usually deserve it to, in cartoon terms of course. Tom and Jerry isn't shock humour, it's slapstick, it focuses on physical pain, but there is no gore, the results are very unrealistic and the characters usually return quick to normal, so it's not shocking.
An example of good shock humour is the zombie episode of South Park.  Speaking of South Park, I was never a big fan of the Kenny dying jokes, I don't find them terrible either. Sometimes I found them really funny, even when I don't they're short. Also, it wasn't always used for jokes and in the last years it has been used less and less.
The shock humor that pisses me off is when an anthropomorphic green bear who is also a former soldier suffers from war ptsd and everytime it gets triggered he starts killing everyone around. This would work better as an actual horror, especially if you replace the bear with a human.

[outtathereligioncloset]

I'm curious----how do you feel about Itchy and Scratchy? (The cartoon Bart and Lisa watch on the Simpsons cartoon.)

[Der/die AtheistIn]

I'm curious----how do you feel about Itchy and Scratchy?   (The cartoon Bart and Lisa watch on the Simpsons cartoon.)

The episodes I've seen were funny. They work because they are only a few seconds long and the gore is exaggerated in a funny way.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I'm curious----how do you feel about Itchy and Scratchy?   (The cartoon Bart and Lisa watch on the Simpsons cartoon.)

The episodes I've seen were funny. They work because they are only a few seconds long and the gore is exaggerated in a funny way.

Have you ever seen 'Casino'?  There's one scene where Joe Pesci's character squeezes a man's head in a vice until his eye pops out.  HYSTERICAL!!

Boru