So, I've come across a number of comedians who use the shock value in their material to get laughs. I find it rather droll and infantile myself, and that a true sense of comedic timing in a comedian to be a rare thing.

Take the late Robin Williams (may his troubled soul rest in peace). He had a very unique gift that most comedians can only long for. He could find a joke off the top of his head in a fraction of second and relay it with such impeccable timing, then go onto the next one without pause, all at a dizzying rate. Part of his ability to do this might have been because his mind was wired differently and eventually, this "difference" in wiring made him susceptible to that rare degenerative form of Parkinson's that he was diagnosed with in the later part of his life. His ability to jump from joke to joke, to create such comedy within a moment's notice, that which made him the ingenious comedian that he was, was most likely his curse and what ultimately sealed his decision to do what he did in the end.

At any rate, I digress, and was wondering if well timed comedic punchlines and jokes are any better than using the shock value? What's so funny about grabbing a punchline meant to incite anger and shock within us? It's rather a cheap and tawdry means to get a laugh. Almost as cheap as insult comedy.

Yet, I suppose there is an audience for it, hence why it's prevalent in today's society.