Shock Comedy? Ingenious or Infantile?

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.

Lenny Bruce, the first "shock" comedian was brilliant. So was Richard Pryor.

Lenny Bruce was way ahead of his time and also paid the price for it.
I hope that some of the younger folks on here look up Lenny Bruce and
what he was all about. Good job mentioning him, he is often ignored.

I think there is an audience for all comedy though I do agree that brilliant comedians
don't need to use the F word as every other word that comes out of their mouth.
Robin Williams was a brilliant comedian but I must admit that after a while I found
his style to get kind of old. There are so many great ones out there and I guess we all
like a certain that connects with us.

Lets drag in a third genre: the 'just for laughs' gag set-up. I find this cruelty on the unsuspecting. How the heck is this funny when it is at the expense of another? This is not a joking matter. As for 'shock' comedy I find little value in it either.

I get the gripes with that kind of comedy, especially the ones that are "just for laughs" like what was mentioned where an unexpected audience member is picked on, (they do it a lot in comedy clubs and they are mostly new comics).

But, I do find most stand-up comedy to lack actually funny punchlines. Amy Schumer was one of my favorites, but her latest Netflix special fell flat, because she kind of milked the fact that she was so successful. I admired her for a long time because she was one of the best stand-up comedians to me, but since her Hollywood success, I think it might have went to her head.

People like Chris Rock, Louis CK and Dave Chappelle were even favorites of mine, but their early work only. Kevin Hart comes across as a little too animated, and Bill Burr can be straight up racist.

Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor were SO great at it, as well as Sam Kinneson. I LOVED him.

However, there will never be another comic like George Carlin to me. He was the only one I ever went to see LIVE, and it was only because he was my all-time favorite comedian, hands down EVER.

I had to look up shock comedy to see what it was.
For me, it depends on what the subject is. Usually if it is something sexual or toilet humor, I'm ok with it. But if there is gore, or if you're making fun of someone who is hurt by the humor, I am not ok with it. Family Guy has shock humor and I am half and half with that show. I laugh a LOT at Peter Griffin. But there's also a lot in it that I find not only completely unfunny, but repulsive. It's pathetic.

I listen to comedy channel on XM while driving. Sometimes I laugh aloud and sometimes I find it dumb. It depends on the mood or who is the comedian.

Overall if certain comedy is not to your taste, it’s easy to fix. Just turn it off. Tune to a different channel. I personally dislike horror but others like it. It’s easy to fix. I just don’t watch it. If you don’t like certain style comedy just don’t bother with it.

Well, Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor were "shock" comedians that were commenting strongly on important social issues.

And yes- Lenny Bruce paid with his life for saying the things he dared to say.

Some shock value comedians addressed true social issues by using shock value. So it’s not that simple.

Shock humor, judging from Richard Pryor, Lenny Bruce, and Dave Chappelle, is only funny if done with...wait for it...good timing. Timing is everything. When Wayne Brady was famously asking about having to choke a ******, it was funny because at the time, he was in all these wholesome shows. It also played on our ability to laugh at the absurd, because it was so clearly overplayed, but so well-done.

Howie Mandel was another master of timing. A woman got up to use the rest room at his show. He asked her where she was going. lol Then, when she left, he had them turn the whole stage a quarter turn (he was on a round stage), and had the audiences on both sides of the aisle get up and switch before she got back. When the woman came back, she was walking around like, wth?? for about five minutes before Howie stopped in the middle of his joke, and said, "You? Again? Where are you going this time?" Absurdity, and timing.

I would therefore say it can be ingenious, if done well.

I forgot about George Carlin, he was brilliant.