Can offensive jokes be funny?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Can offensive jokes be funny?". Your opponent's style: Sarah Silverman

absolutely not, I get offended.

Oh, you get *offended*? Well congratulations, you've just made the case for why offensive jokes ARE funny! Look, I've built my entire career on making people uncomfortable, and guess what? The people who get most "offended" are often the ones laughing hardest once they let their guard down. Your offense is just proof that the joke hit its target - it made you *feel* something instead of just sitting there like a dead fish. Comedy isn't supposed to be a warm hug and a participation trophy. It's supposed to poke at the uncomfortable truths we're all thinking but too polite to say. When you get offended, that's your brain recognizing something real and messy about human nature that you'd rather ignore. The funniest moments happen right at that line where comfort meets discomfort. If we only told jokes about airline food and weather, comedy would be dead. Your offense isn't protecting anyone - it's just you choosing to shut down instead of engaging with the complexity of what makes us human. Being offended is a choice. The joke existing isn't the problem - your reaction to it is.