There are subs like /r/roastme where people post pictures of themselves then other users roast them.
Roasting seems to involve saying mean things. The jokes are usually about alleged abandonment by their fathers, or fat jokes, or some other joke targeting their appearance.
The thing is I love comedy. I take comedy very seriously. I don't take myself very seriously but cheap jokes like these are something that I don't find funny but that could just be due to quirks in my sense of humour.
Then there is the whole assymetrical nature of the ordeal. The roasters are anonymous so the roastee cannot retaliate with a comedic roast of their own but that could also just be the nature of what a roast is.
In the end I just find it something that is not only unnecessarily mean but also not funny. But it is something that the roastee's volunteer to so I don't find it rage inducing.
What do you all make of roasting?
The Reddit version is just body shaming since as you mention nobody knows anything about them except for a picture.
I think roasts can be pretty funny when they're punching up.
Roasting of complete strangers such as on the mentioned subreddit sucks because it isn't funny. Nobody there is clever and most of the insults they use could be applied to basically anyone
Roasting your friends is a valuable form of bonding and can help resolve social conflicts before they actually become serious conflicts
The kind of people I knew who would post their picture on roastme or similar subs did it as a way of self harm. Racism and sexism are also normalised in those subs. Bad vibes.
I find it really icky and distasteful. There's plenty of things we can make jokes about without needing to insult others (regardless of whether this is with the consent of the person on the receiving end).
A comedy roast is traditionally an event to honor someone with jokes at their expense. So normally, it's supposed to be only punching up and all in good fun.
The whole roasting a nameless stranger on the internet is super weird and uncomfortable.
That sub consists of very vain people wanting to get some compliments mostly. I don't mind banter between friends and family if the banter goes both ways. Roasting random people because of their looks is just weird behavior.
Acceptable roasts, requiring consent:
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Friends roasting Friends.
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Colleagues roasting another colleague who is doing very well for themselves.
Acceptable roasts, not requiring consent:
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S'mores
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Weiners
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Pot
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200 grams for like 9 minutes at 340 get that first crack then 2 more minutes lower temp slightly and voila french roast.
I kinda hate it, but I also don't tend to like "prankster" type of humor in general. In spite of that, it's hard for me to think it's valid to be opposed to it generally if the people involved are all okay with it. So like, two friends "roasting" each other, okay, I guess none of my business if they are truly fine with it and enjoy it. But even then, are they doing stuff similar to "aftercare"? Where they reaffirm they really do love and appreciate each other after any digging is done. Because if not, it seems like an easy way for people to be in an unhealthy dynamic, where one of them is crying inside and just going along with it to get along.
And in the context of a sub like roastme, there's nothing close to "aftercare", no real off button on it, and it's complete strangers. So it seems like a horrible setup for doing it in a way that is at all healthy.
Roasting should be reserved for actual stupid thoughts, arguments, etc. Things that come from a person's decisions. Something they have control over. Roasting for things like looks, name, etc is lame, cheap shots, and lowers you. It's one thing I never liked about Jon Stewart's The Daily show. I watched him back when I was a lib/soc dem and even after going more commie I liked his show but I never liked when he made jokes on someone name or appearance. Shit they can't really affect. It's no different then other forms of discrimination based on someone appearance, race, etc. It why it's ok to hate all Fascists but not ok to hate all of some race. Being a Fascist is a choice. Being a certain race is not. Same with roasting. People are born into their bodies and their names. You can't really change them. (I mean you can change your name and get cosmetics surgery but you get the point right?) People can choose their thoughts and beliefs and change those.
