Tags
I almost titled this Child Soldiers in Africa with Better Manners, a quote from The Mindy Project. Wasn’t sure how y’all would take it, which coincidentally is the topic of this post.
When you say something like “I know child soldiers in Africa with better manners!” people are going to feel something. You may be going for shock value, but you have to be ready for the repercussions. I could never make it as a comedian for I am much happier hiding behind the keyboard and would probably have second thoughts about any borderline jokes anyway.
Any writer, speaker, comedian, or presenter needs to understand the audience and adjust the content accordingly. How well do you know your audience?
-Eliabeth
Ermilia 
I think we have a natural tendency to alternate between being crass and being touchy. Some folk don’t care if they hit a raw nerve; other folk see offence everywhere.
In the UK there is a rather coarse saying: “As much use as a one-legged man in an arse-kicking contest.” It has been around for generations and I don’t know how far back it goes. Yet it has only been in the last decade that amputees have objected to it.
[I am noting these things, not advocating one way or the other.]
It’s a tough choice whether to change your work to adapt to audience demands or to stay true to your artistic vision. If you write for a living then the first should out of necessity take precedence. Writers like myself who are in it for the craic, would tend towards the latter. In my opinion, write what you like, it will find the audience it deserves.
I think you make an interesting point. There’s a different writing style based on the end goal.