An update -- and an apology -- on delays
12 years ago
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Sorry, Sarah, the jokes were funny
If somebody were to ask me about my beliefs, I would tell them three things:
I believe in the law of reciprocity, otherwise known as the Golden Rule. Life works best when we treat others the way we would like to be treated.
I believe that nothing matters more than family and friends.
And I believe in the power of laughter to entertain us, to help us through the day and even to heal our wounds. Sir Donald Wolfit reportedly said it first, "Dying is easy. Comedy is hard." There are few things more blessed than the power to make people laugh, which is one reason I'm on David Letterman's side in his recent dust-up with Sarah Palin.
It wasn't a tough choice. I don't believe in political correctness of any kind when it comes to humor, and I'll give you an example in a joke by comedian Robert Schimmel about 15 years ago.
"I heard on the news that Ronald Reagan has Alzheimer's Disease. I wonder how that makes him feel. I wonder if he hears it and says, 'Uh oh.' Or maybe he just hears it and says, 'Hey, honey. Ronald Reagan has Alzheimer's Disease.'"
That to me is funny.
So when I heard Letterman's top 10 and his other jokes about Gov. Palin earlier this week, I laughed at all of them. I thought they were funny.
Palin obviously didn't, but I wonder how much of it was real outrage and how much just desperation to stay in the news. She chose to misinterpret more than one of them. When Letterman said she went shopping for makeup to "update her slutty flight attendant look," Palin called it an attack on all the hardworking flight attendants."
No, just the slutty ones. You can't build your image on things like "Coldest state, hottest governor" and "GILF -- governor I'd like to ..." and then object when someone picks up on it.
As for her choosing to say Letterman had made a disgusting joke about her 14-year-old daughter Willow (who, oddly, is 15 1/2) being "raped by Alex Rodriguez," most people who heard it understood it was about 18-year-old Bristol, who got pregnant at 17 and was used by Palin to preach abstinence.
Actually, when you consider that it was a New York audience in the theater, the joke was as much a shot at A-Rod for all the catting around he has been doing.
Watch the YouTube clip at the beginning of this post and you'll see plenty of comedians -- Jay Leno, Bill Maher, Conan O'Brien and yes, Letterman -- making Palin jokes, including jokes about Bristol.
"Sarah Palin dropped the first puck at the Philadelphia Flyers hockey game. Then she spent the rest of the game trying to keep the players out of her daughter's penalty box."
That was O'Brien. When Palin was in the news all she wanted to be, she never complained about the jokes. Now she goes around dressing like, yes, a slutty flight attendant and tries to make a fuss.
No way, governor.
Humor is humor, and while young children certainly ought to be off limits, Republicans don't always think so.
Not only did John McCain make that joke about 18-year-old Chelsea Clinton, Rush Limbaugh called Chelsea "the White House dog" when she was only 13.
And it isn't as if Palin didn't drag her entire family into the spotlight to burnish her own meager credentials last year.
There's only one sin when it comes to humor.
Not being funny.
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23 comments:
Palin's star is fading fast, so yes, this was a desperate attempt on her part to stay in the news. Last week she was dropped as the keynote speaker at some big GOP conference. Gingrich ended up delivering the speech instead and raised his own profile by doing so.
The big winnner in this controversy is going to be Letterman. He's getting a lot of free publicity out of this controversy at a time when all the attention was supposed to be on Conan O'Brien.
I have held off making any comments until I could see tape/playback of all the comments involved and think through my response.
I didn't want to "shoot from the hip".
So, even though I'm no Palin fan (or even a Republican), I disagree with you, Mike, and Lugosi.
Shame on both of you.
You have let your hatred toward Palin and Republicans color your judgment.
I am told I have good sense of humor. I laugh at most things. Although it is not MY favorite movie, I still laugh at the crude humor in "Animal House" and other "frat boy" movies.
But this "controversy" is simply becoming a political tug-of-war and it must never become that.
There are basic standards of behavior, basic standards for human conduct, and Letterman (I'm no fan of his smarmy approach, I'll admit) should have excised that joke and never said it.
It doesn't matter if his writers thought it up, he's the Alpha dog on that show and he exercised very poor judgment in saying what he did.
Very, very poor judgment.
As a woman,as a mother, and as an American, I believe somethings ought never to be broadcast at large.
Call me old-fashioned, but words carry meanings and implications and I would've been shocked and offended if I were Sarah Palin.
I am surprised that anyone with any sense defends this.
Where is your common civility and decency?
If we wish to be treated a particular way, then we ought to treat others that way.
Mike, that's called reciprocity and even IF you were not and would not be offended by that "joke", you must (as a civilized man) recognize the huge potential for offending anyone by saying what Letterman said.
It was in poor taste and it reflects the worst in our national psyche that first, Letterman went ahead and didn't screen this one out himself, and two, that decent people who most probably dislike Palin are rushing to defend his gaffe.
Reciprocity is really don't so to others what they do not wish done to them -- and in return you can rightfully expect people to observe and respect your boundaries as well.
I am sick of hearing uninformed and uneducated people insist on their right to be boorish.
there is no such right.
In fact, we all have a duty to try to be our best selves.
That's what I think we've lost in the last 30-40 years. A sense of shame.
Evelyn
I have rarely commented on the blogs or their responses.
I tend to be more "progressive" than even Mike, but this time I will hold my nose (for Palin) and agree with Evelyn -- the joke was not funny.
Mike is right about the country losing its collective sens eof humor, but even a dyed-in-the-wool socialist like me recognizes there's something wrong when a network talk show host feels he can "attack" someone, like Letterman did to Palin.
It wasn't funny, it was embarrassing.
And all the defense of Letterman and the defense of the "joke" is just plain embarrassing.
I'm sure there are people who tell black jokes, blonde jokes, Polish jokes, and every ethnic and racial joke and believe sincerely that the joke is funny.
It's only funny if you don't give a damn about someone else's feelings.
AMY
I agree with Evelyn.
I didn't think it wasn't particularly funny.
It was a desperate attempt to snub her one more time at the expense of a daughter (and it doesn't matter which -- they both ought to be off-limits>)
And Mike, I am surprised at you.
You use Rush's comments on Chelsea Clinton as a rationalization of why Letterman is not out-of-his-mind for telling such a stupid joke on national TV?
Mike, I thought you hated Rush's tactics.
By imitating him, you become like him.
Just stop.
Grow up and separate politics from slander.
Cindy
I don't know how horrible it was (I'm not a lady), but I have heard it three times now.
It's not funny.
Letterman should have gone with another joke.
That simple.
Jim
Maybe it's a male-female thing more than a question of whether it's funny or appropriate political commentary?
I like David's jokes most of the time.
I agree, this went too far.
Out of bounds. Over the line.
But, come one... isn't that what comedians are supposed to do?
Mark
It just creeps me out whenever someone dismisses a legitimate opinion by saying, "You don't have a sense of humor."
Well, I have a sense of humor.
I used to write gags for a lot of comics at some of the nest comedy clubs around the country, and I didn't think Letterman's joke was funny or appropriate.
yes, jokes are supposed to push the boundaries and redden the faces of killjoys, but talking about Palin's daughter and Alex Rodriguez was tasteless as well as unfunny.
Grow up, boys.
Sometimes what you think is funny is more an indication of your immaturity and bad taste.
Lesley
San Francisco
You've sinned, Mike.
And Letterman sinned.
The "joke" was not funny.
Pure and simple.
You have to have hate in your heart to think that was funny.
Kit
I didn't hear or read the remarks, but I thought it was something about Arod impregnating Palin's daughter.
How can Mike sin?
Maybe Letterman, but Mike wasn't involved.
(religious fanatics...)
Alex
You missed the point, Alex.
This isn't about religion.
Mike said the only sin was a joke not being funny.
So.... if he thought it was funny and Letterman thought it was funny...
Kit
I just heard/saw the Letterman clip.
Not funny. Not funny at all.
PAM IN POMONA
Perhaps you may think too much has been made of this whole sordid incident, Mike, but I would suggest that you "don't get it."
Letterman (and his writers) were trying to get a dig in at Palin, Republicans, and of course, Alex Rodriguez.
It was the "low" road.
What;'s worse, according to your own scale of justifiable humor, it was a cardinal sin -- it is so unfunny.
Maybe it's something that guys don't get and maybe should get.
Sometimes efforts to be funny just fall flat.
Sorry, but you're on the wrong side of this issue.
PEGGY
Well, I had successfully ignored all the media flap about this until Mike stopped blogging and everyone responded (not EVERYONE ...Alex and Lugosi) negatively.
I finally saw the clip.
I have to admit that I am a fan of neither Palin or Letterman.
So, if I pull them out of the equation and just look at the clip from the standpoint of referencing a child (who's not in politics) and making a creepy, if not outright salacious suggestion involving a known womanizer, then I can reach a conclusion.
Letterman's joke was not appropriate.
Finally, was it funny or not -- regardless of whether it was appropriate?
Perhaps that indicates more of matter of personal taste.
I understand Mike's view -- that everything is game and humor trumps social decorum.
I just can't go that far.
Just like we're not allowed to yell "fire" in a crowded theater, there are some "funny" jokes that should not be shared in public -- much less on national television.
So, I'm trying to be fair, but I find myself coming down on the side of the issue that takes the position that Letterman was unfair, rude, and not funny.
Whether or not Palin "milked" the controversy is not a consideration for me.
If Letterman had used better judgment, she would not have been in the position to say anything or to have the issue take on these gigantic proportions.
Maybe Letterman and others will THINK first before saying things.
Words always have effects. Sometimes a joke in bad taste ought to be something that is just whispered between people sharing the same lewd view.
Jasmine
How about cutting Mike some slack?
It was just his opinion. He's entitled to his opinion.
(I wish I could help you more, Mike, but my wife is livid over this and I'm not about to get caught in the crossfire.)
Jeff
I stand corrected.
Okay, folks, let's give credit where credit is due.
Mike has shown class. He has stepped up, and acknowledged your comments.
Likewise, david Letterman has stepped up and aplogized for the joke and taken complete responsibility.
Maybe this is something we can all learn to do; when you've done something that offends people, acknowledge what you've done, apologize, move forward and be changed.
Mike, I enjoy reading your blogs, but I am proud of you. Few others writers I know would be so strong. Most dig in their heels.
You're a class act.
Ernie
I agree with Ernie, Mike.
You are a class act.
Thank you.
Evelyn
Well, apparently Mike's and David's apologies are not enough for some people
Why can't people move on once a person has accepted responsbility and pledged to be different in the future?
Alex
FROM THE WIRE SERVICE
Despite Letterman's Apology, Protesters Call for Sponsor Boycott
Tuesday , June 16, 2009
David Letterman's apology for his "bad joke" about Sarah Palin's daughter was weak and came too late, says a growing group of online protesters who are calling for the late-night funnyman to be taken off the air — and who are pledging to boycott all sponsors of his Late Show until CBS fires him.
Firedavidletterman.com says it has received over 30,000 pledges to boycott products from companies that advertise on Letterman's show.
"David letterman's comments were disgraceful and beyond the bounds of common decency," Michael Patrick Leahy, one of the Web site's organizers, told FOXNews.com. "It is highly inappropriate for a 62-year-old man to make sexual insults about a 14-year-old girl."
The group organized a small protest on Tuesday outside the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York, where the show is taped.
One of the protesters, New York City real estate agent Tom Muller, said he just wanted "to see a little accountability come to the Letterman show ... And maybe urge him to get back to when he ran a funny TV show and didn't use it for his political pulpit."
TV Guide and the Washington Times reported that Embassy Suites, part of the Hilton Hotels Corporation, has pulled advertisements from CBS.com after receiving complaints about Letterman's remarks. The hotel chain told FOX News it is not an official sponsor of the Late Show.
But Embassy Suites told FOX News the issue is "between CBS and the Governor and her family."
"When a number of our guests complained about advertisements on CBS.com, we temporarily removed the ads from our rotation rather than become part of the controversy," said Kendra Walker, a vice president of Embassy Suites. "This action should not be viewed as an endorsement of either side, but rather a desire to let the parties resolve the issue independently."
Letterman apologized Monday for saying in his monologue last week that Palin and her daughter visited Yankee Stadium, and the girl was "knocked up" during the seventh-inning stretch by Yankees star Alex Rodriguez. Letterman said he was referring to Palin's 18-year-old daughter, Bristol, and not to 14-year-old Willow, who had accompanied the Alaska governor to a Yankees game.
"I would like to apologize, especially to the two daughters involved, Bristol and Willow, and also to the governor and her family and everybody else who was outraged by the joke," Letterman told his studio audience Monday. "I’m sorry about it and I’ll try to do better in the future."
Palin told FOXNews.com early Tuesday that she accepted Letterman's apology, but groups like Leahy's say won't be satisfied until CBS takes disciplinary action against the late night host.
Leahy said Letterman's apology is a "step in the right direction," but said he doesn't "buy" his explanation that his joke referred to Bristol Palin.
"We’re asking CBS to apply to the same standards to David Letterman that they applied to Don Imus," Leahy said.
Imus, a morning radio talk show host, was suspended and later fired from NBC and CBS Radio in 2007 for calling members of the Rutgers University women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos."
New York State Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb — also a supporter of the online group — is calling on CBS to issue a statement on Letterman's "offensive" joke.
Kolb said he wrote a letter Friday to CBS president and chief executive officer Leslie Moonves asking to know what CBS's "decency standards" are.
"Women across this country would like to know that answer," Kolb said. "If this was another company and he said this to one of its employees, he'd be fired."
When asked if CBS had any plans to seek disciplinary action against Letterman, Late Show spokeswoman Kimberly Izzo-Emmet had "no comment."
For crissakes, why can't people leave it alone?
I never thought Don Imus should have been fired, particularly after he apologized and met with the basketball team.
Political correctness is getting out of hand.
Jim
Well, it wasn't funny, and I was glad to see/hear Letterman's second apology, but no one should ever lose their job over a mistake.
Maybe TWO mistakes, but Letterman took responsibility.
Mike, I appreciate that you admitted you were wrong, too.
But firing someone for making a mistake is just the thing that's ruining this country.
PAM IN POMONA
This getting f***ing ridiculous.
I think I now understand what has fired up so many women, but how do you justify FIRING anyone (including Imus and others who've been canned) when a stupid mistake is made?
I'm not so political, but I would like to see political correctness and the yaddah-yaddah of complainers largely ignored.
Look, I'm no bigot, but when people of any particular bent (race, ethnic group, gender, social, economic) start whining, it's time to IGNORE them and tell them to shut the f888 up.
I live in California and originally voted no on Prop 8, the traditional marriage initiative.
However, now with so many "activist" loudmouths and complainers acting up and trying to force the issue by simply acting up, I will vote the other way if it gets on the ballot again.
Hear me, I will vote against gay activists because they have turned me off.
These "boycott babes" are starting to piss me off again.
Originally, I sided with Mike -- it was bad joke.
then, as I discussed the issue with dozens of women, I came to see that maybe I was being callous and not seeing the problems with such an inappropriate joke.
Now, I think that Letterman apologized and Mike apologized as well, so let's move on.
Let's accept the apologies and try to be better in thefuture.
This stupid motive to punish people who've "repented" and learned their lesson is counterproductive and will only produce more misery in the future -- if not a chilling of liberty.
Letterman was slow to apologize properly, but now that he has, let's move on.
Frank
This protest is not about the original joke anymore. It has become an effort to warn comedians that if they make jokes that some people don't like, they're in for trouble.
We call it prior retraint.
i was watching letterman as he delivered his palin joke.
yes, he put his neck out.
but, if you dig into sarah and her lack of parenting skills, the joke was dead on.
sarah does not believe in sex education/contraception.
kinda old fashioned.
mike, i hope comedians do not have to censor themselves.
they offer a wonderful way of looking at our culture's issues !
nan.
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