Are You a Better Bowler Than a Special Olympian
When my children were small and they used to get caught up in raucous behavior. I would sometimes wrestles them and say don't you know it is against our family rules to have fun? Well I have been reflecting recently on how our culture is losing its sense-of-humor. It is against the rules to have fun anymore. In a time of economic stress it might help if we would lighten up.
Remember early in the Presidential election cycle some one asked Mrs Clinton if she knew who Ghandi was. "He owns a convenience store in Indiana," she said. She had to apologize. Now I am no fan of Mrs. Clinton, but why should she have apologized. Yes it was ethnic humor. Yes it was stereotypical, but really who did it hurt. To recognize distinctive and common cultural practices is not racist. As a matter-of-fact, I think laughing at our differences makes them more tolerable.
Remember when President George Bush had to apologize for calling then Senator Obama "articulate." Now what is that about! Articulate merely means a person speaks clearly and properly. For some to conclude from the statement that Bush felt it was an unusual quality for black people was drawing an inference that their was no evidence to believe Bush intended. His cabinet was the most ethnically diverse that had ever been assembled at that time, and every cabinet member spoke more articulately than he did. To say that his statement was racist showed how little people knew of George W. Bush.
Or what about when then Senator, and presidential candidate Joe Biden said he thought the then Senator Obama was "clean." Some people inferred from that statement that he was saying black people "were dirty." He had to apologize. Some people said the comment was racist. I am not a fan of Biden, but I think all he meant was that Senator (now President) Obama was a man of integrity and no one was going to be able to dig up any political dirt on him.
Last week people howled when Senator Chuck Grassley said AIG executives who had received bonuses should do what some Japanese soldiers had done after World War II. "They should come forward turn in their bonuses and commit suicide." Even some conservative pundits whom I respect called the statement inappropriate. Frankly, I am no friend of Grassley, but I do not think he was really suggesting suicide. He was using hyperbole to say, "these guys ought to turn in their bonus, and then vanish into oblivion." Get over it. When Jesus Christ said, if your hand offend you cut it off, does anyone really think he meant for people who sinned with their hand to cut it off. Of course not, it was a figure of speech to illustrate the seriousness of sin. Grasslery statement was an exaggeration to show that he believed those who took the bonus showed incredible insensitivity to people's feeling about the bailouts, and that it would take a nearly impossible gesture for them to regain people's respect. I am not sure I agree with his point but I understood that what he was saying was hyperbole I took it for what it was intended.
Then there was the height of oversensitivity last week when President Obama compared his bowling score to that of a special Olympian. Once again he had to apologize. Once again I do not see what the offense was. His comment in no way disparaged special Olympians. Who was hurt by it? Even Tim Shriver the head of Special Olympics understood that it was said in jest.
I think we all need to lighten up. If you want make fun of me because of some disability or quirk. Go ahead. I am secure enough to take it. I personally think a moderate degree of self-deprecation can help me to put my life in perspective. In this era of stress we need more humor not less.
Humor helps us appreciate differences. Every one knows that Obama's comment about himself was self deprecating it was not cruel. It was not meant to demean the disabilities of the Olympians, it was meant to show his own humanity. Grassley's comment merely emphasized that in his opinion accepting the bonus was unamerican, and that it was going to be hard for a bonus recipient to ever regain the respect of the American people. Joe Biden's comment were complimentary to Senator Obama as were President Bushes's. Mrs. Clinton was showing how ridiculous it was to suggest that she did not know who Ghandi was without attacking the person who made the suggestion. It also came in those early primary months when she was being accused of being shrill and humorless. She was just having fun.
Humor helps us not take ourselves too seriously. It helps difficult situations be a little more palatable. Any one who does regular public speaking knows that if you have an unpopular message to deliver or if you are facing a hostile audience, humor, especially self-deprecating, humor will make people more receptive to your message. I personally am secure enough in who I am that I can take a little friendly teasing. I do not ask people to apologize for every little thing.
People who take offense at humor that makes fun of people are simply trying to take control over people that they have no right to have. It is about power and manipulation. If we are all going to get through this recession we are going to have to have a little fun. So go ahead tell your jokes. If I make a comment about President Obama's big ears, it does not hurt Obama, and it does not make me racist. If you are offended by it, I am not going to give you the power to control me by apologizing. It is a fact that he has funny-looking big ears. If that offends you get over it. I am sure he knows his ears are big and it certainly has not been a limitation for him.
The problem with losing our sense of humor is that it makes every issue either emotionally charged or emotionally inert. A good joke, or an effective hyperbole makes a point that actually diffuses emotion. If we refuse to poke fun at our foibles and faults we are either going to become a passionless culture or a reactionary one.
Yes, you do have to be careful with humor, when it is sarcastic or directed at an individual you risk doing harm. If it is used in a context where it makes one person seem better morally, intellectually or professionally then someone else, or singles them out for ridicule, you risk doing harm. None of the situations above were harmful. They all point out how our society is becoming overly serious.
After President Obama's joke about his bowling, a championship Special Olympian bowler challenged Obama to a round. In stead of apologizing I think Obama should have invited him to the White House bowling alley and bowled a few rounds. Not only would it have shown people how bad a bowler the President really is, and how Special Olympians overcome their disabilities, it would have humanized the President and gained him more respect than apologizing for a non-offense did.
Remember early in the Presidential election cycle some one asked Mrs Clinton if she knew who Ghandi was. "He owns a convenience store in Indiana," she said. She had to apologize. Now I am no fan of Mrs. Clinton, but why should she have apologized. Yes it was ethnic humor. Yes it was stereotypical, but really who did it hurt. To recognize distinctive and common cultural practices is not racist. As a matter-of-fact, I think laughing at our differences makes them more tolerable.
Remember when President George Bush had to apologize for calling then Senator Obama "articulate." Now what is that about! Articulate merely means a person speaks clearly and properly. For some to conclude from the statement that Bush felt it was an unusual quality for black people was drawing an inference that their was no evidence to believe Bush intended. His cabinet was the most ethnically diverse that had ever been assembled at that time, and every cabinet member spoke more articulately than he did. To say that his statement was racist showed how little people knew of George W. Bush.
Or what about when then Senator, and presidential candidate Joe Biden said he thought the then Senator Obama was "clean." Some people inferred from that statement that he was saying black people "were dirty." He had to apologize. Some people said the comment was racist. I am not a fan of Biden, but I think all he meant was that Senator (now President) Obama was a man of integrity and no one was going to be able to dig up any political dirt on him.
Last week people howled when Senator Chuck Grassley said AIG executives who had received bonuses should do what some Japanese soldiers had done after World War II. "They should come forward turn in their bonuses and commit suicide." Even some conservative pundits whom I respect called the statement inappropriate. Frankly, I am no friend of Grassley, but I do not think he was really suggesting suicide. He was using hyperbole to say, "these guys ought to turn in their bonus, and then vanish into oblivion." Get over it. When Jesus Christ said, if your hand offend you cut it off, does anyone really think he meant for people who sinned with their hand to cut it off. Of course not, it was a figure of speech to illustrate the seriousness of sin. Grasslery statement was an exaggeration to show that he believed those who took the bonus showed incredible insensitivity to people's feeling about the bailouts, and that it would take a nearly impossible gesture for them to regain people's respect. I am not sure I agree with his point but I understood that what he was saying was hyperbole I took it for what it was intended.
Then there was the height of oversensitivity last week when President Obama compared his bowling score to that of a special Olympian. Once again he had to apologize. Once again I do not see what the offense was. His comment in no way disparaged special Olympians. Who was hurt by it? Even Tim Shriver the head of Special Olympics understood that it was said in jest.
I think we all need to lighten up. If you want make fun of me because of some disability or quirk. Go ahead. I am secure enough to take it. I personally think a moderate degree of self-deprecation can help me to put my life in perspective. In this era of stress we need more humor not less.
Humor helps us appreciate differences. Every one knows that Obama's comment about himself was self deprecating it was not cruel. It was not meant to demean the disabilities of the Olympians, it was meant to show his own humanity. Grassley's comment merely emphasized that in his opinion accepting the bonus was unamerican, and that it was going to be hard for a bonus recipient to ever regain the respect of the American people. Joe Biden's comment were complimentary to Senator Obama as were President Bushes's. Mrs. Clinton was showing how ridiculous it was to suggest that she did not know who Ghandi was without attacking the person who made the suggestion. It also came in those early primary months when she was being accused of being shrill and humorless. She was just having fun.
Humor helps us not take ourselves too seriously. It helps difficult situations be a little more palatable. Any one who does regular public speaking knows that if you have an unpopular message to deliver or if you are facing a hostile audience, humor, especially self-deprecating, humor will make people more receptive to your message. I personally am secure enough in who I am that I can take a little friendly teasing. I do not ask people to apologize for every little thing.
People who take offense at humor that makes fun of people are simply trying to take control over people that they have no right to have. It is about power and manipulation. If we are all going to get through this recession we are going to have to have a little fun. So go ahead tell your jokes. If I make a comment about President Obama's big ears, it does not hurt Obama, and it does not make me racist. If you are offended by it, I am not going to give you the power to control me by apologizing. It is a fact that he has funny-looking big ears. If that offends you get over it. I am sure he knows his ears are big and it certainly has not been a limitation for him.
The problem with losing our sense of humor is that it makes every issue either emotionally charged or emotionally inert. A good joke, or an effective hyperbole makes a point that actually diffuses emotion. If we refuse to poke fun at our foibles and faults we are either going to become a passionless culture or a reactionary one.
Yes, you do have to be careful with humor, when it is sarcastic or directed at an individual you risk doing harm. If it is used in a context where it makes one person seem better morally, intellectually or professionally then someone else, or singles them out for ridicule, you risk doing harm. None of the situations above were harmful. They all point out how our society is becoming overly serious.
After President Obama's joke about his bowling, a championship Special Olympian bowler challenged Obama to a round. In stead of apologizing I think Obama should have invited him to the White House bowling alley and bowled a few rounds. Not only would it have shown people how bad a bowler the President really is, and how Special Olympians overcome their disabilities, it would have humanized the President and gained him more respect than apologizing for a non-offense did.
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