I’ve always considered myself a failure as a human being, because despite my desire to understand others, regardless of their station in life or their culture, I’ve never been able to appreciate the types of jokes that Republicans and conservatives find so highly amusing. You know the ones I mean. Jokes with a small dose of violence and murderous intimidation at their core, like this, for example:
Maybe it’s some character flaw in me, some genetic defect, but I just doesn’t get the giggles when conservative friends and acquaintances respond with a little light eliminationist comedic repartee regarding liberals, Latinos, African Americans, environmentalists, feminists and, in general, anyone who doesn’t hold views which are exactly like their own. Case in point: Governor Mike Huckabee’s recent stand up routine at the National Rifle Association convention, where he apparently brought the house down with this crack about Senator, and presumptive Democratic nominee, Barack obama:
ABC News’ Kevin Chupka Reports: Former GOP hopeful and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is back in the news this week, making a splash when he took a hit at Senator Barack Obama during the annual National Rifle Association meeting.
Huckabee made an off-color joke during his speech in Louisville, Kentucky, when a loud bang was heard off-stage.
“That was Barack Obama,” Huckabee quipped, “He Just tripped off a chair. He was getting ready to speak. Somebody aimed a gun at him and he…he dove for the floor.”
Now, I know Huckabee has since apologized for his remarks, but one wonders why he bothered. Clearly he believes remarks regarding the potential assassination of a prominent African American politician is simply one of the most hilarious comments he could have made to members of the NRA, and many of his fellow conservatives obviously agree, or they wouldn’t keep telling us that similar “jokes” by Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly are legitimate sources of humor, which we politically correct and pompous liberals simply don’t get because we take ourselves way too seriously.
Me, I tend to think this kind of thing in an America filled with millions of angry gun owners who sincerely believe Democrats and liberals are out to pry their shotguns, pistols and hunting rifles from their “cold dead hands” is beyond the pale. Certainly, I don’t think liberals making jokes about assassinating President Bush or Senator McCain would or should be considered in any way acceptable, nor do I suspect that most conservatives would disagree with me. Yet, somehow jokes about killing Democratic politicians and other liberal figures is fair game for conservative comics. I think both are equally reprehensible and repulsive. And most definitely not funny.
But then I laugh at stuff like Monty Python routines so what do I know.
