Anybody who knows me IRL knows that I love humor, and love to laugh. But not everything that is "humor" do I consider funny. Jokes that demean people don't make me laugh. Jokes that are insulting are not funny. My guideline is, if you wouldn't call someone a moron in a public arena, then don't do it in a joke. Jokes about private matters that are best left between a man and wife in the privacy of their home don't make me laugh, nor does adolescent potty humor.
But jokes that point out some of the ridiculousness in our society, or segments thereof, and jokes that illustrate truths - those are funny. The comedians I laugh at the most are the ones who point out absurdities that we have all experienced.
These are 2 jokes that illustrate truths that our society is all too anxious to toss aside, the ridiculousness of the "someone else is responsible for me" and "gimme what you worked for 'cause I didn't but want it anyway" attitudes that have become so prevalent. From a nation of people who saw the possibilities in hard work, good choices, and determination we have become a nation of people who believe they are entitled to what others have earned.
And these 2 jokes clearly illustrate what I am talking about:
A Republican and a Democrat were walking down the street when they came to a homeless person. The Republican gave the homeless person his business card and told him to come to his business for a job. He then took twenty dollars out of his pocket and gave it to the homeless person.The Democrat was very impressed, and when they came to another homeless person, he decided to help. He walked over to the homeless person and gave him directions to the welfare office. He then reached into the Republican’s pocket and gave the homeless person fifty dollars.
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(This one is probably my favorite, because it describes the differences so perfectly!)
"I was talking to the little girl of a friend of mine. I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she replied, "I want to be President!"
Both of her parents are liberal Democrats and were standing there. So then I asked her, "If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?" She replied, "I'd give houses to all the homeless people."
"Wow - what a worthy goal." I told her, "You don't have to wait until you're President to do that. You can come over to my house and mow, pull weeds, and sweep my yard, and I'll pay you $50. Then I'll take you over to the grocery store where there is a homeless guy that hangs out there. You can give him the $50 to use toward a new house."
Since she is only 6, she thought that over for a few seconds. While her Mom glared at me, she looked me straight in the eye and asked, "Why doesn't the homeless guy come over and do the work, and you can just pay him the $50?"
And I said, "Welcome to the Republican Party." Her folks still aren't talking to me.
P.S. Since this isn't an arena for dissention - or even discussion - but rather my space that I worked to create and maintain to share my own thoughts, feelings, and opinions, no one else is entitled to use it for their own arguments :).
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