A word on the Palin-Letterman flap

By now you've probably heard about David Letterman's lame joke that referred to one of Governor Palin's daughters. (He apologized, on air, Monday night.)

With due respect to Governor Palin and a host of conservative columnists and bloggers who were deeply offended and outraged, I think they should be quiet. It wasn't a statement of public policy by a government official, it was an attempted joke. Dave has been on late-night television for more than 27--and counting--years. Anyone who thinks it's easy for every joke over that time to be a finely crafted gem needs to guess again. And Dave several months ago observed, "We're putting on a show and trying to be cute and trying to say funny things, and we don't really mean much of it."

Further, I think it's unfortunate that today almost anything anybody says, even on comedy shows, is a potential ground for people to be outraged. Consider one of the very funniest comedy routines I've every heard: Bill Cosby, Himself. In it, Cosby says--and he also used the line on The Cosby Show--the following:

My father established our relationship when I was seven years old. He looked at me and said, "You know, I brought you in this world, and I can take you out. And it don't make no difference to me, I'll make another one look just like you."

I think that's funny. Cosby's audience that night thought so, too. But that was more than 25 years ago. If he said it today, he'd probably be accused of inciting child abuse. And some people would be "shocked" and "outraged".

Comments

[Dick White]

Professor:
Newmark's Door is a daily must for me; a delight. So much for the vaseline, now my observation on your Letterman post: if "be quiet" is ex post (the June 15th Letterman), Si; if ex ante, No. Unlike Cosby on his father/himself or innumerable comedians on G.W. Bush's smirk or Obama's ears, this "joke" was not only crude and demeaning but also targeted at a child. From time to time the unwashed need to resist the Zeitgeist; this was such an occasion.

[Wright Truesdell]

I fully agree with Mr White on all particulars. You're way off base with this one, Prof. This wasn't a joke, it was finely and deliberately targeted viciousness.

[Brock]

I'd agree with you generally speaking, but the Left started it and they aren't going to stop until they get a taste of their own medicine.

[David]

Among other differences, Cosby's joke didn't have a political aim during a presidential election. Letterman's attacks on Sarah Palin are rooted in his leftist political views (among other things, Freud only knows what). Michelle Malkin showed the pattern of this man's relentless attacks:

"You know, she reminds me, she looks like the flight attendant who won’t give you a second can of Pepsi. No, you’ve had enough. We’re landing. Looks like the waitress at the coffee shop who draws a little smiley face on your check. Have a nice day."

"She looks like the dip sample lady at Safeway. She looks like the nurse who weighs you and then makes you sit alone in your underwear for 20 minutes. She looks like the Olive Garden hostess who says, 'I’m sorry, your table isn’t ready yet.' She looks like infomercial lady who says she made $64,000 a month flipping condos."

"[S]he looks like the lady at the bakery who yells out ‘44! 45!’ She looks like a real estate agent whose picture you see on the bus stop bench. That’s who she looks like. She looks like the lady who has a chain of cupcake stores…"

In November 2008, Letterman told tanking CBS News anchor Katie Couric that he was "aroused" by Gov. Palin.

In March 2009, Letterman attacked Bristol Palin and snickered about her being "knocked up" again. (end of Malkin quotes)

Cosby's humor about getting rid of his children still plays in syndication today without a breath of protest. Why? Because it is clearly humor with a core of truth that resonates universally with parents; just as clearly, Cosby is not expressing hostility toward his (TV) children.

Not so with Letterman. His attacks on Palin are hostile, and everyone can see it. The leftists love it for that reason, and the conservatives (and other decent people) are offended by it for the same reason.

If his political speeches cloaked in the garb of "jokes" are acceptable, then so are the criticisms from his political opponents. Comedy is comedy, but politics ain't beanbag.

[Michael]

I'm not sure I understand the point here. It has never been acceptable to go after out-of-the-spotlight/underage children of politicians. Cosby might not be able to make the referenced joke today as he did in the 70s, but jokes about 14 year old daughters of politicians would have been taboo in the 70s.

[Mace]

All good points above but my concern is that, compared to 30 years ago, there seems to be a lot more suppression of speech in general. While most of this is political correctness run amuck, underneath it all seem to be a desire to control everyone else.

Could a movie like "Blazing Saddles" be made today without riots occurring during the filming process? I really, really doubt it. This is not a change for the better.

[TheBigHenry]

There are two distinct components of this kerfuffle. (1) The repulsiveness of the joke's content. (2) The repulsiveness of the joke's teller. For me, the second is more repulsive than the first, though I completely understand those who "favor" the first.

David Letterman is an obnoxious son-of-a-bitch, because he uses his position of late-night entertainer, with a national following of many years running, to push his personal political views. I can't stand him for the same reason I can't stand other assholes like Sean Penn and his Holyshitwood friends.

[JorgXMcKie]

Concealing a political weapon in the "it's just a joke" only works when you go after all sides more or less equally. Will someone please post such jokes from Letterman about Obama or even Biden?

I'm not holding my breath.

Or where Letterman tells such a joke about his own son or wife?