No Column This Week
Leeuna Foster
October 17, 2008
Lately I've been noticing how most all of our humor writers and newspaper columnists are writing on the same topic. Everything seems to center on politics, mainly the presidential election, the struggling economy, the Wall Street bailout, and taxes. I've even had a few people ask why I haven't been writing any political columns or 'economic crisis' humor. I would like to take a moment to explain my reasons for not doing so.
For one thing I can't find a whole lot of humor in politics or the weakening economy. And for another thing I just don't think I want to stoop to that level.
Oh sure, I could probably write a few jokes about Sara Palin. Probably something like:
Q. Why would Sara Palin not do well in prison?
A. She can never finish a sentence.
Or I could ask:
Q. What is the difference between a pit bull and Sara Palin?
A. The pit bull doesn't wear glasses.
On the other hand I could probably say that the Obama campaign is attempting to spread the rumor that Senator McCain's running mate is secretly an Eskimo and a Moose-lim. Or say that the reason Obama doesn't wear a flag on his lapel is that he's afraid someone will mistake him for a flag pole. Or I could even ask the question:
Q. What is the difference between Obama and Osama.
A. The letter "B"
But of course you all know me well enough to know that I would never do that. I do have some standards.
And of course I could write a little economic humor about the falling stock markets and the recent bailout of Wall Street. I could even joke about the term "trickle down" which incidentally has been in our vocabulary since the early eighties. I could state the obvious, which is that the common working man is the very foundation on which our government's economic system is built and that after we pay our taxes, credit is the only thing we have left with which to provide for our families' welfare. We've been left now for the past two decades standing at the bottom of the food chain, like a 'snipe hunter', holding the bag and waiting for the 'trickle down' that never comes. Or I could ask the question:
Q. "What do you get when you cross big fortune 500 companies with huge government tax breaks?"
A. Nobody knows. Were still waiting for something to 'trickle down'.
But of course I would never do that. My brand of humor is designed to amuse and not offend anyone.
Although I have unintentionally offended a few people before. I wrote a column a few weeks ago about Restless Dog Syndrome (RLS) and how the public is bombarded by all the television advertising from the pharmaceutical companies.
I got an email from one of my readers reprimanding me for writing that one. The lady called me "stupid" and said I should be ashamed for making fun of a disease that she has suffered from for several years.
Now that made me feel terrible. I don't like to offend people. I felt really bad that she mistook my written words as a means of making fun of her disease.
Of course I could have replied to her with something like "Madam, you must also be suffering from cancer of the funny bone." but I didn't.
I could have asked her if she had HIV (Humor Immune Virus) too, but of course I didn't do that either.
I did send her an email apologizing for offending her, and I explained that I wasn't poking fun at the disease, but poking fun at the drug companies and TV commercials. But of course if you have to explain a joke then it ain't funny anyway.
So in light of all this I have decided to let this week slide and not write anything at all. I apologize to all my loyal readers and I promise that I will be back next week with my regularly scheduled humor column.
For one thing I can't find a whole lot of humor in politics or the weakening economy. And for another thing I just don't think I want to stoop to that level.
Oh sure, I could probably write a few jokes about Sara Palin. Probably something like:
Q. Why would Sara Palin not do well in prison?
A. She can never finish a sentence.
Or I could ask:
Q. What is the difference between a pit bull and Sara Palin?
A. The pit bull doesn't wear glasses.
On the other hand I could probably say that the Obama campaign is attempting to spread the rumor that Senator McCain's running mate is secretly an Eskimo and a Moose-lim. Or say that the reason Obama doesn't wear a flag on his lapel is that he's afraid someone will mistake him for a flag pole. Or I could even ask the question:
Q. What is the difference between Obama and Osama.
A. The letter "B"
But of course you all know me well enough to know that I would never do that. I do have some standards.
And of course I could write a little economic humor about the falling stock markets and the recent bailout of Wall Street. I could even joke about the term "trickle down" which incidentally has been in our vocabulary since the early eighties. I could state the obvious, which is that the common working man is the very foundation on which our government's economic system is built and that after we pay our taxes, credit is the only thing we have left with which to provide for our families' welfare. We've been left now for the past two decades standing at the bottom of the food chain, like a 'snipe hunter', holding the bag and waiting for the 'trickle down' that never comes. Or I could ask the question:
Q. "What do you get when you cross big fortune 500 companies with huge government tax breaks?"
A. Nobody knows. Were still waiting for something to 'trickle down'.
But of course I would never do that. My brand of humor is designed to amuse and not offend anyone.
Although I have unintentionally offended a few people before. I wrote a column a few weeks ago about Restless Dog Syndrome (RLS) and how the public is bombarded by all the television advertising from the pharmaceutical companies.
I got an email from one of my readers reprimanding me for writing that one. The lady called me "stupid" and said I should be ashamed for making fun of a disease that she has suffered from for several years.
Now that made me feel terrible. I don't like to offend people. I felt really bad that she mistook my written words as a means of making fun of her disease.
Of course I could have replied to her with something like "Madam, you must also be suffering from cancer of the funny bone." but I didn't.
I could have asked her if she had HIV (Humor Immune Virus) too, but of course I didn't do that either.
I did send her an email apologizing for offending her, and I explained that I wasn't poking fun at the disease, but poking fun at the drug companies and TV commercials. But of course if you have to explain a joke then it ain't funny anyway.
So in light of all this I have decided to let this week slide and not write anything at all. I apologize to all my loyal readers and I promise that I will be back next week with my regularly scheduled humor column.