Sex, Laughter & Cultural Norms

It’s been awhile since I posted, so I think I’ll take on a controversial topic today. No, it’s not abortion, or the death penalty or drug legalization. It’s the great debate (via media coverage) of David Letterman vs. Sarah Palin!

I’m not surprised that this is all over the news. A famous comedian gives an explanation (not apology) about a joke, which is now all over the web. A politician gives interviews about the dire state of our society due to said joke. Commentators and tabloids exploit it all for our consumption. That’s pretty much par for the course these days, isn’t it? I haven’t checked to see if either of them are twittering about it, but I saw several references and opinions from the public on my Facebook page today. In America, we don’t generally chat about the war or poverty or pandemics. We talk about sensationalized topics that show up on the Today Show in between those stories. (Maybe that’s to keep our minds off of our Incredible Shrinking IRA Accounts, but that’s a different topic.)

So what do I think? First of all, I believe that comedy is an art form, and there are really no rules or taboos for artists to follow. Countless comedians tell countless in-poor-taste jokes every minute of the day, all around the world. Mr. Letterman just happens to have perhaps the largest audience of them all. And why? Because people like his jokes. We all have freedom of choice to change the channel if we don’t. Does he exert undue influence because he’s on TV every night (when he’s not vacationing in Montana)? I love Letterman, but I certainly hope his monologue isn’t guiding anyone’s moral compass.

Do I think that Letterman’s joke was a “sad commentary on the state of our society…encouraging us to laugh at degrading comments about a young woman.” I had to think about that one for awhile, but no, I don’t. Has it “contributed to the acceptance of abuse of young women”? Um…no…it was just a joke! You could have flipped to any number of other channels on air at the same time and seen and/or heard worse (or listened to a CD, or visited a web site).

But is this situation different because the joke was about a minor? Let me think about that. I have kids. I certainly wouldn’t want people to joke about them in…let’s say… unsavory ways. But I can’t even stop my own neighbors from doing that (if God forbid they wanted to), much less anyone else. And the truth is, Palin made a choice to put her family in the public eye. She did so, knowing full well that her unmarried, 17-year-old daughter was pregnant (and even though she is from the wilds of Alaska, surely she must also have known that it would become a big news story. Unless maybe keeping an eye on Russia kept her too busy to ever watch television). And beyond that, she continues to bring her daughters to public events where she will certainly be interviewed and photographed (because let’s be honest…that’s what she wants). Don’t get me wrong. I actually like Palin, and politics is a game that you have to play if you want to get ahead. But I think she’s pretending that she did not choose her current place in our society. A few years ago we didn’t know her name. And when the press jumped on this drummed-up controversy, she happily jumped aboard that bandwagon to remind us all that she’s still here…fighting for America…which apparently is crumbling before our eyes under democratic rule.

Now, do I think that Palin’s daughters deserve to be made fun of on a national talk show? Definitely not. But it’s a fact of life in our society that if you’re in politics…or entertainment…or sports…your life, and your family, is fair game. Honestly, I wish that weren’t the case – I don’t think celebrities should have to give up all their rights to privacy. And I’m quite certain there are a large number of celebrities who’ve suffered worse comments about themselves and their children in the national press. None of that is good. However, that’s how it is, and in this particular example, Palin continues to put herself in the public eye to further her personal goals, and she’s never been shy about putting her children in front of those cameras along with her. Palin was not taking her daughter out to a lovely baseball game. She went with Rudy Giuliani, most-famous-New Yorker-ever, knowing full well they would be photographed and published and talked about, and that was what she wanted. She just wasn’t able to control the spin of all that media coverage.

The only point I heard Palin say that was interesting, was that there has been a political double standard, in that the press has obeyed President Obama’s request to respect his children’s privacy, while they have not given that same standard to her children. That seems fairly true. However, if the White House children some day make what our society considers to be a mistake…any mistake of note…I have a feeling we’ll all hear about it. I guess time will tell.

My conclusion is that the modern world is unfair in a lot of ways. But a politician who hopes against hope to rule the White House one day, is not going to effect change to a piece of our culture that is this pervasive by making fun of a beloved TV comedian. I respect her instinct to protect her children, but it all smacks of effort for political gain, which really negates all her other arguments. Find a better example to make an example of, Sarah, if you’re really trying to save our culture from ruin.

Share your thoughts with me. I know you have them. And we can’t waste all our time talking about things that actually matter.