Is This Thing Off?

Casey's right. I need to lighten up. (See previous post.) 'Cause really Olbermann is really just gloating and doing the 'We won! Nyeah Nyeah Nyeah' dance. And we've all done it and we haven't hurt anyone.

And really, tuffguys like Limbaugh and O'Reilly can take it.

So I really need to watch this whole sense of humor thing because I'm starting to wobble at the wheels. One minute I'm arguing that humor and snide comments are fine. Necessary even. The next I'm saying they're meaningless and possibly even harmful. What's safe with me?

Well thank the gods that there's a part of me that thinks maybe the jokes just need to be funnier.

I recently ran across this one on a social network from an acquaintance:

To my friends out there​ who do not support Barack Obama,​ I have good news for you. President elect​ Barack Obama has released his first tax cuts, effective Jan 20 2009 the following items​ will be tax exempt.

Water​melon​
Kool-Aid
Grape​ Soda
and Fried​ Chick​en

I could have blamed and said 'You are a racist and you must stop! You are what's wrong with America!' But instead I went with the calm and even tempered and non-judgmental approach.

Is this the best you've got? If you'​re going​ to spread a racist joke at least​ try to find a funny​ one.

And that attempt at even-handed redirection was met with the following.

Sorry​ every​body I was trying to make light​ of a scary​ future. I will try not to ever smile​ again​,​ will that make you happy​?​ What a typical liberal democrat,​ no measureable [sic] sense​ of humor​.

​

Well the writer obviously missed my point. I'd be happy to see him to smile again. Just not about lame jokes. Laugh. Laugh away. But tell a joke that I haven't heard 255 times from the 4th graders who stumble over passages from the Dick and Jane reader.

And this it got me thinking. I have to admit that my comment was pretty damn pissy. I probably should have just bumped his shoulder and said Aw shucks you got some clever joking there. Or maybe just moved on. Because when it comes to funny I have always argued that you can't argue with laughs. And he got some laughs on the post. No question.

So is it the funny/not funny issue. I think I have a pretty good sense of humor, and I'm pretty hard to offend, and still there are some jokes that I just don't find funny. I mean really. Highlights for Kids has been fucking weak lately. Do I speak up every time I hear a really stupid knock knock joke? No. That'd make me an asshole. Especially since it's stupid little kids telling the stupid little jokes. They'll grow out of it. They'd better. I've got nieces and nephews and I'm kinda getting sick of the act.

And when I'm around adults that tell stupid jokes. I'm not a jerk, rolling my eyes and groaning not...funny... after every lame punchline.

So what the hell is driving me to respond to these joke with disapproval? Have my liberal views in fact killed my sense of humour? Or even a little part of it? And if so, what part?