Some people aren't offended

I'm referring to jokes about aging. Two weeks ago, I wrote about the one-liners that late-night talk show hosts spew out about Bob Dole's age. I asked if readers are offended when Jay Leno, David Letterman and Conan O'Brien tell jokes about senility and decrepitude, which seem to them to be the hallmarks of getting old. I also asked if Dole's age should be a factor in deciding whether to vote for him.

Last week, I shared the comments of readers who are annoyed by those jokes and find them offensive. Those were "on the one hand." This time, I'll share "the other hand": people who don't mind the jibes.

Amused

"I'm 66 and was amused by the jokes," wrote a man who lives in the New York City area. "If we cannot laugh at ourselves, we are in big trouble. Besides, a comedian's stock-in-trade is his ability to see the absurdity in the everyday. As to Bob Dole's age, it is the most important issue in the campaign. Elderly men have served brilliantly, but it is a real risk, particularly when a new election is not called shortly following their death."

A reader in Troy chided me and said the jokes are funny, Dole's age is fair game and I'm too sensitive. "In life," he wrote, "people only consider someone older than them as being old. When you were 20, you thought 50 was old."

A man in Missouri charged me with being "hyper-sensitive" about the jokes. "I am 74," he continued, "and have had and continue to have a great life. [But] old age is old age. You do funny things: You don't catch the drift as quickly; you stumble and can't keep up. I can laugh at myself for my inabilities. Sometimes, the comedians go overboard; but we can't get bent out of shape because of that."

Consider the source

A Rhode Island woman, who is 67, admitted that she and her husband "make our own jokes about our age because of getting better at forgetting than remembering. I don't mind others doing the same. I always say, 'Take it from where it comes.'"

A Chicagoan wrote: "Humorous and loving jokes about old age are all right. If one can laugh at oneself, no others can laugh at you."

From Missouri came this practical rule: "Jokes about old age and old people are funny until the teller adds the name of a real person. Then it ceases to be funny and becomes cruel."

An upstate New York woman began by noting, "I am much older than Bob Dole and also have a physical handicap. I know full well that I can never go back to my former occupation as a teacher because of my age. Bob Dole's age is not the issue; it's that the demands of the office require stamina, energy, pep -- call it what you will. Comedians make their living ridiculing anyone or anything that will make the audience laugh."

What's in good taste?

Another woman, this one from St. Louis, disagreed with my basic question about jokes on old age being in good taste. "What jokes concerning personality, physical characteristics or proclivities are in good taste? Most jokes are cruel and unkind. It is the nature of the comedian to insult prominent people. Some would say it is a status symbol to be kidded or insulted about anything on Leno, Letterman or Conan's show. People in public life need to have a healthy sense of humor about many things. Age should be a consideration in choosing a president. If Clinton's marital life, proboscis and McDonald's addiction are fair game for joke factories, why should Dole's age be sacrosanct?"

Thanks to all who wrote. I enjoyed your insights -- including the revelation that President Clinton's proboscis is a target of jokes. I haven't heard any of those.

(If you enjoy my writing, I hope you'll consider buying my new book, "The Emotional Jesus: Feeling Good About Feelings." It explores Christ's approach to emotions and what that approach says to us. If you would like to order a copy, call 1-800-321-0411.)

(08-01-96) [[In-content Ad]]