Jokes about teen pregnancy are no longer funny. Male nudity, however, is still hilarious.
The blockbuster The Hangover and Late Show host David Letterman have been scattered all over the news. The Hangover is still being talked about due to its surprising box office success – success that has kept it in the No. 1 spot for two weeks in a row, and based on a great deal of of male nudity. Meanwhile, Letterman finds himself in the news mostly because he made some not-so-funny jokes about teen pregnancy.
Letterman is actually in the news for several different reasons. He reached a deal with CBS to extend his contract through August 2012. He also (finally) passed NBC’s Tonight Show in ratings and is now in first place among late night television shows.
Then, he proved more shocking than Miley Cyrus (who pierced her nose) when he told a controversial joke in reference to one of Sarah Palin’s daughters being knocked up by A-Rod, a reference to the baseball legend’s relationship with singer Madonna. Of course, such a joke ignited a public feud with the former vice presidential candidate.
These news stories about The Hangover and Letterman’s jokes directed at Palin present a common revelation for the casual joke teller. The cruder the joke, the greater potential it has for a comedic reward. There is, however, a big difference between the two. The Hangover is a funny movie and Letterman’s joke is not.
He managed to find the one thing about Sarah Palin that is unfunny. In addition, any reward in ratings he might receive is going to be short-lived, because Palin has a history of overreacting and poorly defending herself against comedians. Of course, this is also why Palin and her family will continue to be made fun of by more comedians.
Letterman is going to become another name in a large list of people who were not as funny as Tina Fey (of Saturday Night Live) when poking fun at Palin.
The permanent damage of the joke will not have lasting psychological effects on any of Palin’s daughters, but rather to the legacy of David Letterman. As his career begins to come to an end, he will have to stand by this joke long after he leaves The Late Show. His legacy includes this joke and throwing things off of the roof, which may be a little better than being remembered as the guy who always came in second to Jay Leno.
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Travis Hensley is a philosophy senior and may be reached at [email protected]
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