ALS MORNING BLOG
Dave Chapelle is a funny guy. Maybe too funny. Last week his comedy show before a few thousand was cancelled because about 125 people protested his "trans type " material. Flip Wilson was one of my favorites when it came to comedy. When he came out on stage in that raucous dress and said "the devil made me do it" he brought the house down. In the 90's I cross dressed as emcee for a United Fund gathering. It made the front page of the Beaumont Enterprise. I thought it was also pretty funny. 10 years later I did it again on the morning show with the Channel Four crew for a Halloween gag. I meant no harm, no disrespect. I was having fun, making a few folks laugh. Foster Brooks and Dean Martin both played drunks to make folks giggle. No harm and no foul. You cannot do that any longer. No skinny jokes, fat jokes, old jokes, Black jokes, Asian jokes, Polish jokes. only Italian jokes, are in bounds. Godfather Jokes, Soprano jokes and Aggie Jokes. May one about Texas Tech. (could that even be funny?) Oh, old white men jokes. "Get off my lawn" and the like. I'm an old white man. You can make fun of me. I'm glad just to be above ground. Where is the humor? When did our feelings start appearing on our chest? Why can't the world laugh a little. I dare say a lot of my Black friends ( and I have quite a few) loved Redd Foxx. They loved the Jefferson's and Richard Pryor. WE loved Jackie Gleason, even when he threatened to Send Alice to the moon ( guess you would have to have been there) and Carol Burnet. If you watch Seinfeld reruns, you'll see stuff from the 90's that would be taboo today. Better watch smiling when you meet a friend. They're liable to say, "why are you laughing at me" and there goes a friendship.
