I'm disappointed but not surprised that many people have been upset by a sketch on last week's Saturday Night Live. The whole din shows not how insensitive some people are, but how oversensitive are some.
The sketch is set in a bar. It involves four friends who have gathered for a drink and a memory (to echo Billy Joel's sentiment in "Piano Man"). One of them, the actor who portrays Dwight on The Office, goes to the jukebox and programs a few songs. He returns to his friends' table to reminisce.
Soon the song becomes audible. It is Loggins and Messina's romantic classic "Danny's Song."
It doesn't take long for one of the friends to notice the song and recollect a "fond" memory. He tells his comrades that the song will always remind him of the time when, as a young boy, he went to the petting zoo and was bitten on the you know what.
At this moment, I chuckled, just because it was unexpected. However, the follow up floored me. It was something like, "And they couldn't even find the guy who did it." To make my laughter even more acute, there was a subsequent comment about how they finally did locate his uncle.
Just as my breathing returned to normal, the next reminiscence began. Another friend noted that the song had a sentimental meaning for him too, in that it reminded him of the time when he was throwing a football in the backyard with his dad. "It was the first time," he said, "that I realized that I had a dad and not just a dad with Down's Syndrome."
Holy crap, I almost wet myself at that one. Not because Down's Syndrome is funny but because it was totally unexpected. However, many have complained in the past week that the joke was in poor taste.
First of all, the joke did not suggest that Down's Syndrome is a funny matter. Instead, it utilized irony. Such a song as Messina's (see the lyrics below) is designed to express and evoke fond, youthful, and idealistic hopes and memories. So when the song begins and someone says, "This song reminds me of..." we expect something warm and cuddly. That the SNL writers gave use the opposite is what made it so funny.
What I find interesting is that I've read reviews that criticize the use of Down's Syndrome as a subject matter, but none have taken to issue the themes of the other memories. Remember that the first memory involved an uncle biting his nephew's woo-hoo. The third memory involved a teacher recalling how he set fire to his classroom (and that finger paint is really flammable), and the last memory was of something of a homosexual fetish. These are apparently fine for jokes.
The sketch ended on a Tarantino-esque note, with the four men drawing guns apparently to rob the place (as in the opening and closing scene of Pulp Fiction). Again, it's irony that makes things funny. It's not robbery that's being joked about, it's that a bunch of friends gathering for a beer and reminiscing to Loggins and Messina aren't the kind of guys who rob a joint.
But whatever you do, remember, campers. Pedophilia, arson, and homosexuality are funny. Down's Syndrome is not. Let's get some thicker skin, people. How else can we enjoy the wickedly clever humor of South Park?
Danny's Song, by Loggins and Messina.
People smile and tell me I'm the lucky one
And we've just begun, think I'm gonna have a son
He will be like she and me, as free as a dove
Conceived in love, sun is gonna shine above
And even though we ain't got money
I'm so in love with ya, honey
And everything will bring a chain of love
And in the mornin' when I rise
You bring a tear of joy to my eyes
And tell me, everything is gonna be alright
Seems as though a month ago I was Beta-Chi
Never got high, oh, I was a sorry guy
And now I smile and face the girl that shares my name
Now I'm through with the game, this boy will never be the same
And even though we ain't got money
I'm so in love with ya, honey
And everything will bring a chain of love
And in the mornin' when I rise
You bring a tear of joy to my eyes
And tell me, everything is gonna be alright
Pisces, Virgo rising is a very good sign
Strong and kind, and the little boy is mine
Now I see a family where there once was none
Now we've just begun, yeah we're gonna fly to the sun
And even though we ain't got money
I'm so in love with ya, honey
And everything will bring a chain of love
And in the mornin' when I rise
You bring a tear of joy to my eyes
And tell me, everything is gonna be alright
Love the girl who holds the world in a paper cup
Drink it up, love her and she'll bring you luck
And if you find she helps your mind, better take her home
Don't you live alone, try to earn what lovers own
And even though we ain't got money
I'm so in love with ya, honey
And everything will bring a chain of love
And in the mornin' when I rise
You bring a tear of joy to my eyes
And tell me, everything is gonna be alright
Did you ever take one of those tests where they gave you four things and asked you to pick the one that didn’t go with the others? Down’s Syndrome, pedophilia, committing arson, and homosexuality - which one doesn’t go with the others? Three are behavioral (and, therefore, I believed learned) while the other is a medical condition acquired through no fault of the individual. Perhaps the sketch on SNL would have been just as funny, or ironic if you will, and received less criticism if the kid realized for the first time that he had a dad and not just an “over weight dad”, an “alcoholic dad”, or a “drug using dad”. What made the reference to a person with Down’s Syndrome funny in the context of the sketch? Was it the mental image of Down’s Syndrome person with their unique physical characteristic? You ask that people get some “thinner” skin in order to enjoy some humor. I assume you mean that we need to be less sensitive. If that is the case, shouldn’t the reference be “thicker” skin? Perhaps I missed your point.
ReplyDeleteNicely argued.
ReplyDeleteIt's the image that's funny, which is why fat dad or drug addict dad just wouldn't do the number. Besides, if we're going to craft our humor around others egg-shells, wouldn't we just anger even more people if we make fun of overweight dads?
People enjoy taking offense these days because it helps them assign some kind of blame or aggression towards someone else. It's a socially acceptable release for pent up, personal frustration. In this case, a parent of a Down's kid can finally lash out at someone.
Oh, aristos.
ReplyDeleteI didn't think the comment you left on my blog was mean-spirited at all, but this last one was.
Pent up personal frustration? I have no desire or need to blame anyone or lash out at anyone. I love my "Down's kid" just as much as all the rest of my kids. The only frustration I feel is when the "image" of my child or children who look like him is a source of amusement for others.
I am the parent of a deceased child and of a child with a disability. The first was a tragedy, the second is far from one. You're a parent--think about how much you love your kids. I love mine just the same, extra chromosomes and all.