BlogHer - Bristol Palin - Comments

It's a Joke

conversationswithmoms — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:01:41 -0500

I believe Letterman when he said that he intended to joke about the 18 year old daughter. He is a comedian and makes a living making people laugh which is what he did on Wednesday. I've been to a Comedy show where the comedian picks on the audience and says much worse.

Maria Melo

http://www.conversationswithmoms.com

Letterman v. Palin

Susan Getgood — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 16:46:16 -0500

This post over on Working Mom, Democrat, Patriot very clearly articulates my impression all along -- that the Palins made the joke about the younger daughter with their comments and continuing reaction. Before that, most people hadn't even heard about the jokes, and those that did assumed it was the older daughter.

Almost like the Palins saw a golden opportunity to get back at Letterman for all the sniping at Gov. Palin.

After all, they can't issue political statements about his jokes referring to Palin's style as "slutty airline attendant."

Old Letterman

cooper — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:31:29 -0500

I do believe that we have more important things to concern ourselves with, but I have been sick of old male comediennes constantly denigrating women by using their appearance, state of mind sexuality or lack of it, as fodder for their bread and butter since I stopped watching Bill Maher as a sophomore in college.

cooper

She's clearly a very private person.

Mom101 — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:52:40 -0500

So really, I can see why she isn't a public figure and should be off limits.

Mom-101

Going after any politicians'

alovelything — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:37:15 -0500

Going after any politicians' kids is out of bounds in my opinion. It matters not which daughter Letterman thought he was talking about.

I disagree with Sarah Palin on practically every issue. However, I was also a teenage mom once upon a time -- long, long ago, so I have some empathy for what is in store for Bristol. Then again, I can't imagine that my mom would ever thrust me into the public spotlight like Sarah did Bristol.

Anyway. Making fun of the politician is okay. Making fun of the kids NOT okay.

www.alovelything.com

Regarding your conflict

Snarky Amber — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:41:11 -0500

Regarding your conflict about how you'd feel "if it were [your] kid," I think Mel Brooks summed it up pretty well when he said, "Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die."

Funny happens to other people. :)

I get it. I get it. Fine.

Jozet at Halushki — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:53:31 -0500

:-)

I'll still hold to the opinion that there are enough jokes available about Palin herself to steer clear of indefinite jokes about her daughters having sex with guys who are old enough to be their great-grandfather.

See! That was a "family pattern of having-kids-while-very-young" joke. Subtle, but...oh nevermind.

I guess I'll not tell my moosecock joke.

Halushki.com

"That anyone has any

sweetney — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:41:15 -0500

"That anyone has any interest whatsover in the Palin daughters to the point that jokes about them are even possible is, I think, a waste of time that could be spent taking a serious interest in Jennifer Aniston or Kate and Jon or solving the problem of expensive shoes that I can't afford."

BWAHAHAAHAA!!!!

Actually on that point I agree with you. However, his target really was Gov Palin (again, he cracks jokes endlessly about her, her life, career, and indeed, her family -- this is a running gag, the humor lies in the the repetition, KWIM?), who I find completely uninteresting also, incidentally. The humor in the joke really is more in the ongoing nature of his cracks about her, not the jokes themselves (it's like if I suddenly decided Katie Couric was my nemesis and made a point of taking jabs at her on a regular basis... Katie Couric isn't very interesting, but the fact that I'd pursue and invest time in having an ongoing beef with her WOULD be the joke in and of itself).

Tracey Gaughran-Perez, aka Sweetney
CE, Entertainment & Culture
Author/Editor of Sweetney, MamaPop, & We Covet

Okay, fine...you want me to have an opinion?

Jozet at Halushki — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:28:32 -0500

I'll summon one up:

I think that David Letterman has turned into a tired, bitter android who is barely funny and who needs more sex with nubile young women. Possibly while he is trussed like a turkey and covered in yogurt.

But if he is going to insist on continuing to try to be funny, I think he would do better to pick on people his own size. There's plenty of material out there about more-than-legal adults; plenty of matertial for hilarious taboo, pushing-the-envelope sex jokes about, oh, say, Oprah or Adam Lambert or presidents on dates or Rush Limbaugh's tiny dick or whatever.

That anyone has any interest whatsover in the Palin daughters to the point that jokes about them are even possible is, I think, a waste of time that could be spent taking a serious interest in Jennifer Aniston or Kate and Jon or solving the problem of expensive shoes that I can't afford.

Young women and girls in the spotlight - even of their own volition - are in a precarious position a la Britney Spears, and that we make them a side-show and justify it by "but she starrrrted it" is, I think, time better spent on getting laundry done or writing blog posts wondering when Johnny Depp will star in a movie in which he seduces a 43-year-old suburban houswife from Central Pennsylvania, discovers a g-spot hidden in middle-aged female underam wobble, and thus makes throwing away my 3-lb weights the sexiest thing I've done in years.

You asked.

Halushki.com

Good googily

Amy In Ohio — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:24:33 -0500

www.amyinohio.wordpress.com

Indeed a mountain Sweetney. In the world today, *THIS* is what gets people's attention? Sad

Can't apologize for what you didn't do

Mom101 — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 06:35:59 -0500

All you can do is clarify it. Which he did. I don't know what else there is to say.

Mom-101

Holy scheiss on a popsicle

MamacitaG — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:25:39 -0500

Holy scheiss on a popsicle stick, I apologize to anyone who took offense at the word "skank!" Around these parts, a skank is a woman who willingly puts out, often with someone else's husband or boyfriend, and more often than not with a grungy redneck-y dropout type, and not for love, but just for fun. If the word has worse connotations to some of you, I'm sorry. But I will have to maintain that according to the use of the word in my universe, it fits like a glove in this context.

I agree that the 14-year-old is a child and therefore OFF LIMITS when it comes to name-calling or, really, any kind of irreverant reference. Her older sister, on the other hand, pretty much tattooed herself with a bulls-eye target, and should not be surprised when the world takes aim at her.

As for Letterman himself, well, he's not exactly famous for his tact. This is a well-known fact, and those who can't deal with his type of humor should watch something else. I don't watch TV at all, but I do sometimes catch his monologue on YouTube, simply because he's hilarious. Do I take what he says seriously? Of course not. He's a comedian, not a philosopher. Nor is he a reporter, a teacher, a minister, or ANYONE who is responsible for my personal interpretation of anything he says.

I had never even heard of this issue until I read it here. And I still maintain that, since he was obviously referring to the older sister, it was hilarious.

There is such a thing as being overly sensitive, and often things are taken out of context and assumed to be hateful, when in fact they are merely taking well-known facts about a public figure and messing with our schema.

Anyway. I'm sorry that my use of that word offended a few of you.

"Don't be content with being average. Average is as close to the bottom as it is to the top."

Conflicted - long comment warning...

autumncircles — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:56:53 -0500

Okay - I've seen the joke and Letterman "response" and I'm conflicted.

I am someone’s daughter with a few smudges agin me and I have an eight year old daughter who has done no wrong - 'nuf said.

However, I giggled at his joke and understood his response. As a writer, I see the joke is on Palin, reminding everyone of one of the biggest icebergs to her Titanic campaign. To their extreme misfortune, her daughters are merely are collateral damage.

Please, please don’t yell back at me for the word “merely” – I get it, no need to try to convince me that that no one’s daughters should be considered “merely collateral damage no matter the age.” I agree with you, as I would hunt down any double-breasted, bad toupee-wearing, teeny-weeny framed four eyes host of a late night talk show until my last dying breath if he ever even considered poking fun at my little girl - hence my inner conflict. What does it say about me that I laughed? How could I possibly allow a chuckle escape me regarding one’s misfortunate choice in life and the other’s misfortunate place in relation to it? Who am I to try and raise a daughter with this type of clearly twisted sense of humor?

Again, please, these are merely rhetorical questions – no need to go on and tell me who you think I am. I know the answer to that dilemma.

I am human. Dave is human. As are his writers, Mrs. Palin and her daughters. Human beings are created with minds that take little breaks now and again which some call offensive, some call mistakes and some call humor.

Another reason why we are all called human.

As such, IMHO, we all need to take a deep, cleansing breath in and say “If only they’d have counted those votes right in Florida, none of this would have ever happened!”

p.s. the final statement was not intended to bring about politics into the debate, only humor.

p.p.s. see how unfunny it is when you have to clarify everything? Like, the late-night talk show hosts depicted in this comment should in no way be construed into resembling any current living/working late-night talk show hosts.

p.p.p.s. this would still NOT be funny if it were my kid.

p.p.p.p.s. I could go on like this forever, making and then breaking my own point, but, as a human, I’m now tired and must sleep. More soapboxes to climb tomorrow, I’m sure.

Peace.

http://abomo.wordpress.com

thanks for your reply - skank too far

autumncircles — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:50:17 -0500

Now that joke went too far.

As for Dave, he's just doing what comedians do.

BTW - wonder what his Neilsons are up to these days?

Peace...

Letterman

maquignon — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:28:19 -0500

You are way off base by stating that the remark (it was not a joke) clearly referenced the older girl. He was clearly referencing the younger girl since she was the one at the ball game. Everyone who had been watching the news that day knew that it was the younger, fourteen year old at the ball game. If David didn't know, he should have. If anyone is going to make a remark of that sort he had better be sure of what he is saying. I don't know why people are trying to make this a political issue. It is not! It is a matter of decency and I don't think any "joke" about pedophilia is appropriate. It would have been just as inappropriate if it had been about a democrat or someone not at all political. This is not even about the Palins. It's about what is proper to say on national TV. If David had any backbone at all he would have said. I'm sorry. I screwed up I thought it was the older girl at the ball game. I was way out of line and I apologize. Instead he made more jokes and it is inexcuseable. Whether it is funny or not is beside the point (I don't think it was. I can think of lots of jokes that are funny but have no place on television. I heartily disagree with you about the funniest comedians. Those you mentioned depended on vulgarity for their humor. That is not innovative. The funniest comedians did not rely on vulgarity for their humor. They were risque but not vulgar. I suggest you try to put yourself in the place of the fourteen year old girl. It is about her, not her mother.