Posts tagged ‘men’

January 21, 2012

#37) “Hello, VADGE!” – part 2: Betty Believe It

There’s an old joke: Q. How many militant feminists does it take to change a lightbulb? A. That’s not funny!

Yes, gender-based humor is a tricky thing.  But recently I came across a quote that would have to make even the most testosterone-choked males tip their caps and say, “Well played, my lady.”

Funny, yes.  But worth devoting a whole blog to?  Worth spending time discussing that could be spent on one of my other blogs?  Yes, too.

Why?  Because this is a great example of something that I think is lost on many: that humor is often the best way to make a point.  Most people would rather laugh than be lectured, right?  Yet so many people are completely dry and preachy when speaking their mind.  Humor can be a key element in bridging the gap between any two groups of people who don’t always see eye to eye: men and women, Republicans and Democrats, and Blacks and Jews.

We NEED to laugh; we NEED humor, and it’s not always going to be tasteful.  But in a way, being able to take or make a joke about oneself is the ultimate form of self confidence.  Woody Allen made it hip to be a neurotic Jew; Jeff Foxworthy brought rednecks out of the south and into the mainstream.  And at age 90, Betty White is still bringing the goods.  She can teach us all a thing or two about laughing at, and with, ourselves.