Big Whoopi

Let’s get something out in the open before I begin.

I think everyone is a fair target for comedians, and I for one love to laugh at not only political figures, but movie stars and all manner of people that are representative in our society.

Sure some jokes may be rude, crude, and socially unacceptable, but funny is funny. I firmly believe that everyone needs to lighten up now and then, and yes, even laugh at themselves!

One day at work I was working on some computer systems at the Canadian border. I was wearing some Eddie Bauer jeans (which I will never buy again I might add), when they ripped down the inseam of the leg. I have since had several pair of these type of jeans all rip near the same location. Other jeans do not do this, so I figure it’s a weakness in the Eddie Bauer jeans.

So there I was, a long way from home, with my leg split from hip to knee on the inside. What could I do? The guy I was working with and I had a great laugh. Heck, we even stopped on the way home to get a bite to eat at a small gas station. Again, more laughs were had at my expense, but it was truly funny! A bit embarrassing, but funny.

Now I admit when jokes are purposely told to be hurtful, then there is a limit. For example, surrounding someone and making fun of them merely to get a reaction directly from them is in bad form. This is more along the lines of teasing rather then telling jokes.

Apparently, the other day at a John Kerry fund raiser, Whoopi Goldberg and some others were poking fun at the current administration. I feel this is perfectly okay to do. After all, what would a comedian tell jokes about if the politicians are off limits.

What makes this a different situation is that Whoopi is also a spokesperson for Slim-Fast. It sounds as though, in the course of the roasting of our current president, Whoopi made some poor choices during her performance. The obvious association with our presidents last name and female body parts did not go unmentioned.

I’m hearing people complain that Whoopi’s right to freedom of speech has been infringed upon, or that this was somehow a racial thing (don’t you get sick of that one?).

Slim-Fast was merely making a business decision, not a political one. When a company hires someone to represent them there is always certain expectations. If a spokesperson goes nuts, or in this case, says things that are not appropriate for the customers, a company has the right to once again evaluate that persons usefulness as a representative for their product.

In Whoopi’s defense she says, "I've done material on every president in the past 20 years, from Reagan to Carter, from Clinton to Bush. I have used portions of the material I did at the fund-raiser in shows, speeches and even on national television and it seems now that people from the other side are using this to further their own agenda,"

Many spokespersons have probably done many things they are not too proud of, or that might get them fired if word got out, or someone made a big deal about it. The point here is that a big deal has been made of her “material” and the public was not impressed.

Slim-Fast knew what they were getting when they hired a comedian to represent them, and I think they really didn’t care what she did during her various acts. The problem came when she chose a very high-profile forum at which to perform her material.

If Janet Jackson would have had her “wardrobe malfunction” in a different venue other then on television at the Superbowl halftime, there would not have been such a backlash in her case either.

Some good can come of these things though. Just like in Aesop’s Fables, these tales have a moral. Do what you want, but in the end, you are the only one responsible for your actions.

If you’re a comedian, tell your jokes about the president in nightclubs and places were people go to laugh about irreverent topics. I would suggest you don’t go to the Whitehouse to deliver that same material. Using that same line of thinking, don’t go to a political rally, where you know your actions will be watched closely and criticized, and then rudely berate our current president.

You know, many of us have just about had enough of the constant lying by the democratic party about the current administration. I get so sick of hearing all of the accusations for which not one drop of any credibility or evidence is brought out, just accusations after accusation. It reminds me of a school yard bully who says, “Oh yeah, well you pick your nose and eat it!”

Okay, that was gross, but you get the idea. If I actually read a decent article outlying ANYTHING that President Bush had done illegal, or morally wrong, then I might consider the wind being blown from the opposition.

When I hear a democrat say they hate Bush, and then when asked why they hate him, they have no answers! Zero! They have no idea; they just spew forth the comment like that alone makes it true!

John Kerry is such a whiney butt that I can’t stand it. He waffles back and forth on important topics depending on who he is talking to at the time, and I love this picture of him with Jane Fonda protesting the Viet Nam war. You remember Hanoi Jane don’t you?

Now I’m not one to hold a generational grudge on someone like Jane Fonda, but many people will go to their grave hating this woman for what she did long ago. How do you think these folks will enjoy seeing Jane Fonda and John Kerry together protesting the war?

John Kerry thanked Whoopi and the rest of the celebrity acts and said they, "conveyed the heart and soul of our country."

In the typical waffling Kerry fashion, the Democratic Party refused to release footage of the event so that the people of this country could hear for themselves what Kerry thinks their hearts and souls conveyed.

When I make a decision, no matter what the audience is, I stick by that decision. My decisions are not always correct, but at least I admit that! Sometimes more frequently then I care to. I just wish Kerry would do the same and he wouldn’t look like such an idiot.

The Democratic Party is always so quick to say people should apologize to the country for remarks and actions made, how about a big fat apology from Kerry for the poor choice of material from the entertainers at his fund raiser?

Just as I thought, the answer would be a “no”.

Now I’ve gone and spun completely off the subject, but I had to get that off my mind as well tonight. The picture just bugged me that bad.

Be careful what you do in the public forum, because if it’s dumb enough, someone may just bring it back up to haunt you at a later date. John Kerry is finding this out the hard way.