Not funny. And not okay.
/
I've been meaning to blog about a pet peeve of mine for a while. Recent events (see picture and explanation at the end of this post!) have pushed this to the surface again. So here goes:
I am accident-prone. That is true, and we can joke about it. It's a bit absurd to fracture your foot and then two weeks later bust up your forehead (once again, explanation and picture at the end once I step off my soapbox - be patient!).
What is NOT true or funny are jokes about domestic violence. If I had only been on the receiving line of one or two, that would be one thing. Or even ten. But it's been dozens. Dozens of statements like "Lee had to lay down the law, huh?" in response to a brace on my foot or ankle or wrist from friends and church leaders and others.
Not okay.
If it were true, then it wouldn't be funny because a loving response would be concern not poor attempts at humor.
If it's not true (and it most certainly is not!), then it's an insult to my husband and a slap in the face (figuratively, that is) to those who have been physically abused because that serious topic is being treated as a joke.
So don't. Just don't.
Thanks.
Oh, and the story: Imagine a family of four roughhousing and bouncing on the bed (well, the kids were the ones bouncing). Imagine a little boy charging at his daddy. Imagine a daddy flinging the boy across the bed for a soft landing on the mattress. Imagine a mom's head getting between said boy and said mattress. Imagine said mother bleeding all over the mimis, floor, and her dress from cuts that inexplicably occurred during the incident. (Actually, don't imagine the blood part. That I could have done without, so I don't want to inflict it on you.) Imagine the boy bouncing up without an injury.
Are you imagining all that?
(Now imagine, ahem, that the mommy can't find her camera and has to take a poor shot with her phone camera.)
Nope, not winking. Just swollen.
Ouch. It hurts.
But please don't make it worse by trying to be a comedian.
Unless, of course, you're making fun of my general clumsiness. That's fair game for jokes.
I am accident-prone. That is true, and we can joke about it. It's a bit absurd to fracture your foot and then two weeks later bust up your forehead (once again, explanation and picture at the end once I step off my soapbox - be patient!).
What is NOT true or funny are jokes about domestic violence. If I had only been on the receiving line of one or two, that would be one thing. Or even ten. But it's been dozens. Dozens of statements like "Lee had to lay down the law, huh?" in response to a brace on my foot or ankle or wrist from friends and church leaders and others.
Not okay.
If it were true, then it wouldn't be funny because a loving response would be concern not poor attempts at humor.
If it's not true (and it most certainly is not!), then it's an insult to my husband and a slap in the face (figuratively, that is) to those who have been physically abused because that serious topic is being treated as a joke.
So don't. Just don't.
Thanks.
Oh, and the story: Imagine a family of four roughhousing and bouncing on the bed (well, the kids were the ones bouncing). Imagine a little boy charging at his daddy. Imagine a daddy flinging the boy across the bed for a soft landing on the mattress. Imagine a mom's head getting between said boy and said mattress. Imagine said mother bleeding all over the mimis, floor, and her dress from cuts that inexplicably occurred during the incident. (Actually, don't imagine the blood part. That I could have done without, so I don't want to inflict it on you.) Imagine the boy bouncing up without an injury.
Are you imagining all that?
(Now imagine, ahem, that the mommy can't find her camera and has to take a poor shot with her phone camera.)
Nope, not winking. Just swollen.
Ouch. It hurts.
But please don't make it worse by trying to be a comedian.
Unless, of course, you're making fun of my general clumsiness. That's fair game for jokes.