Nothing’s Funny

I was just reading a report from Public Radio that the Prime Minister of New Zealand had apologized for a joke he made about a New Zealand tribe that had, in their history, practiced cannibalism. As reported by NPR's Frank James, "Prime Minister John Key's would-be knee slapper, told from the podium at a tourism conference, was that if he had visited with members of a Maori tribe whose ancestors were known for cannibalism, HE would have been dinner. You know; the other white meat."

Within hours Prime Minister Key was rebuked by the political leaders of the Maori tribe, informed that the joke was not funny and in poor taste and they demanded an apology. This demand was coming from the leadership of a tribe of people who have not practiced cannibalism for around 200 years. Being a good little politician, Key immediately offered up the requested apology.

First of all, in my most politically incorrect voice, let me say of the PM's joke, "That was funny." Cannibalism had not happened with this group for 200 years. It is a part of their past, not the present or the future. Get over it. If you can't view the idea of people eating people as funny, it is a disgusting thought and you are annoying.

I must admit that it does my heart good to know that this sad silliness of taking ourselves way too seriously is not a phenomenon that is limited to the United States. Nothing is funny anymore because we all take ourselves so terribly seriously. Nothing is funny because EVERYTHING is so serious. Everything except those things that really are serious.

I am a fan of A Prairie Home Companion on Public Radio. Every Saturday night Garrison Keillor gathers a talented cast of actors and musicians and technicians, and with a strong undertone of humor, brings us a couple of hours of a whimsical look at life from Minnesota. The centerpiece of each weekly program is Keillor's monologue of the week's happenings in his mythical Minnesota hometown, Lake Wobegon. In the News from Lake Wobegon we hear of the silly and sometimes ridiculous (and yet strangely familiar) thoughts and actions of the odd assortment of characters who reside there via Keillor's vivid imagination. We laugh because we know or have known these people. We laugh because every so often we realize that we are the people Keillor is talking about. The stories are funny because we are funny. We are not trying to be funny. We just are.

Anyway, in the past few months Keillor has introduced a new character, Rev. Barbara Hamm, the interim pastor of the Lake Wobegon Lutheran Church. Pastor Ingqvist, who had served the church for around 30 years, was recently discovered by the Bishop who had been unaware that there was a Lutheran Church in Lake Wobegon, and sent off to Minneapolis to find new work… possibly as the chaplain in residence at the Mall of America. Rev. Hamm has been described by Mr. Keillor as a rather large woman with a rather large appetite. There have been a couple of references to Rev. Hamm's ability to eat large amounts of food at one sitting. This has led to more than one posting on some Lutheran type blogs stating how regrettable it is that Garrison Keillor's humor and description of the new Lutheran pastor has taken this unfortunate turn. In other words, describing the new pastor as a fat woman isn't funny. Mr. Keillor is being mean.

I will admit that such a response does not surprise me. We religious types, perhaps most especially religious Lutherans, tend to lack the spiritual gift of humor. We most especially tend toward taking ourselves much too seriously. Now, don't get me wrong. We don't just take ourselves seriously. We take other things seriously. Things like; the weather (climate change), odd animals that might die out, where you buy your coffee, the global economy, politicians throwing money at causes we support and a myriad of other important issues we can do just about nothing about. But mainly, we take ourselves seriously. Now, you would think, being religious and all, we would take things like God, holiness, morality and sharing the message of Christ seriously. And we would. But we just can't. You see, we are much too busy policing other people's lives and taking ourselves seriously.

I say all of that knowing that I am completely ridiculous. I am a fat, balding, old male of Irish descent. There you have it – the makings of lots of very funny jokes. Have at it.

Copyright © 2010, William T. McConnell, All Rights Reserved.