Come to the dark side, Ther'l be plenty of candy for you

I watched the Aristocrats recently. A documentary about the dirtiest joke ever told. It's not a great film, but there is a nice segment from George Carlin where he speaks about trying to find the boundaries that our culture gives itself, and that he feels his job is to pull, through laughter, a few people beyond the line of their comfort to a reality that is more inclusive. A couple of years ago there was a letter to the editor of the New Haven Advocate about Sasha Baron Cohen's Da Ali G show. The letter was expressing amazement and a little disgust that TV would let Cohen get away with some of the topics he presents. The editor said that one of the things we want from humor is to deal with difficult topics, to make us feel a little uncomfortable, that there is a release in stepping beyond the boundaries of what is comfortable or politically correct. And he said that the more talented the comedian is, the longer the leash society allows the artist to exist over that line.

Whenever I return to my family and former home, I feel hellbent on trying to pull the members of my family beyond that line. Anybody that has felt formerly hemmed in by society or a community tends to appreciate all that challenges and critiques the "moral" fibers of a community. The reason many blacks applauded OJ Simpson not being found guilty for murder wasn't because they thought he was innocent, but that it pointed out that the system didn't work. Most whites never experience that sense of being bound by rules that don't benefit their own well being.

In my family, I've always been the comic relief. But I also come across as one that likes to shock and rile people up. And there is plenty of evidence for it. Arguing that Pulp Fiction has more religious insight than The Passion. Getting my brother to laugh with Don Hertzfelt's Rejected and then offend him with Billy's Baloon. Presenting the banned Warner Bros. cartoons like Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs. Begging my mother this trip to watch Southpark's Woodland Critter Christmas.
Sending this picture as a response to an email of my uncle's saying he needed to teach the arab's how to think. Asking for money as a teenager to buy the "never trust a preacher with a boner" Jimmy Swaggart t-shirt. I think the desire to shock and offend through humor and exposure to different parts of our culture is sometimes the most effective way to fight for a level playing field and a community in which one can belong.