In a word: YES

I'm really, really tired of the assertion that humor can't exist without offending someone, or when stated by Jack Shaffer as a question: "Can humor exist without routine crossing of the line?"

Yes.

I mean, duh, yes. Go read Calvin and Hobbes. Go watch Juno. Go watch Much Ado About Nothing (and um... close your ears when cruel comparisons are levied at female anatomy. Or when equations are made between virginity and female worth.) I mean Jesus, read my stupid comic strips (and then post comments being like, yo, why aren't more comics online.)

And you know what, I'm trying to pick really carefully here (so no Pixar movies, which we all know are casually fascist,) but if the only criterion is that something be neither racist nor sexist then um... most of the celebrated comic output of the past 100 years is once again back on the table.

(For the record I have ABSOLUTELY NO OPINION AT THIS TIME about whether or not it is offensive to suggest that Mad Bitch is an appropriate beverage choice for Hilary Clinton. I DECLINE TO OFFER COMMENT.)

There are many, many more jokes than just "ohmigod! I'm violating a racial taboo!" and "women in pants make us feel wierd!"

Okay there are not many more. There are like seven. But they're the seven best ones.

Also, unrelated: are the words "shameless" and "self-promotion" robust enough to be surgically separated at this point? Because they're approaching puberty, and they want to start going on dates.


Addendum: What am I saying. It is clearly sexist to call Hillary a mad bitch. Especially with the "Mad" modifier, which suggests she has flipped off the prime minister of a potential nuclear power or attempted to bring a gun into the senate chamber. I'm not very up (um, up at all) on the political happenings of the country in which I live, but it seems to me all she's ever done is wore some pants, referenced her balls, and been slightly more hawkish then her democratic opponent in the primaries.