by Natalina Oliverio

Created on: June 23, 2009   Last Updated: June 26, 2009

Americans have developed a strange sort of humor over the past couple of decades. I say Americans because through my travels I have never found a country to have so few limitations when it comes to humor. It is true we call many things politically or socially incorrect these days but when it comes to humor, it seems, anything goes. I was listening to the radio last week and I heard a quote in a song say, " Shush girl don't move your lips, do the Helen Keller and speak with your hips." I was immediately offended, and at the same time I had a little smile on my face. I hated that I thought this song was even a little amusing.

Later I was talking to my younger sister who has no problem with Helen Keller or dead baby jokes. She thought that the song was hilarious! My sister is one of the most caring people I know but she finds humor in this stuff. She told me that she was at a wedding and found herself in a conversation with the groom who happened to be from the United Kingdom. She told him a Helen Keller joke, he though it was terrible. He had never heard a Helen Keller joke and was rightfully appalled. He was offended yes, but he could not stop laughing.

I think the reason why many Americans are so desensitized is because of the tradition in Hollywood and around the country to outdo the next person. To make everything bigger and better, or in this case as explicit or offensive as possible is often a goal in show business. Censorship has existed but recently explicit material has been allowed and even encouraged as an exercise of free speech.

I am not in favor of Federal censorship, but I do believe that individuals need to learn to censor themselves. Individuals can decide the direction that pop culture goes in by supporting only those artists they agree with. We often complain about the state of the country, of the media. We complain about style and restaurant options. But what a lot of people do not realize is that the public is in control everything. Supply and demand determines which businesses, artists or comedians prosper and which need to find a new line of work. It is time for the consumer regain control of his circumstance.

If you don't like dead baby jokes, don't repeat them, no matter how shocking. If you think Helen Keller is an appropriate subject for jest than by all means jest. While you jest never forget that the right to be able to say as much or as little as you want, is more valuable than what you say with it.

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