Last weekend Hillary Clinton and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio took part in a skit with Broadway actor, Leslie Odom Jr. Part of the brief exchange went as follows:
“Thanks for the endorsement, Bill. Took you long enough,” said Clinton.
“Sorry, Hillary. I was running on CP time,” de Blasio joked in response.
“That’s not – I don’t, I don’t like jokes like that, Bill,” said Odom, who is black.
Clinton then interjected the would be punchline, saying, “Cautious politician time. I’ve been there.”
Cautious politician time.
Note that “CP time” is also a reference to “colored people time,” a colloquial phrase stemming from the stereotype that black people are chronically late. Allow me to also add prior to any further processing that there exist three additional, significant factors in regard to this story… One, Clinton’s spouse, Bill, clashed with Black Lives Matters protestors in the days immediately preceding the event; two, the skit was scripted, not improv; and three, de Blasio’s wife actually is black.
Friends, Clinton and de Blasio were joking. Regardless of their intent, regardless of the awkwardness audio accounts affirm, the Mayor and presidential candidate have since faced increased scrutiny.
Such prompted this semi-humble current events observer to ask a few questions…
When is a joke funny?
When is it not?
When do we give the joke teller the benefit of the doubt?
When do we not?
Why do we give some people grace?
Why do we withhold it from others?
Why do we make an instant judgment about some joke tellers?
Why do we advise no rush to judgment about others?
How come we assume we know what some people’s motives are?
How come we aver there’s no way to know the motives of others?
How come we are forgiving of some?
How come we are merciless of others?
And my last question…
Why are we inconsistent in our assessment?
(Ok, so it’s more questions than a few.)
The bottom line is that Clinton and de Blasio were joking.
Even well intentioned jokes can be offensive, but my sense is we are somewhat inconsistent in what makes us laugh, what instead offends us, and how we react depending on who is telling the joke.
Wait… Allow me a brief P.S. today…
How do you make a tissue dance?
You put a little boogie in it.
(… ok, just joking, you know…)
Respectfully…
AR