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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!tektronix!teklds!midas!jeffw
From: jeffw@midas.UUCP (Jeff Winslow)
Newsgroups: net.women,net.jokes.d
Subject: Re: traditional values - offensive to Extremists of any sort
Message-ID: <119@midas.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 1-Feb-86 17:02:04 EST
Article-I.D.: midas.119
Posted: Sat Feb  1 17:02:04 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 3-Feb-86 05:01:08 EST
References: <793@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Reply-To: jeffw@midas.UUCP (Jeff Winslow)
Organization: Tektronix, Beaverton OR
Lines: 51
Xref: watmath net.women:8652 net.jokes.d:1375

In article <793@decwrl.DEC.COM> dyer@dec-vaxuum.UUCP writes:
>Re: traditional values - offensive to Extremists of any sort______
>
>	The issue isn't sex, or prostitution, but the fact that it
>characterizes accusations of rape as something that a woman (or a
>"lowly" woman, as most people view prostitutes) does trivially or
>capriciously.  What's funny about that?

Nothing is funny if it strikes too close to home. I suspect that your work
in this area, with its attendant knowledge of all of the very unfunny
things that are part of rape, makes it far too close to home for you.

>	Woolley defended his joke by claiming that the humor lies
>in the realization that the woman is a prostitute.  I doubt it.
>Consider the following joke:
>
>    IRS Auditor:  I'm sorry, but you can't deduct your
>      bed as a business expense.
>    Woman:  You can when you're in my line of work.
>
>Even though we can gather from this joke that the woman is a
>prostitute, it's not funny.

But it *is* funny! Never have I seen anyone so brilliantly disprove
their own point.

>	No, the "humorous" aspect of Woolley's joke is that the
>woman off-handedly makes a false accusation of rape.  I imagine
>that those who can't handle the reality about rape might find some
>relief - perhaps some comic relief - in a joke that promotes myths
>that some would prefer to hang on to.

Since you don't think the joke is funny, you are uniquely unqualified to
say where the humor in it lies. I found it moderately funny, because
of the sudden realization that the woman is a prostitute; it bothered me
also, *because of the false accusation angle*. Therefore, I think it highly
unlikely that the humor in the joke is anything like you describe.

Actually, the real problem here is that people on the net just can't get
used to the idea that net.jokes is a totally open house. Didn't think
something you saw on it was funny? Tough. Don't read it then. Jokes
which might be offensive are supposed to be rotated to minimize the
mismatching of tastes, and this one definitely should have been, but
if it wasn't, that is the *only* cause *anyone* has for *public* complaint.

[change in address occurs here]

I agree with Fohlski - don't defend yourself from people who don't like your
jokes. Post another instead - but consider rotating it.

					Jeff Winslow