The other evening on a late night entertainment show, the host, David Letterman revealed to America how low he is willing to stoop, supposedly in the name of comedy. I did not watch the show at the time, but saw the clip that was being shown several times over the next couple of days. What Letterman did was to make not just a derogatory remark about one of Sarah Palin’s daughters, but a remark so disgusting, so irresponsible that I feel the entire show from the writers, producers and the host himself should be held accountable. I will not dignify his remarks by repeating them in this article, however suffice it to say that his remark revealed much. It sadly revealed how debased our culture and society has come when remarks made by an old man concerning statutory rape of young teenaged girls is considered to be humorous. When several news segments the following day played back the clip, I was most definitely appalled at what Letterman said, however I have seen this guy exhibit a complete lack of decency over and over again throughout recent years so I was not really at all surprised. He has sunk to a level in which he is simply void of any integrity. I cannot help but wonder what it feels like to be an older man of sixty plus years cracking what he thinks are clever jokes of a sexual nature about another couples’ young teenaged daughters. I wonder if he is inwardly proud of himself when he pillows his head at night or if he is so consumed with his own celebrity that he no longer even has the ability to see and comprehend the wrongness of his words.  What truly saddened me though was not him saying what he did but the reaction of the audience which just laughed hysterically. Is that the point to which our culture has slipped? Really folks, is it?  We chuckle and snicker at an old man attacking youngsters all for the sake and hope of getting a laugh? God help us.

 

      Letterman and his producers have attempted to defend his remark by saying that he was not actually talking about Palin’s fourteen year old daughter, but her eighteen year old daughter who is an unwed mother. Oh, forgive me, that makes all the difference in the world then, right? Hardly!  I do not understand the logic or the thinking that makes it okay to slander a young eighteen year old girl who has given birth, stayed in school to graduate, and is trying to continue with her life giving her best effort. Although Bristol Palin is now a young mother, she is still in many ways a girl who has been thrust into the media spot light and onto the world stage to be observed and scrutinized mercilessly. She did not ask for any of this, she simply is the offspring of a woman who was selected as the potential vice president of the United States. Yes, her mother could have declined the nomination out of concern for the unwanted attention that would be cast upon her daughter but that is another issue entirely and a choice that was out of the hands of young Bristol.  I can guarantee you that had it been a conservative celebrity personality who made the exact same remarks about the daughter of a liberal left wing democratic politician, we would be overwhelmed right now with a collective deafening outcry from the entire media. Instead, we hear the snickers,  the tee-hees, the laughs of ignorant people sitting in a studio audience who fancy themselves as clever and progressive for finding Letterman to be such a humorous guy. Someone please point me to the nearest toilet as I have to hurl.

 

      I am also reminded of Wanda Sykes who for some confusing reason was chosen by our president to be the entertainment at a recent White House event. In her desperation to get a laugh about Dick Cheney, she made the remark that Dick Cheney scares her so much that she told her child that if her child had a choice to get in a car with Dick Cheney or a stranger, that she told her child to get in the stranger’s car. Hilarious words, are they? Well, the ladies and gentlemen in the audience that day thought so as once again, one could hear the outrageous laughter, but I wonder if John Walsh, Mark Klass or any other parent who has had a child abducted or murdered or is presently still missing would have been laughing? All I am saying is that humor is a great and wonderful thing, in fact I love funny people who can bring smiles and laughter to others but folks, we have crossed a line in recent years that is just disheartening.  We need to be concerned about how low we are willing to go as a culture, as a society. I cannot help but wonder if we are at this level presently, what kind of world, what type of society are my grandchildren going to be living in? It is a sobering thought and one worthy of consideration.

 

     How can we combat this rapid rate of descent that our culture seems to be on? One way is to click the remote to something else when Letterman is on. You may say, “But I enjoy certain aspects of his show even though I theoretically agree with your points.” I still say turn the channel. People simply need to begin taking stands and boycotting people and programs that are chipping away at the moral fabric of our country and of society as a whole. You may be just one person, but if we are to make a difference, it starts with individuals making private choices what will in turn add up to force change. The likes of folks like David Letterman and Wanda Sykes know inwardly that they are operating at a base level, and if they don’t, they should. They should be ashamed, not proud of their sad attempts at humor and I wonder if they are truly satisfied and at peace with their work, their craft if you can describe it as that.  I honestly wonder if they are folks who are proud of their words, their jokes. I don’t think they are. I think they are two people who have settled….setted for something that sacrifices nobility and what is right for the popularity and the limelight. They are not to be supported or applauded but to be pitied.