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Dame Edna `joke' went far too far
Houston Chronicle ^ | Feb. 23, 2003, 12:18AM | By ANA VECIANA-SUAREZ

Posted on 02/23/2003 4:03:29 PM PST by weegee

We all know the medicinal value of laughter. A good chuckle clears the air, draws song from silence.

In my book, a sense of humor is one of the prime qualities I would look for in a mate. After all, how can we get through life, through this valley of tears, without a healthy bit of hysterics?

Sometimes the best satire is the one aimed squarely between our eyes. The one that elicits an ouch. The one that, between hiccups, makes us nod in recognition.

The ability to laugh at ourselves is a blessing. A blessing and an affirmation. Nothing like a joke to wring hope from despair, don't you think?

So I thought.

I've been musing about the purpose -- and the caustic sting -- of humor since one of my sisters forwarded me an e-mail about Dame Edna. Yes, possums, that Dame Edna, the one with the out-there glasses and the what's-that-awful-color tresses.

Those who have followed the Australian dame's meteoric rise in the humor factory know she skewers whatever and whomever she wants, and with lacerating delight.

This month, though, the self-described housewife, social anthropologist, swami, megastar and (for the uninitiated) alter ego of comedian Barry Humphries has gotten herself into trouble. A very American kind of trouble.

In her February column in the chi-chi magazine Vanity Fair, Edna dear Edna answers a letter from a fictional reader who wonders if Spanish is worth learning: "Forget Spanish. There's nothing in that language worth reading except Don Quixote, and a quick listen to the CD of Man of La Mancha will take care of that."

After dismissing poet Garcia Lorca to the intellectual back burner, she goes on to opine: "Who speaks it that you are really desperate to talk to? The help? Your leaf blower? Study French or German, where there are at least a few books worth reading, or, if you're American, try English."

A firestorm of outrage followed, including a letter from the president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, calling Dame Edna's column "an appalling display of bigotry."

In its regret, Vanity Fair officially responded that the comments "were offered in the spirit of outrageous comedy and were never intended to be taken to heart." In other words: What you so uptight about, man? Don't you get it?

Which brings me back to my original musings about humor. See, I do get it. I do, I do. Just hold the laughter until I get a tissue for my tears.

I get it because I -- and all those who bear my kind of surname -- have been the butt of so many demeaning jokes and such debasing stereotypes that we have a trigger-quick sensitivity to these things. It's not funny anymore.

On one level, I know that by its very nature humor is bound to stomp on some toes. But on another, on that level that has had doors slammed, backs turned, hopes dashed, I also understand that too often satire masks prejudice and a joke can be just another word for discrimination.

I wonder what kind of reaction the Dame might have garnered had she written about the dearth of African-American lit other than Toni Morrison's.

The sad part about Dame Edna's advice is not her words but Vanity Fair's decision to run them, thinking that the "patently absurd comments" -- the magazine's phrase -- wouldn't offend.

Are we so removed from each other, so ignorant of others' thinking, that we don't know when a swipe goes far too far?

Now, here's a real joke for you, if you like irony.

Guess who's on the cover of the magazine? Salma Hayek. Mexican.

Veciana-Suarez is a family columnist for the Miami Herald. She welcomes readers' responses at aveciana@herald.com


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Political Humor/Cartoons; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: dameedna; english; french; language; linguistics; literature; pc; politicallycorrect; satire; spanish; vanityfair
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1 posted on 02/23/2003 4:03:29 PM PST by weegee
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To: weegee
Re: I get it because I -- and all those who bear my kind of surname -- have been the butt of so many demeaning jokes and such debasing stereotypes that we have a trigger-quick sensitivity to these things. It's not funny anymore.

That's so true. Well, if Dame Edna ever shows her bum here in Texas, she won't have a chinaman's chance!

3 posted on 02/23/2003 4:24:55 PM PST by sonofatpatcher2 (Love & a .45-- What more could you want, campers? };^)
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To: weegee
I thought Edna was a character from the Simpsons.

Ay caramba!

4 posted on 02/23/2003 4:25:05 PM PST by george wythe
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To: weegee
Sorry Ana. I feel for you, but can't quite reach.

Your victimized attitude is why all the tried and true cliches were created. 1)a different story when your ox is gored. 2)'you can dish it out, but sure can't take it." 3)'Not in my backyard', etc.

You explain why you shouldn't be upset, yet don't take your own advice. Makes me wonder what kind of friggin' idiots the Miami Herald hires. Sheesh!

5 posted on 02/23/2003 4:28:03 PM PST by chiller (could be wrong, but doubt it)
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To: george wythe
I thought Edna was a character from the Simpsons.

I thought she was Clark Griswold's [deceased] aunt.

6 posted on 02/23/2003 4:29:01 PM PST by Thinkin' Gal
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To: weegee
Calmate, Ana. No hay problema aqui. Solamente es un chiste.
7 posted on 02/23/2003 4:35:01 PM PST by Rocky
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To: weegee
At the risk of offending, I agree with Dame Edna. I've read Lorca, I've read Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, and a few others whose names have disappeared from my memory because I was so utterly unimpressed. I've tried to study Spanish but... but... finally... I thought "WHY?"

Studying French actually WAS valuable to me, I learned a lot about English (because it shows massive French influence) and I have indeed been impressed with the 18th and 19th century French novels I've read. (Modern day French people aren't fit to wipe my spike-heeled thigh high boots, but that's another topic.) Maybe I'm just an elitist snob, but... well... I'm afraid Dame Edna is right.

8 posted on 02/23/2003 4:36:02 PM PST by A_perfect_lady (Let them eat cake.)
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To: weegee
Uh, the people who put Salma Hayek on their cover are bigots?

Hey Ana, while we're here, is the National Association of Hispanic Journalists open for memembership to non-Hispanics?

Uh huh, thank you, Buh-Bye!
9 posted on 02/23/2003 4:39:58 PM PST by Hoverbug (whadda ya mean, "we don't get parachutes"!?!)
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To: weegee

Isn't [s]he lovely?

10 posted on 02/23/2003 4:46:14 PM PST by Las Vegas Dave
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To: A_perfect_lady
What is a perfect lady doing in Carbondale, (Il)??
11 posted on 02/23/2003 4:56:09 PM PST by billhilly (I don't know it all.)
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To: Las Vegas Dave
We need some balance, a more recent pic of Salma


12 posted on 02/23/2003 5:01:41 PM PST by george wythe
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To: weegee
The Poles kind of got tired of that sort of thing, too.
13 posted on 02/23/2003 5:21:32 PM PST by WaterDragon (Playing possum doesn't work against nukes.)
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To: george wythe
Muy bueno!
14 posted on 02/23/2003 5:21:53 PM PST by ZOOKER
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To: george wythe
Magnifico!
15 posted on 02/23/2003 5:28:38 PM PST by The FRugitive
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To: A_perfect_lady
I don't know how true this is, but when I was in college, there was a rumor that one of the professors told students they should all learn spanish, since in the future, they won't be able to get jobs with just english, and in fact, could wind up losing there jobs to people who only speak spanish and don't know english. (this same prof was supposedly also a total left wing liberal).
16 posted on 02/23/2003 5:51:30 PM PST by Sonny M (If you want to get rid of more wellstones, just loosen the bolts, not that I did that or anything.)
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To: Hoverbug
What has Salma done in Spanish that was worth catching? The controversy was that there wasn't any Spanish language literature worth the effort since Don Quixote.

This isn't about people's race. It's about what the societies have contributed.

I am unaware that Toni Morrison wrote novels in something other than English either. I would raise up George Herriman, the author/artist of Jazz Age comic strip Krazy Kat as an African-American over the Clinton loving Toni "America's First Black President" Morrison.

17 posted on 02/23/2003 6:39:10 PM PST by weegee
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To: billhilly
What is a perfect lady doing in Carbondale, (Il)??

Taking Education classes at SIU so I can teach high school English and French. Et toi?

18 posted on 02/23/2003 6:41:25 PM PST by A_perfect_lady (Let them eat cake.)
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To: A_perfect_lady
My niece did that. She got a masters in french education, taught for one or two years in Virginia, then married a french professor who teaches english in France. Funny. She teaches french in Virginia, and he teaches english in France. At any rate, they live in the south of France, after four or five years in Paris, and now have two cute little girls, 3 1/2 and 10 months.
19 posted on 02/23/2003 7:15:59 PM PST by billhilly (I don't know it all.)
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To: weegee
This isn't about people's race. It's about what the societies have contributed.

I would agree with you that the article was about that if it weren't for the following quotes from the article:

the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, calling Dame Edna's column "an appalling display of bigotry." and all those who bear my kind of surname -- have been the butt of so many demeaning jokes and such debasing stereotypes

But on another, on that level that has had doors slammed, backs turned, hopes dashed, I also understand that too often satire masks prejudice and a joke can be just another word for discrimination.

I wonder what kind of reaction the Dame might have garnered had she written about the dearth of African-American lit other than Toni Morrison's.

Had the author argued that Edna's joke was not funny by giving examples of lit in Spanish that were great works and made the argument on Edna's taste in lit and debated that, rather than writing an article stating that Edna found lit in Spanish lacking because of the race of the people writing it, you would have a point.

The author is the one stating that Edna's comments were based on prejudice and bigotry, not content. The author is not arguing Edna's taste, she's calling Edna a racist. She should have taken the high road and couched the argument in your terms, rather than slinging racial accusations. In doing that, she would have made Edna look like an idiot, well, even more like an idiot.

The controversy was that there wasn't any Spanish language literature worth the effort since Don Quixote.

Name one place in the article where she rebuts Edna's contention that "There's nothing in that language worth reading except Don Quixote."

20 posted on 02/23/2003 7:30:30 PM PST by Hoverbug (whadda ya mean, "we don't get parachutes"!?!)
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