JOHNNY CARSON is rolling over in his grave. Even the late Lenny Bruce is having a fit.
While you were watching David Letterman — a bitter guy who never saw a woman or a Republican he could stand — trash Sarah Palin’s 14-year-old daughter by “joking” that she was date-raped by Alex Rodriguez and stalked by Eliot Spitzer, you may have missed the memo. Dave’s in good company.
His struggling brother up the dial, Conan O’Brien, on Thursday night was having a blast slurring women and Jews — two groups that may constitute the last permissible sick-comedy staples.
Here’s Conan:
“Political experts say that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to endorse what he calls a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side but have no contact,” he said. Ba-dump.
“Netanyahu said it will be exactly like being married to a Jewish woman.” Ba-dump-bump.
In my house, I rolled my eyes with disgusted recognition. But my husband, who happens to be married to a Jewish woman, shouted at the television, and started to change the channel.
Conan seemed to realize he’d blown it. He fumpfered, pointing to the one convenient, identifiable Jew on his staff, the band leader Max Weinberg, and said, “That’s the first joke written by Max Weinberg.” Conan’s drummer/band leader grinned stupidly and put his thumb in the air.
It goes without saying that if you change the races — make a “joke” about African-American women or Latinas — you’ll be groveling at Al Sharpton’s feet before the show ends.
But women, specifically white women, make up the last group that one may freely stereotype to get a cheap laugh.
Not surprisingly, the left has been notoriously silent on the issue. Where are the marches? The boycotts? The National Organization for Women did elect Letterman into its “Media Hall of Shame.” How scary.
Letterman replied that he thought he was joking about the sex life of Palin’s 18-year-old daughter, not the 14-year-old!
In 2006, I attended a “comedy” fund-raiser at Town Hall to raise money for homeless women, at which alleged funnyman Louis C.K. joked about “decimating” his “stupid” 4-year-old daughter by bashing her in the head. Comic Patrice O’Neal gave men lessons about improving their orgasms by paralyzing their partners while in the act.
And this was a fund-raiser for homeless women, many of them victims of domestic violence!
It’s war on white women, only this one is being fought with water balloons and whoopee cushions wielded by men who think statutory rape and racial slurs are funny.
I’m not laughing.