TRAVEL

We will be off to Raleigh in the next few days to spend Thanksgiving with Nancy, Greg,
the kids, Sonya, and, in the latter part of the visit, Virginia. We look forward to this with
great expectations of a wonderful time. No cooking and dish washing. Being waited on hand and foot with our every desire taken care of. That is the upside.

Downside: Packing for the cold weather is always problematic. We don't have the wardrobe
for this. A few shabby sweaters, a peculiar jacket, a strange looking cap which covers my ears,
and that is about it. Then there is the flight itself. I hate taking off my shoes and wandering about on the filthy airport floor. Endless waiting in lines and then, hanging about for the flight to be announced. Sitting in the tiny little space allowed on the aircraft. Usually a big fat person
sitting next to one and using to arm rest that should be mine. Lousy little meals ( Or not).
Horrid little restrooms, often looking pretty unsanitary, waiting again for your baggage which may or may not have arrived.

The pluses far outweigh the minuses else we wouldn't subject ourselves to this sort of thing.

HUMOR ( continued )

I would never hurt sensitive minorities by telling jokes about them in their presence.
It is true that humor often tends to stereotype.
It is true that the Irish drink more liquor than , say, the Jews. I recently read that the
per capita ratio of Irish alcoholics vis a vis the Jews is about 40 to 1. Still, the Irish love Irish humor. Jews tell Jewish jokes to one another and to non-Jews and seem more than tolerant of non-Jews telling Jewish jokes. Southerners ( say Aggies ) tell jokes about themselves all the time. ( Example: What do you call an Aggie after he graduates? Answer, Boss ) Their reputation for ignorance ( Ill deserved ) allows them to get the last laugh. Catholics are more than tolerant of humor directed their way.

Blacks and homosexuals don't seem to appreciate stereotypical jokes about them. These groups are so extremely sensitive that they may even physically attack anyone telling jokes at their expense.

There is nothing funny about the mentally challenged . Even I don't think jokes about them are funny. I also object to jokes about the elderly. Hmm- I wonder why that is.

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO OUR SENSE OF HUMOR

I sometimes remember,long ago, some of the jokes we used to tell one another. Some of them might have been mean spirited. Some groups were not amused, particularly the more sensitive types. But the jokes mostly were screamingly funny. Now, in this age of political correctness, we no longer seem to be allowed to tell jokes about any of a great number of topics. Following is a partial list of those subjects that now are taboo.
Women, Jews, homosexuals,Catholics ( Still fair game ), Mexicans, southerners, blacks,
Indians ( US type ), drunks (Still funny sometimes) ,Germans, French, Orientals ,and perhaps other groups.
Can you think of any other groups that have become sensitized ? Don't you miss the freedom
to laugh at funny things as we used to ?