Let's face it. These days, most jokes are dangerous, particularly if they involve ethnic humor in any shape, fashion or form. There's always the likelihood that you will offend someone or some group. And, in most instances, these failed attempts at humor suggest an intolerance for other races, religions, cultures or lifestyles. (Who can forget the Rosie O'Donnell incident of a few days back, when she insulted Asian-Americans with her mimic of a Chinese news broadcast: "Ching, chong, ching chong chong, Danny DeVito, ching chong chong chong, drunk ...."?)
That's why we were surprised to see a joke--masked as a "fake" news report--on page 17 of the December 2006 edition of the Staten Island Democratic Association's newsletter. Here it is, in all its glory:
Teacher Arrested
NEW YORK -- A public school teacher was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide rule and a calculator.
At a morning press conference, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement.
He did not identify the man, who was charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction. "Al-gebra is a problem for us," Gonzalez said. "They desire solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values. They use secret code names like 'x' and 'y' and refer to themselves as 'unknowns,' but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country."
Now how politically correct was that? (Makes you want to bring back corporal punishment, doesn't it?)