Political correctness ruins country humor
We read:
"Politicians are known for lame jokes. But when Otis "Bullman" Hensley tried a generations-old Appalachian jest on a woman and two girls at the grocery store, the family thought it was downright criminal....
The ordeal began last week when Hensley's wife sent him to a local grocery store to buy ground beef. While there, Hensley encountered a woman with her two nieces, ages 11 and 13. "I offered to trade her a fattening hog for those girls," Hensley said. "I meant it as a joke. I've said it a million times. Most people get a kick out of it."
The woman didn't laugh. Instead, the family obtained a warrant for Hensley's arrest from the local prosecutor, claiming the comment was intended to entice the children into illegal sexual activity.
On Tuesday, the girls' father accepted an apology from Hensley and shook hands with him in a Harlan County courtroom. The man declined to discuss the case with reporters afterward.
Prosecutor J.D. Smith asked the judge to dismiss the charge, saying both sides want to put the matter behind them. "He absolutely meant no harm," Smith said of Hensley. "It was a joke to him."
Appalachian scholar Loyal Jones said the jest Hensley made has been around for generations and actually is intended as a compliment. "I've heard many variations of that," said Jones, retired director of Berea College's Appalachian Center. "You might hear 'That's a good looking boy; I'd trade you a pocket knife for him' ... Political correctness has ruined country humor."
Source
14 comments:
I don’t like Political Correctness, but to make a joke about sexually molesting a child, just ain’t funny!
Now if this guy had said that he would trade a hog for a weekend with the women, now that would be interesting.
Mobius
I understand the phrase and I think there was much over-reaction to it. I'm still bummed out the term 'nigger-rigged' can't be used any more.
I don't think there was anything sexual about his comment. Just another case of thin skin or fake rage thanks to the PC mentality. Stormewaters
The woman that took offense and made the complaint is an idiot. The officer that acted on the complaint is an idiot. With regards to the judicial system in Kentucky the fact that there are two idiots involved is not news, google "fen-phen class action lawyers." Probably this bimbo took offense to the fattening hog part and thought he was talking about her. She wishes.
Can't hit the lottery? Sue somebody! That way the odds are very much in your favor.
"I don’t like Political Correctness, but to make a joke about sexually molesting a child, just ain’t funny"
Who the hell said anything about molesting the kids? I think you are reading a lot into it lib
Pedo-phobia rears its ugly head again. Southern humor is losing it's charm with too many over-reacting to every little comment.
Once again political correctness makes someone go to jail for something stupid.
I'm with one or two of the commenters - there was nothing sexual about the comment, let alone an inducement to enter into illegal sexual activity.
However, if he'd been prosecuted for attempting to traffic in people/children maybe you could stretch the point.
It's similar to a joke my father used for years. It's ridiculous that anyone with any sense at all took it seriously. The real crime here was letting it reach the courts (and waste their time) in the first place.
More of this PC poppycock frankly its that ding-bat who should appoligise and remember that FREEDOM OF SPEECH ISNT JUST FOR WHINNY LIBERAL WUSSIETARDS
Hi I just came across your site and wondered if you wouldn't mind linking to my blog, "Bitter White Folks for Obama" - I'm trying to get the working-class, rural, white, Protestant "Appalachian" demographic (and their descendants and diaspora, of which I am one) behind him as much as I am able by sounding off from my own vantage point. From what I've been reading about Obama's "Appalachian Problem", this is going to be an absolutely crucial task for the next two months as it may be them who decide where things go (many of those battleground areas, for instance in eastern Ohio are primarily Appalachian migrants to the North). My biggest obstacle so far is that my blog is not yet showing up in Google even after almost a week of existence because not enough other sites are linked to it yet, although I've already gotten over 400 hits even without that - so would you mind linking to it so that I can start making more of an impact? I'd really appreciate it! I'll link ya
back. Jason.
http://bitterwhitefolksforobama.blogspot.com
I took a look at the bitter folks website. Looking through it, the name bitter is very accurate! The problems in Appalachia were caused by Reagan, blah, blah, blah. For me, while Clinton was in office, the market rate for my work decreased to 1/3 what it was before he took office. However, this wasn't his fault - clinging to old economies was. Similar to the railroad barons in years past - they never got out of the railroad business although everyone else did.
PC is getting so out of hand i mean a few years ago they brought out a version of HUCKLEBERRY FINN and INJIN JOE was called CRAZY JOE and some idiot MICHEAL W. FOX was wanting us to call PET SHOPS as COMANION ANIMAL SHOPS i mean he must be stark raving stupid and just imagine if RUBYARD KIPLING had to have written THE JUNGLE BOOK today those PC jerks would have him calling it THE RAINFOREST BOOK
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