My family and I are visiting my parents this week, and I noticed a lot of cute "jokes" around the house, in the form of refrigerator magnets, pot holders, small plaques on bookcases and hanging on walls, that all have a similar message. Here is just a sampling:
"I love to cook with wine...sometimes I even put it in the food."
"Beer: so much more than a breakfast drink."
...and my favorite...
"The problem with the world is everyone is a few drinks behind me."
Do you think there is anything inherently wrong with these messages, with joking about alcoholism? What about my nieces and nephews seeing them? Do these messages promote drinking in moderation or drinking in excess; or do they not promote anything but having a sense of humor?
If you take these messages literally, then should we worry about my parent's possible drinking problem (of course, other concerns would have to be there, too, not just because of a sarcastic joke hanging on their wall).
What do you all think about these messages, portrayed as jokes, particularly around young people?
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veronica, i think the concern here is that it's not only one joke which maybe someone might get a laugh out of, but the frequency -- i mean three in one house -- and those are the ones you've seen. do they collect those types of messages? a slight obsession, maybe. are they trying to send a message?
most kids i know probably wouldn't care about the messages but most parents i know probably wouldn't let their kids spend the night either.
March 18, 2008 - 9:24amThis Comment
I would also be concerned about the message sent, as much to each other as to any young people in the house. Of course, it could simply be that their sense of humor leans toward poking fun at drinking. But, alcohol abuse is no laughing matter.
March 18, 2008 - 6:02pmThere are very few topics with me that are untouchable for jokes. There are a few but they are very limited. I like my humor uncensored, unusual and often under the belt :)
I see no harm in a fridge magnet that says "bottoms up - it's 5 o'clock somewhere!".
We cannot lose our sense of humor in the midst of our politically correct leanings these days.
March 19, 2008 - 2:22pmBut I agree that if it's a theme throughout a house, it kind of loses it's humor. A joke is only spontaneously funny once.