I normally do not include in my blogs the names of specific individuals but rather I try to write about general issues. This week, I am making an exception. I was so angered by the comment that David Letterman included in his monologue about Sarah Palin’s daughter that I just can’t sit back and let it go.
For those of you who may have missed this, Palin was in New York with her 14 year old daughter, Willow. The following is the “joke” that he included in his monologue which I have quoted below:
“One awkward moment for Sarah Palin at the Yankee game, during the seventh inning, her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez.”
I can’t begin to imagine what would inspire a man of his age and stature to include such a comment in his thoughts let alone his presentation. It would have been bad enough if he had made such a remark as an ad lib but he planned this. He wrote it in advance and he had no qualms about including it in his show. And not only did he laugh but he had a whole audience that laughed, too.
I understand that entertainers are doing whatever they can to get ratings and I am sure that creating a controversy like this has certainly put Letterman in the limelight. But if he thinks that this type of humor is going to increase his viewership, I certainly hope that he is terribly wrong. To insinuate that someone raping a 14 year old girl is funny under any circumstances is just downright horrible to me.
I don’t have a daughter but I can’t begin to imagine what it would be like for me if someone made such a comment about my daughter on a personal level let alone in front of the whole country. We all know that there are so many people out there who think that it is okay to abuse young children in this manner and to have a comedian make that comment and laugh about it on national television only spurs on such deviant behavior.
I don’t know about anyone else out there who may read this blog but I will NEVER watch David Letterman again and I hope that you will join me in this action. Too many of us have suffered abuse in our lives in many different forms and the idea of thinking that putting out the image of an adult male sexually exploiting a young female as something that is funny is unbelievable. I can only assume that he lives in such a little bubble that he doesn’t even consider what the ramifications are for those girls who have suffered such abuse in their lives.
To all of my friends who are working so hard to help end abuse, I beg you to keep up the wonderful work that you are doing to help those who have turned to you for help. I also hope that you will take this opportunity to let others know that it is never okay to suggest in any way that child abuse is acceptable let alone something about which jokes should be made.
I would love your comments.