If I've offended you....too bad!
So, I finally offended people enough with my poetry last night that someone took me aside! This girl, all of 23 or so, tells me "I wanted you to know that some of the people around me were hurt by your poem, because they come from poor families." I was surprised, because my poem is about having too many babies, and my friend Rob and I weren't trust fund babies when writing it. It's a little throw-away ditty, my version of a country western song. I thought, if anything, it was the abortion/miscarraige references that would offend anyone. So, I wasn't going to stand there and defend my poem, since I'm a man at a lesbian open mic, anything I say will make me 'an asshole'. The only assertive thing I said was when she said "you should just know that some people are going to be offended." I replied: "I know I take that chance when I go up there." I did NOT say 'sorry' or that I'd never do it again. I love the poem and the character.
Then, she gets up for her turn and asks the audience "who here was raised middle class?" I wasn't going to raise my hand till she said "lower middle class" but she didn't! Then she says "kudos to people who write comedy, but you shouldn't laugh at humor that makes fun of poor people." WELL, THANK YOU for telling us what we can or can't laugh at. And, oh, comedy isn't really poetry and there's nothing more to it than laughing for the sake of laughing. Comedy doesn't deal with issues whatsoever. I felt sorry for her, that she thought she was really rebelling against some social injustice. Grow up!
It did make me miss going to hippie open mics and offending people. Someone pulling you aside to say they got a poem when the rest of the room didn't, now that is interesting. People being offended by "My Name is Earl" or "Mama's Family" is NOT!
Here's the poem. I opened by explaining that my friend Rob and I had seen a sign for hamburgers on the side of the road outside Wenatchee('wetsnatchee') that said 'Durn Good!' and that was the impetus of the song/poem that I later wrote out. You have to imagine me singing it in a Green Acres voice:
"Well, I'm pregnant again/ and the beer tastes so good/ the pretzels are salty/ and taste...durn good!/ I'm eatin' as much as her/ 'coz I'm gettin' all the blame again/
the last one's only 4 months old/ the whole town's been told/ I'm pregnant again!
Well, it's a miracle of life/ but the magic...is gone/ 'coz every time we get it on/ I'm pregnant again!
Well, I shoulda never married/ that skinny girl named Sherry/ 'coz I can't afford it/ but I can't abort it/ 'coz it goes against the Lord!
Well, I'm pregnant again/ and the beer tastes durn good/ I wish I could retire/ but I'm more likely to get fired/ the future looks scary/ God, I wish she'd miscarry/ and I'm pregnat a-gaaaaaiiiiiinnnn...."
See? And the other part of it is, at the begining of the song it sounds like it's a pregnant woman drinking beer. And yet, that's not what offends young Seattlites...
OH, and on the good side, this was the bar's favorite poster that Josh and I have done! Yeay! The bar even bought me a couple drinks, so they rock!
Then, she gets up for her turn and asks the audience "who here was raised middle class?" I wasn't going to raise my hand till she said "lower middle class" but she didn't! Then she says "kudos to people who write comedy, but you shouldn't laugh at humor that makes fun of poor people." WELL, THANK YOU for telling us what we can or can't laugh at. And, oh, comedy isn't really poetry and there's nothing more to it than laughing for the sake of laughing. Comedy doesn't deal with issues whatsoever. I felt sorry for her, that she thought she was really rebelling against some social injustice. Grow up!
It did make me miss going to hippie open mics and offending people. Someone pulling you aside to say they got a poem when the rest of the room didn't, now that is interesting. People being offended by "My Name is Earl" or "Mama's Family" is NOT!
Here's the poem. I opened by explaining that my friend Rob and I had seen a sign for hamburgers on the side of the road outside Wenatchee('wetsnatchee') that said 'Durn Good!' and that was the impetus of the song/poem that I later wrote out. You have to imagine me singing it in a Green Acres voice:
"Well, I'm pregnant again/ and the beer tastes so good/ the pretzels are salty/ and taste...durn good!/ I'm eatin' as much as her/ 'coz I'm gettin' all the blame again/
the last one's only 4 months old/ the whole town's been told/ I'm pregnant again!
Well, it's a miracle of life/ but the magic...is gone/ 'coz every time we get it on/ I'm pregnant again!
Well, I shoulda never married/ that skinny girl named Sherry/ 'coz I can't afford it/ but I can't abort it/ 'coz it goes against the Lord!
Well, I'm pregnant again/ and the beer tastes durn good/ I wish I could retire/ but I'm more likely to get fired/ the future looks scary/ God, I wish she'd miscarry/ and I'm pregnat a-gaaaaaiiiiiinnnn...."
See? And the other part of it is, at the begining of the song it sounds like it's a pregnant woman drinking beer. And yet, that's not what offends young Seattlites...
OH, and on the good side, this was the bar's favorite poster that Josh and I have done! Yeay! The bar even bought me a couple drinks, so they rock!