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Hurricane humor
A Times Editorial
Published November 5, 2005
Question: What's President Bush's position on Roe vs. Wade? Answer: He doesn't care how people get out of New Orleans.
Whether considered tasteless or life-affirming, that joke made the rounds after the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Robert Thompson, a professor of popular culture at Syracuse University, defends such humor, saying it can help a nation heal its wounds. After "four or five hours of coverage of a very sad story," he explained, "humor is one of the ways you can process things."
In that spirit we looked for "hurricane humor" in Florida and found it. The Orlando Sentinel compiled a list of 30 Things That Hurricanes Charley and Frances Taught You, which included this one: When house hunting, look for closets with lots of leg room.
One anonymous jokester on the Internet borrowed from humorist Jeff Foxworthy's trademark punch line ". . . you might be a redneck." In this case, you might be a Floridian if: "You have the number for FEMA on your speed dial." Another listed the Top 10 Reasons Hurricane Season Is Like Christmas, including No. 1: At some point you know you're going to have a tree in your house.
Or this three-step hurricane preparedness plan: Step 1. Buy enough food and bottled water to last your family for at least three days. Step 2. Put these supplies into your car. Step 3. Drive to Nebraska and remain there until Halloween.
[Last modified November 5, 2005, 01:22:18]
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