That's Not Funny, Barney
Funny is Barney Frank telling a joke in front of a large, sympathetic audience, only to be met with stunned silence. But the content of his joke? Not funny.
Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank caused gasps Sunday when he joked during a college commencement speech that a black recipient of an honorary degree finally had a hoodie that wouldn’t get him shot.
The retiring Democratic congressman made the crack at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth graduation, during which Civil Rights pioneer Hubie Jones was honored.
“You know, when you get an honorary degree they give these,” Frank said, tugging at the hood on his commencement gown, “and Hubie, I think you now got a hoodie you can wear and no one will shoot at you.”
Frank later defended the humor of his joke, but if you have to explain why something is funny, it's a sure sign that it was never funny in the first place.
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Comments:
Apr '12
Re: That's Not Funny, Barney
Association of hoods from hoodie to a prestigious graduation gown is poor enough but then throw in race is reprehensible. This exemplifies why creating the race victim groups is detrimental. As a woman, it is why I abhor the Julia story which is also a victim group and I will be swept in to that victim group, whether I have anything to do with it or not. Hubie Jones is probably so far from a shooting incident, yet he is being swept into the race drama created by race hucksters. Sickening.
Jun '10
Re: That's Not Funny, Barney
Barney wonders why his joke about a recent political windfall is not funny.... He ponders....is there something important about this case, beyond how it advances gun-control policy? He can't think of anything.
Feb '11
Re: That's Not Funny, Barney
It could have been worse. Frank could have called him Hoodie Jones.
Aug '10
Re: That's Not Funny, Barney
A real class act, that Barney Frank. His "joke" is sickening on many levels and highly disrespectful to Mr. Jones.
Oct '10
Re: That's Not Funny, Barney
I'd like to say this is unbelievable... but who am I kidding?
At least we can be grateful that Barney didn't immediately apologize with "Oh! Sorry! You probably knew him."
Jan '11
Re: That's Not Funny, Barney
The joke is that this guy got an honorary degree.
Sep '10
Re: That's Not Funny, Barney
Now imagine what would happen if Romney had said this. It would be Page 1 above the fold on the New York Times, and the press would be talking about for years.
Edited on May 30, 2012 at 2:25amJul '10
Re: That's Not Funny, Barney
Barney hasn't been keeping up with the news, I guess.
Jul '11
Re: That's Not Funny, Barney
Barney's a regular laff riot. A classy fella, too.
Apr '12
Re: That's Not Funny, Barney
I laughed.
Nov '11
Re: That's Not Funny, Barney
Barney Frank should be in jail.
May '11
Re: That's Not Funny, Barney
Now that he's retiring and can't do so much damage, I think he is funny just standing still.
Dec '10
Re: That's Not Funny, Barney
Frank's comment is disgusting on so many levels. Martin's death was tragic and the "hoodie" aspect of it was the Left's way to exploit it to fan racial hatred. It matters not what kind of man Hubie Jones is. Frank's "joke" at a graduation ceremony trivializes both the ceremony and the tragedy of Martin's death. For the Left, everything is an opportunity to advance the political narrative. One is tempted to quote Joseph Welch's comment to Joe McCarthy, "Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"
Apr '11
Re: That's Not Funny, Barney
Wait, I'm a little confused about the liberal rock-papers-scissors rules of victomhood. Is it bad for a gay man to make a clearly tasteless, race-based joke? Or is that true in reverse? How about if a Muslin does it? How about a gay, black muslim? What if you're 1/22 Cherokee?
These rules are so confusing, no wonder the left's brain is so much better at processing complex things than our simpleton conservative brains.
Edited on May 30, 2012 at 8:54pmDec '10
Re: That's Not Funny, Barney
According to his subsequent defense/"clarification" referenced by Diane, the joke was in fact both funny and acceptable because Frank is gay: "After receiving some criticism Frank said, 'I wore a hooded gown in three ceremonies earlier this year, and in my remarks at those events I used the same joke on myself.'"
So, to all of you simpleminded, humorless, knuckle-dragging, homoracoxenophobic bitter clingers who thought that you had finally caught Frank going too far...better luck next time.