stark ranting

This started as a comment to a thread here on Shakespeare's Sister, but I decided it was worthwhile to make it into a full post. I was compiling a quick list of subjects that can and can't be joked about on progressive blogs, and in so doing I remembered a nagging feeling that we may be employing a double standard.

Here's the handy guide for offensive humor on progressive blogs...

Off limits:
Women
Homosexuals
Transgendered
Minorities
Illegal immigrants
Poor people
Mentally retarded people
Overweight people
Vegetarians

Fair game:
George W. Bush
Christians
Evangelicals
Republicans
Conservative bloggers
Conservative pundits
Rich people
Stupid people
People who...
   live in the South
   live in red states
   drive trucks
   fly American flags
   have "Support Our Troops" stickers
Joe Lieberman

Generally speaking, you can get people on progressive blogs to laugh at jokes in the "Fair game" category even if they're overtly mean-spirted. Is this simply a case of applying a double standard to groups that we consider oppressed versus groups that we consider to be misguided? If you look at the other side of the blogosphere the columns are reversed. Is either side on higher ground? Especially when you consider the abuse we heap on George W. Bush. Why is it justifiable, because we disagree with him? Because his actions have consequences that we dislike? Does that give us a free pass to joke about his alcoholism? There may be a valid distinction to be made, but I'm having trouble seeing it.

Update: Shakespeare's Sister writes a response