The last acceptable -ism–ageist jokes are still ok, it seems

Excerpted from the New York Times:

In a campaign hypersensitive about race and gender, jokes that playon crude racial and sexual stereotypes may be muted. But not codgerjokes. Comics have gone to town on Senator John McCain,who clinched the Republican nomination last week and, at 71, would bethe oldest candidate ever elected to a first term in the White House.(They recently got an even older target, Ralph Nader, the independent, 74.)

It is safe to say that not since 1996 — when the Republicans nominated Bob Dole,then 73, with his squarer-than-square persona and mortifying stagestumbles to match — have geezer jokes found such a cozy home inpresidential politics.

Mr. Leno and his counterparts have beenmerciless with Mr. McCain, peppering their monologues with digs aboutdementia, pills, prostates and Miracle Ears. In a nightly schtick, David Letterman compares Mr. McCain to “the old guy at the barbershop,” “a mall-walker,” “a Wal-Mart greeter” and more. Conan O’Brien said recently: “After John McCain swept yesterday’s primaries, he purposely stole a line Barack Obama’sbeen using, ‘I’m fired up and ready to go.’ When Obama heard this, hestole a line McCain’s been using, ‘I’m old and not sure where I am.’ ”(Things get a lot nastier on the Web, for all the candidates.)

More at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/weekinreview/09bosman.html