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The King of the Hill: Laughing at the Horrible?
Laughter has been likened to sex, the heavy breathing, contortion of the facial muscles, and the final exhausted sigh of satisfaction. Like sex, laughter has the possibility of instilling a sense of sinfulness in those that partake in it. Laurie Stone put it best when she said, "Laughter, like a sneeze, isn't deliberated but bursts forth, almost always from a sense of wickedness." How often have we laughed at a joke that we felt we shouldn't have or that left us pondering the possibility of it being considered offensive by others?
Just this weekend I was told this (rather old) blond joke. How do you know if a blond has been using a computer? There's liquid paper on the screen. (drum riff) Everyone, including the blond that told the joke, laughed but this was inevitably chased by someone proclaiming through their fading chuckles, "That's horrible!" Laughing at the "horrible" has been my dilemma with King of the Hill, the cartoon situation-comedy that is based on southern, working class jokes that many people feel perpetuate stereotypes, are "in bad taste," and are just downright not funny. I have grappled and debated with anti-KOTHites about this and never have they swayed my loyalty to what I think is one of the funniest, well written and intelligent shows today (though I know that some Xena and Bully fans may disagree with me on this). KOTH may be animated and full of stereotypes but I think it's also a great deal more multi-dimensional and satirical a take on the working class in the southern United States than it is given credit for.
King of the Hill is written and co-created by former Simpsons producer Greg Daniels and Mike Judge of Beavis and Butt-head fame. This alone can make the hair on the back of some people's necks stand up and their toes curl in anticipation of bad jokes and never-ending stream of, "Huh huhuhuhuhuhu." These vapid geeks with their less than thoughtful insights such as, "This sucks" can make anybody skeptical of the kind of humour that can be found in KOTH. But KOTH shares little if anything with Beavis and Butt-head. Even though Hank and Peggy are two...