Perry and Humor

     I understand why this book is in our class readings, however I can only point to just a few moments in

the text that I thought were funny. I understand the goal of this class is not necessarily to make you laugh

but to study humor, how it has changed, and how it is used and perceived in society. I thought Madea

had some interesting and insightful remarks such as “You can’t protect your children from everything”

when commenting on punishment and raising children. (Perry 82). One comment that I laughed at was,

“My best subject was P.E. ‘Play and eat,’ that’s what it stands for” simply because I was not expecting

this spin on the acronym (perry 89). But for the most part, there were so many ideas in this novel that I

could not believe were being shared. In the foreword, Perry says that Madea is “not politically correct”

(Perry viii). Further “people are so endeared to her because of her honesty” (Perry viii). Some of her

honesty, though, really did not sit well with me. I can’t tell if her misogynistic and racist “honesty” is a

social critique on how some people truly think and feel. In the foreword Perry writes “She doesn’t care

about anything but what is honest and true” but I’m not so sure that her findings of truth are absolute and

correct (Perry xii). Is there supposed to be ridiculousness and irony in this statement which could

potentially make parts of the book humorous? I will explore some examples to try and explain what I

mean. 

Madea comments on language varieties in the section “What in Hell is ‘Acting White’ Supposed to

Mean.” Perry writes, “If speaking the king’s English, getting a good job, and being able to afford what you

want and have the American dream is acting white, then be white” (Perry 92). Perry suggests assimilating

to the culture of proper English. I do not know how I feel about this section but I can tell you that I was not

laughing. Obviously in the history of the English language there are rules but due to some people

experiencing lack of education for years or from simply living in a specific area, people have developed

vernaculars. I think that sound and speaking is crucial to almost every culture and when one says that

“it’s horrible” I do not think they understand this importance (Perry 92). We should not determine respect

for someone based on the way they speak, that does not make sense and it’s rude. But, I’m not sure if

Madea’s remarks here are so ridiculous that they are supposed to be funny. I think her thoughts are silly

and outlandish but I’m a 20 year old who has learned to consider structural and internalized racism. Did a

2006 audience think comments like these are preposterous? 

I felt similar emotions in the section “Sixteen-Year-Old Grandmother” when Madea makes comments

on name pronunciations. Madea wants parents to “give your child a name that’s respectable–that people

will understand and not sit around trying to figure out how to pronounce it” (Perry 85). Names are unique

and they are a part of our individuality. Madea says that children whose parents give them names that are

hard to pronounce “automatically give them a disadvantage” (Perry 87). It is not that hard in this society

to learn how to pronounce someone’s name even if it is something that you have never even heard of

before. You act polite and if they say it once and you are still unsure how to pronounce it, you should ask

again and repeat their name so that they can correct your pronunciation. I found this section quite

insensitive but then again is that the point? Madea’s view on acceptable names is not funny but is her

ridiculous politically incorrectness commentary the humor in this novel? Maybe I will find out more during

our discussion of the novel tomorrow.