Alaska Cruise: The Comic Problem

We saw three shows on board. The second night there was a comic named something or other Johnson who was somewhat funny, but whose language was a little crude. Compared to the average night club comic, not vulgar at all--but apparently one family with preteen kids walked out a few minutes into this guy's act. The comic tried to make a joke out of it, but made the mistake of asking them why they were leaving, and the father told him, politely, that it was basically his language was too offensive for his kids.

The second act we saw, on another night, was one of those magic/comedy combinations that worked really well--and he was a reminder that you don't need to be vulgar to be funny--just a bit more creative and clever. (There was one relatively subtle joke sexual reference that probably went over the heads of the youngest kids.)

The third act we saw was probably the most disappointing. I've forgotten his name already, a Cuban-American, but I was probably least impressed. His humor was scatological and crude, and and even in that vein, not particularly funny. I noticed another family with small children leaving part way through his act.

I am very sympathetic to the families that walked out. There are a lot of parents that are trying to keep their kids--at least in the preteen years--out of the sewer of popular culture with its profanity, vulgarity, scatology, and obscenity. This is America, so there's no way to achieve this, but you can at least make it clear to your kids that this is not okay.

On the other hand, comics are overwhelmingly crude today--the ultimate revenge of Lenny Bruce's ghost. I don't know what these parents were thinking, bringing small children to hear comics. My guess is that either:

1. There are a lot of people out there who are not aware of the material that most comics use. I noticed that a number of the people on the cruise were part of an organized tour from Cruise Lady, which is a Mormon-affiliated operation. There's an innocence (or naivete--take your pick) that a lot of Mormons have, growing up in places that are fairly well removed from the depravity of modern America. I do think Princess Cruises would have done everyone a service by having some warning, "Note: material may not be appropriate for younger audiences."

2. These parents assumed that a generally family friendly operation like Princess Cruises would pick comics with family friendly material. If so, they were in for a disappointing surprise. I do scratch my head a bit about this. Are there no comics left in America that can make adults laugh without being crude? Or does Princess Cruises not realize that this might be a refreshing change?