Mark's discussion of Kemosabe jokes raises an interesting point. If one doesn't know the background and takes the jokes literally, they seem to support the notion that Kemosabe is offensive. But the very basis for the humor is the fact that one starts off with the assumption that Kemosabe is not offensive; the punchline is the (false) discovery that it is offensive after all.
Posted by Bill Poser at December 23, 2004 11:38 AM