“Yo Momma Jokes” Are Not Funny When It’s “Yo” Momma

Now, for my brothers and sisters who read my blogs that are not from the same side of the train tracks as I am, you may not be familiar with the cultural phenomenon called “yo momma” jokes.

Even the MTV series entitled YO MOMMA couldn’t capture the true belly aching, knee slapping, tear wiping joy most of us inner city kids experienced on the play grounds when two guys would go for the jugular and say some of the cruelest-yet-clever things about the other person’s “giver of life.” Usually, it would result in the whole circle of on-lookers trying not to pee on themselves from exhausting laughter.

Never heard any “yo momma” jokes? Here’s a couple [warning, the writer of this blog cannot stress enough the fact that he IS NOT talking about “your” sweet caring dearest treasure you call “mom!”]:

Your mom is so short, she can play kick ball with the curb.

Your mom is so ugly, that she was cast in a Purina dog chow commercial.

Your mom has one foot that’s pointed the other way and you can’t tell if she’s coming or going.

I’m done. Those were introductory level.

Yo momma jokes work very well….until the person doing them, starts to talk about YO momma.

These jokes can make you feel pretty small and angry when some guy who doesn’t even know your moms says these things that cause everyone to howl in laughter. There have also been plenty of fights at playgrounds around this great land of ours because the wrong person got picked that day to be the butt of yo momma jokes. Its funny, until it’s not.

Until they’re attacking somebody you love.

There are certain tv shows I can’t watch, because of the disrespectful jokes directed at the central figure of my faith as a Christian: Jesus of Nazereth. It’s personal with me and him. He’s a hero of mine.

So when I hear people disrespecting Jesus, it’s offensive to me because they’re talking about family.

Sometimes, anti-Jesus jokes can carry you away, much like yo mama jokes. The writing sometimes can be so cleaver, after all. You can find yourself lost in the creative humor if you’re not careful.

“Bro, they’re just jokes,” you might say. “Lighten up.”

Maybe for me, the journey that led me to believe was so deep and personal — at times marked with debilitating pain — I cannot separate my story with the subject.

I’m like the kid who would throw a punch when you say something about his mom. He knew how his mother was both parents at the same time, struggled to buy him clothes, and worked so hard to put food on the table. He overheard her midnight crying because of loneliness and knew she chose not to date quickly to give her kids a good example.

So for that kid, your joke is attacking his life saver.

And the problem about the funny “Jesus” image that is portrayed in TV and film isn’t a strong super hero image. He’s dumb, often a stoner [ask your kids what that means], and absent of any inspiration.

I’d be cool if there was some balance. There’s too much creativity in the room for writers and producers not to show the other side of the coin. Could it be that maybe some of the creators of these images probably don’t believe He was, and He is?

I don’t know… Again, my intent is not to attack them, but to take up for HIM!

Whenever the thought of Jesus comes up in any medium in pop culture, I want to be able to sit up on my couch like I’m looking at Jordan highlights, or black and white footage of M.L.K. marching in Washington.

Please, family, hear your boy’s heart.

Laugh, enjoy life, crack a rib, fall on the floor, wipe tears during a love scene, argue with your boys about who is better Pacquiao or Merryweather. But when they start coming for the guy that loved you before you even could spell the word, covered you in grace, forgave the dirtiest most wretched part of your thought life, and paid the bill to get you back from death, they talking about FAMILY!

I’m sorry, bro. That ain’t funny.

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