# I think I just dissed my mom **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 13, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666 "2004-12-13T21:53:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/1 "2004-12-13T21:53:21Z")
Now my mom’s a bit of a right-wing nut, but for the most part she had learned not to forward this kind of stuff to me anymore. I guess the re-election of Bush the Incompetent has emboldened her, though, so she sent me the this forwarded “joke” that is decidedly unfunny. > [@](#): > > MATING SPIDERS > > ``` > A father watched his daughter playing in the garden. He smiled as he > reflected on how sweet and innocent his little girl was. > Suddenly she just stopped and stared at the ground. > He went over to her and noticed she was looking at two spiders mating. > "Daddy, what are those two spiders doing?" she asked. > "They're mating," her father replied. > "Daddy, what do you call the spider on top?" she asked. > "That's a Daddy Longlegs," her father answered. > "So, the other one is Mommy Longlegs?" the little girl asked. > "No," her father replied." Both of them are Daddy Longlegs." > The little girl thought for a moment, then took her foot and stomped > them flat. > "Well, it might be OK in California or Massachusetts, > but we're not having any of that crap in Texas." > > ``` Now if it had just been a stupid anti-gay joke, I could let it pass, but the violent aspect of the punchline seriously rubbed me the wrong way. So, I responded thusly: > [@](#): > > I prefer the original 1961 version with a black widow and a white spider. Bigotry was so much funnier in the good old days. Oh, and she made the mistake of including the email addresses of several friends that had been “sharing” this joke, so I CC’d all of them as well. Christmas might be a little chilly this year, but her initial email back doesn’t seem like she’s upset. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/2 "2004-12-13T21:59:13Z")
Wow. I feel so … insufficiently liberal. I actually laughed. What a bad person I must be. ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/3 "2004-12-13T22:01:20Z")
This lefty actually thought it was kind of funny too. Hell, you could even turn it into an anti-rightie joke if you want. Kinda in the “see what happens if you take this stuff too far” vein. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/4 "2004-12-13T22:03:18Z")
hmm . . . I thought the joke was more making fun of conservative Texans. But I guess I could see it either way. ---
**Author:** ![Greenback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/2bfe46/32.png) [@Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/5 "2004-12-13T22:09:54Z")
I laughed when I heard this the first time. But then, I laughed when Foghorn Leghorn kept beating up the dog just because he was a dog. I guess I’m a bigot :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/6 "2004-12-13T22:18:33Z")
> [@duality72](#): > > Oh, and she made the mistake of including the email addresses of several friends that had been “sharing” this joke, so I CC’d all of them as well. I think that might have been a mistake. Best to keep that kind of stuff “in house” IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/7 "2004-12-13T22:26:17Z")
Ahhh, the first few steps are the hardest. Welcome to my world **duality72**! My mom forwards the most ridiculous righty stuff, so easily refutable I usually don’t even bother, but right before the election it got pretty deep. She’s got this passive aggressive noise happening where she’ll email me the most ignorant things but never engage in a conversation about them. So I kept constantly replying and asking why she’d forward something she doesn’t actually endorse, allowing her the out of ‘well, I didn’t really agree with it all…’ if she wanted it, but I was finally finished politely responding with appropriate linkage discussing whichever topics and just started challenging her to put up or STFU and voila! I’m finally removed from her forward-all listing. I didn’t think the joke in yours would have set me off, but I can totally understand if it was a final straw type situation. And just remember, if it gets really hairy you can always remind her that your strong moral convictions came from her to begin with. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/8 "2004-12-13T22:28:19Z")
I’m bisexual and it made me laugh. What does that make me? I’m so confused! :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/9 "2004-12-13T22:35:55Z")
Yeah, the CCs might have been a bit much. But trust me, people, she and her friends _are_ those conservative Texans and they think it’s funny because it’s true. Maybe it’s just more chilling to me in that I know her and her fundamentalist bent. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/10 "2004-12-13T22:48:51Z")
> [@tim314](#): > > hmm . . . I thought the joke was more making fun of conservative Texans. But I guess I could see it either way. Yeah, me too. I thought it was funny. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/11 "2004-12-13T23:22:39Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **tim314** : > hmm . . . I thought the joke was more making fun of conservative Texans Why don’t we take it both ways? Making fun of conservative Texans is a worthwhile pastime 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2004, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/12 "2004-12-13T23:44:04Z")
> [@duality72](#): > > Yeah, the CCs might have been a bit much. But trust me, people, she and her friends _are_ those conservative Texans and they think it’s funny because it’s true. Maybe it’s just more chilling to me in that I know her and her fundamentalist bent. Being a Texan myself, I completely understand how you feel and the compulsion. However, I knew the people I was dealing with would _never_ change their minds, so replying was pointless. I eventually took the pacifist role and changed my email address, then didn’t give it to them. By the time some had acquired it, I’d permanently been left off (banned?) of those kind of _cutesie_ homilies. That may not be the route you can take with your mom, initially or otherwise, but it sure helps the stress and blood pressure levels. [Although I agree that the CC thing was a little over-the-top. Everything in moderation my friend. ;)] ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/13 "2004-12-14T00:10:45Z")
I thought it was kinda funny too. But that’s because I hate Daddy Longlegs. ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/14 "2004-12-14T00:33:39Z")
I giggled, too, but given I’m a conservative, I’m not supposed to know any better. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/15 "2004-12-14T00:36:48Z")
I can’t believe _anyone_ found that joke funny. Not because of any perceived anti-gay message, but because it was _horrible_. It was like an unholy marriage between Family Circus and the jokes in Readers Digest. Gah! How could any of you have laughed at that? Hang your heads in shame! Unless of course you actually _like_ Family Circus and/or Readers Digest jokes, in which case you have my sympathy. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/16 "2004-12-14T04:02:05Z")
I’m with **Giraffe**. I kind of rolled my eyes at it. Whatever the intended message, it really wasn’t that funny IMO. Also, I **hate** spiders, so I felt oogy for reasons other than the anti-gay sentiment. ---
**Author:** ![MrFantsyPants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MrFantsyPants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFantsyPants)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/17 "2004-12-14T11:06:18Z")
Good for you for challenging bigotry wherever it is found. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/18 "2004-12-14T14:42:50Z")
I didn’t think it was funny either, but then most of the time I don’t like kid-type jokes. Kids are funny all by themselves, they don’t need words put in their mouths. Plus I really, really like spiders. I might want one as a pet. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/19 "2004-12-14T16:04:08Z")
> [@tim314](#): > > hmm . . . I thought the joke was more making fun of conservative Texans. But I guess I could see it either way. That was my take as well. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666/20 "2004-12-14T21:23:36Z")
Don’t worry. Being on a e-mail joke list is so 90’s. Not a single person on the CC list was reading the e-mails your mom sent out, having long ago either set up an inbox rule to automatically delete her messages, or having abandoned that address to escape her mindless jokes. Unlike your mom, they spend all their time working on their blogs. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-just-dissed-my-mom/279666.md?page=2)