I was listening to some old “Burns and Allen” radio shows and the conversation goes like this. This was during WWII.
George) The government wants us to cut back and only buy what we need.
Gracie) Well I’ll buy only what we need
George) But it’s more than that Gracie, to keep prices down we need to find bargains
Gracie) You’re the best bargain I ever got
<Then the audience laughs>
George) Huh?
Gracie) For the two dollars I spent on our marriage license, I can’t think of anything I spend so little on and got more use out of.
<audience laughs again>
I know you can’t tell from words alone, but is that supposed to be insulting. It’s hard to tell 'cause a lot of times Gracie will insult George without knowing it.
So anyway would you consider it an insult if your husband or wife called you a bargain?
In the context of “Burns & Allen” and the time they lived in, it’s kind of cute, not an insult at all. But today’s couples might see it differently. Personally, I’d know my partner was just joking, so I wouldn’t be offended.
It would really depend on the context I think, but I am still having a hard time seeing being called “a bargain” as insulting. In the exchange in the OP I find it endearing.
Now it could be argued that the “use of” is insulting because she is admitting to using him, but if you view it as “what else could I spend so little on and get so much in return” then it is a very sweet sentiment.
I think that “using someone” has these implications of selfishness/abuse/overuse/use-without-nothing-in-return, but that in and of itself it isn’t evil for a person to “use someone” in a way this second one agrees with. But when this agreement exists we talk about “using the second person’s skills” or whatever. The linguistic difference was being used as the basis for the joke, in the dialogue.
Nothing wrong with a baby using his mother as a source of food. Nothing wrong with a spouse using their SO as a source of emotional and sexual fulfillment while being used equally in return, it’s very much a mutual benefit agreement. Nothing wrong with my mother using me as “someone who can ahum at the right spots in my monologues” so long as it doesn’t go beyond one hour at a time.
What would have been an insult would have been for Gracie to say that the two dollars for the marriage license was a waste of money, because George was useless. As it stands, it’s a compliment to him.
For those who don’t know Gracie Allen specialized in “illogical logic” and was a “dumb Dora” as the term was back then.
I thought the exchange was interesting, 'cause in the show it’s constantly emphasized, that without Gracie, George was nothing, which isn’t true, but funny.
So it’s funny to think Gracie thinks she got use out of George, when it’s constantly said that George uses Gracie.
Example:
Announcer Bill Goodwin talking to Geroge
George) I’m trying to do my income tax. It’d be a lot easier if I didn’t have Gracie “helping” me.
Bill) I’ll say, you wouldn’t have any income.
or
George and Gracie celebrate 15 years in radio
George) Look at all these telegrams of congratulations. Can you believe it’s been 15 years?
Gracie) Remember when we first started out, you took me on, on a trail basis and said if I made good, you’d give me a salary.
I agree that the statement is a compliment in the context. Part of the joke in that line, I think, is that it was Gracie and not George who purchased the marriage license. So even though Gracie is paying him a compliment, there’s still a little slam on George.
