# Lincoln vs. Kennedy **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 13, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217 "2003-07-13T19:46:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/91b2a8/32.png) [@Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_of_Sandwhich)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217/1 "2003-07-13T19:46:22Z")
Does anyone here have any thoughts on why it seems acceptable to joke about President Lincoln’s assasination, but not President Kennedy’s? Lincoln’s assasination has been joked about everywhere, from the intro to the Police Squad series to Crimes and Misdemeanors, a movie in which Alan Alda’s character uses the tragedy as a means of defining exactly what comedy is. If, as Alda’s character says, comedy is tragedy plus time, hasn’t enough time passed to make it okay to joke about Kennedy’s assasination? Or do people already joke about it? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217/2 "2003-07-13T19:48:52Z")
It’s different for different people. I joke about Kennedy. Hell, I’ve probably joked about 9/11. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217/3 "2003-07-13T20:45:06Z")
Are you kidding? I’ve heard _scores_ of Kennedy jokes. Maybe your circle of friends are just more polite than mine. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217/4 "2003-07-13T21:13:16Z")
“Aside from that, Missus Kennedy, how did you like Dallas…?” ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217/5 "2003-07-13T21:31:31Z")
There are still several generations of people alive who were deeply affected by the assasination of Kennedy, and may feel that joking about it is still taboo. It’s a pretty safe bet that you can’t find one person who was around when Lincoln was assasinated. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217/6 "2003-07-13T21:39:58Z")
Oh, I thought this was going to be another one of those “who wins” threads. > [@](#): > > Are you kidding? I’ve heard scores of Kennedy jokes. Maybe your circle of friends are just more polite than mine. You know **Eve** , I’ve always denied the rumor that you were in the audience of _Our American Cousin_ the night Lincoln was shot. I can’t say as I’ve heard that many jokes about either assassination myself. Maybe I hang out with the wrong crowd. The few I’ve heard in relation to Kennedy are usually oblique references to the event and the conspiracy theories surrounding it. For example, the year JFK was nominated for the Oscar the telecast aired a clip from it juxtaposed with a clip from Bull Durham in which JFK star Kevin Costner says “I believe Oswald acted alone.” The humor’s not drawn from the assassination itself but from the lone gunman theory. ---
**Author:** ![aaslatten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@aaslatten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaslatten)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217/7 "2003-07-13T21:41:04Z")
Obviously it’s because Lincoln was a Republican and Kennedy was a Democrat. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217/8 "2003-07-13T22:06:50Z")
Dallasite here: I was “on the way” when JFK was assassinated. I’ve told this story before, but my mom was one of the masses that met him and Jackie right before he took that fatal ride. I do agree that the wound is too fresh, and therefore jokes about JFK’s death wouldn’t be thought of as funny…add to that the tragedy of his son dying four years ago. It’s just my humble opinion, but I believe joking about those who have passed on is tacky, at best. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2003, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217/9 "2003-07-13T22:42:47Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Otto \* > \*\* You know **Eve** , I’ve always denied the rumor that you were in the audience of Our American Cousin the night Lincoln was shot._\* [Marie Dressler] “We must have a nice long chat about the Civil War sometime . . . Just you and I.” [/Marie Dressler] ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217/10 "2003-07-14T00:18:59Z")
Lincoln, if he’s prepared. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217/11 "2003-07-14T03:15:38Z")
I’ve heard them. Actually I’d say I’ve heard more jokes about Lincoln than Kennedy. _Back and to the left. Back and to the left. Back and to the left… Back and to the left._ Oh, definately Lincoln. Better reach, less chronic pain. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217/12 "2003-07-14T03:33:44Z")
What did one Puerto Rican say to the other Puerto Rican? “Lets go go across the street and shoot the shit.” Even assasination attempts, like Truman’s, inspired jokes. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217/13 "2003-07-14T04:04:12Z")
Other than the theater Missus Lincoln, how was your evening? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217/14 "2003-07-14T07:16:01Z")
“Bad news! They’ve assassinated Garfield!” “Worse news! They missed Odie!” ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217/15 "2003-07-14T07:19:01Z")
BTW, the hotel where REagan was shot is known locally as the “Hinkley Hilton.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217/16 "2003-07-14T08:08:55Z")
The Onion’s book _Our Dumb Century_ had what I thought was a very funny article about Aristotle Onassis being assassinated in a motorcade. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lincoln-vs-kennedy/188217/17 "2003-07-14T13:21:22Z")
What did the first lady bring the kids after her visit to Dallas? A jack-in-the-box! My mom told me that one, said she heard it the year Kennedy was assassinated.