This is one I saw in passing but my buddy Tom just hipped me to further.
It seems a photo of Adolf Hitler as a baby ended up in the yearbook of East Brook Middle School. The shot of der Führer und Reichskanzler from 1889, aged (surely before he grew the famous moustache and did all the world nasty) was included as part of ‘throwback snapshots’ included in the book. The school, part of the Paramus Public School District, has since collected the books in question and is working on replacing them.
The photo was submitted by a student, who has since been identified, according to NBC 4 New York.
As you’d expect there was the usual round of comments condemning the inclusion of little baby Hitler in the book. “An image of him [Hitler] has no place in a yearbook created for our students. It does not reflect who we are or what East Brook stands for, and we condemn its inclusion without reservation,” the school principal wrote. While Chris DiPiazza, mayor of Paramus, called the inclusion an “unfortunate incident.”
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office weighed in with this definition of the law, saying this was a “bias incident” but not a “bias crime.” Then again, it might not even be.
Having not yet heard from whomever it is reported that the authorities found who placed the picture in the book, we can’t say what that person’s intentions were. But might we consider the possibility that this has nothing to do with anything anti-semantic, that indeed it might not even be a bias incident, just someone’s idea of a…um…well… a joke?
I have to tell you, Tom and I were laughing about it.
Why?
Because putting a baby picture of someone who grew to be so notorious as an adult, and not a picture so readily seen, into the normal array of ‘throwback’ pictures, that probably included a few baby pics of students is, sorry to say, damn funny.
It just is, at least to me and Tom and I have to tell you, when it comes to judging if something is funny, usually I rely on my opinion and Tom’s. At least for me.
Yes, in this day and age we have become ever more sensitive to any kind of slightly off-the-norm-could-possibly-be considered-offensive-by-the-intelligentsia humor. But just because something might be offensive (to some) doesn’t mean it’s not funny, nor does it mean if you are offended you are right. You might be right for you, but don’t assume you are for me or tell me what is or is not funny.
This baby Hitler picture hidden in a Middle School Yearbook, to me, and to Tom, is pretty damn funny.
