So, why did the joke cross the road? ( (
Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A: To get to the other side. SIR: I have as much of a sense of humour as anyone, and try to laugh regularly, at least once a week.
But as a caring mother who has spent the past ten years trying to teach my children basic road safety, I was shocked at the disgraceful attempt at a ‘joke’ about a chicken crossing the road.
Any child confronted by this deeply unpleasant riddle would have concluded:
a) That he or she could simply cross a road without parental guidance.
b) That there is no need to look left and right before crossing a busy highway.
Shame on you! Sue Nervy, Lincs. SIR: Like many hundreds, I am greatly traumatised by your sick joke. ‘To get to the other side,’ clearly suggests that the chicken was involved in a suicide attempt. Is this the message we really want to send our young?.
If you really must tel l a crossing- theroad joke, you might have chosen another one, far less offensive, ie: ‘What goes, “Now you see me, now you don’t; now you see me, now you don’t?
A penguin on a zebra crossing.” H.I. Dudgeon, Berks. SIR: Like many thousands, I am disgusted by the vile racist joke about a penguin on a zebra crossing.
In this day and age, how can it be right to draw a distinction between black and white? Do you really think that out- andout racism is a suitable subject for humour?
To those who wish to tell their sons and/or daughters a halfway acceptable joke about animals and crossings, I would advise the following: Q: Why did the fish cross the ocean? A: To get to the other tide. V. Batey (Ms) SIR: As a caring human being who is frequently moved to tears by the plight of refugees, I am horrified that anyone should joke about the troubles faced by countless millions of refugees who are trying to cross oceans.
Shame on you for printing it! There are any number of perfectly acceptable jokes concerning
animals embarking on shorter journeys. For example: Q: Why did the hedgehog cross the road? A: To see his flat mate. U.M. Brage, Yorks.
SIR: I’m very sorry, but the idea of any living creature flattened to death by a motor vehicle is a subject for tears, not laughter.
I call on Mr U.M. Brage to do the decent thing and issue an immediate apology. Anyone suffering trauma as a result of this ill-conceived ‘joke’ should consult their nearest hedgehog bereavement counsellor.
If you insist on publishing a joke, may I suggest this one, which has been passed by many of our leading grievance counsellors: Q: Why did the dog cross the road? A: Because it was doing an impression of a chicken. Rod Anger, Littlehampton SIR: As someone in the process of transitioning, I found the above joke about a dog ‘ doing an impression’ of a chicken wholly offensive. Thankfully, we do not live in the days of slavery. Here in the 21st century, transitioning is thankfully not considered a fit subject for schoolboy humour. Should any dog wish to be identified as a chicken then he/ she/ other has a perfect right so to do, and should not live in fear of vile bullies. Anyone who knows what is truly funny will be able to enjoy this roadbased joke, subject to the usual conditions and guidelines. Q: Why did the duck cross the road? A: Because it was glued to the chicken. Des Pair, Croydon. SIR: As a life-long campaigner for animal rights, I am horrified by your decision to include a cheap, vicious joke that makes fun of cruelty to animals.
Throughout the year, the RSPCA and countless other charitable organisations rescue many millions of animals that have been victim of vile super-glue attacks.
Would your correspondent think it funny if he found himself glued to a chicken and then forced to cross a motorway, with motor vehicles driving at him at speeds of up to 70mph? I think not! Joy Kill, Surrey.