If late-night show hosts do it, it has to be funny! That seems to be the conclusion of thirty or so campers who last night incorporated Michael Jackson jokes into their skits. Many of these jokes were spoofed, harmless, mildly amusing cultural references, but others were less benign.

Sexual abuse of children, including the alleged kind, is a heartbreaking and disorienting topic, and the students at camp know it. I am confident that the intention of the actors was not to make light of a heinous crime that ruins lives, but merely to provide some light teasing of a public figure. Michael Jackson jokes are well-worn and familiar, and easy to fall back on when brainstorming doesn’t produce something original. A few of the Michael Jackson jokes last night were actually clever witticisms that mocked society, the media, or the justice system, and they did an excellent job of walking a fine line. But featuring a crying mother who says, “He touched my little boy!” in a comedy skit is disrespectful and disturbing, though I believe accidentally so.

However, though I doubt that the campers anticipated the feeble silence that greeted this line, they are all bright, aware, and old enough to know better. Every year that I have come to camp there have always been a couple of skits that stepped over the line, and that’s o.k., as long as they are used as learning experiences for future years. Because in the end, we’re funnier than that. –Nina Neff