Mama Jokes and the Road to Disrespect

I so remember those days on the basketball court when someone would steal the ball, block a shot, or just trash talk after hitting a fade away jumper. And as laughter, ridicule, and taunting filled the air, somebody undoubtedly dropped the only sure fire starter in the world: A mama joke.

To answer the question from the formidable Aaliyah, yeah, I was that somebody; at least one of them.

“Your mom is so fat when she sits on a dollar it makes four quarters”

That was my favorite one for sure; even if it got me a swift punch in the chest. I would laugh it off just knowing that I was able to dig into something, someone that they cared about. They gave it right back too and at the end of the day, no matter how much they ripped apart the person who brought me into this world, we were able to hang out and have each others back. We saw it as the ultimate sign of friendship.

In reflection, it was also a direct path to seeing women as puzzle pieces in the game of life. Except, it was our life, not theirs. Nope — they were the unwitting butt to the worst jokes and words of disrespect, even as they brought us cookies and sodas like clockwork.

Father jokes? Nah, either fathers weren’t around or the jabs just didn’t cut as deep. We put those knives away and stuck with the one person for whom…