Originally Posted by Esqmommy

Maxine...depends on the person. I always thought she was funny until I took a class on Geriatrics in college. The professor used that comic as an example of "ageism", which is akin to racism. We make fun of the challenges of growing older in our society and by doing that, we become more immune to the insults and downgrading of people. Many older people start to feel invisible, and I think this sort of thing leads to that. For many people, this is probably overthinking a "funny" comic strip, but we can all think back to some of the old comics that portrayed African-American or Native Americans in a less than flattering light, with the intent of being "funny". If we saw them now, we'd be appalled.

So, I won't be buying any Maxine...even though I chuckle when one is put in front of me...I still work hard to train my mind about the long-term effects of this sort of humor.