They laughed. He cried. We lose.

Somewhere in Indiana I suspect Dan Quayle is having a bittersweet moment.  Recently Pew Research put out a new report which vindicated Mr. Quayle who in a 1992 speech at the Commenwealth in San Francisco.  Bittersweet because this event was one of the first moments of many to come where ridicule and scorn would be heaped upon the 44th Vice President of the United States by our media and the culture at large.  It would be on of the first, of many episodes of unintentional "humor".  A TV season of comedy involving an articulate, profesional, attractive, wealthy media anchorwoman trying to figure out how to: give birth, find a father, manage logistics, a career and wacky (but professional) friends,  Murphy Brown finally has her baby and the responsibilities that go with it.  She also hammers Mr. Quayle.  (see at approx 5:32)   Funny stuff, sort of.  If you don't think about it too hard.  Or too long.  Like 18 years too long.

Now 18 years later Pew tells us that that 41% of our mothers are unwed - as compared to 28% when Dan Quayle made these comments that made him part and parcel of the laughing stock that was supposed to be a fictional comedy show.  But here we are in 2010 and more and more of our unwed mother's(are demographically) looking like Murphy Brown:  They are smarter, older, more educated and more single:
"Intelligent, highly paid, professional woman..." mocking fathers.  Of course, in the clip we see the media response to this charge of mockery, ironically, in all of it's mocking glory.

So here we are the populace has largely declared that it really doesn't matter.  Motherhood without fathers is cool - or at least ok.  And why?  Certainly not because of this fictional character.  But because we absorbed the humor with a chuckle we also - consciously or not - agreed with this "intelligent, highly paid, professional woman".  Inaction, is a choice.  Dan Quayle took action.  The rest of us.  Inaction.  What are we not acting upon in 2010?

Yet I say bittersweet?  Why would this not be simply sweet for the former Vice President?  I think because Dan Quayle was trying to send out a clarion call, an alert, a warning - out of genuine concern.  I believe he wanted this to change.  I don't think his intentions were to provide fodder for comedic relief.  We didn't receive the message.  Intead, we laughed.  he cried.  We lose.