April 28, 2026- A tempest in a teapot has been swirling around, the past few days, over a joke made in questionable taste, by a prominent comedian, about the marital status of a prominent couple. To a thankfully small extent, this matter has distracted a few people from far more pressing issues.

I don’t know how much Jimmy Kimmel knows about the loss of a spouse. I don’t know the particulars of the Trump household. Beyond a general concern for the well-being of fellow humans, I don’t particularly care to know about any of it.

I have been widowed for 15 years. I have male friends who have also been widowed for several years, and a woman, for whom I care deeply, who has been without her husband, for nearly as long as I’ve been without my wife. Another good female friend just lost the love of her life. None of us are likely to be appreciative of jokes about the subject. Loss is loss, and it involves a fair amount of pain.

We live in a society where, in the name of freedom of speech, no subject is too sacred for lampooning. Yet, here’s the thing: My son has a water glass that has this inscription: “Freedom of speech is not a license to be stupid.” Much of the back and forth, between certain public figures, makes about as much sense as the rock and acorn fights that took place when I was a kid. We at least had immaturity as an excuse.