Do You Think It's Funny?

When I was back in Canada in April 2004 I spent time with my family, and about two of the four weeks were entertaining and showing two of my Japanese friends around.

It was goooooood.

One Sunday afternoon, my Japanese pals, my brother, his wife, their daughter and I were milling around down near Harbourfront in Toronto. Actually, as I recall, we were kind of wasting time before we would head over to the airport to bid adieu to my Japanese pals.

While we were strolling, we came across a sign for a Native Canadian Sculpture Museum. Free Admission! Open Sundays! Allllright!

So we went in.

Turns out, it was just a facade for a Native Soapstone Sculpture store. All the "pieces" had a price on them, and a hefty one at that. We spent some time, though, looking at the goods.

We came across one that depicted a man laying atop a woman. It wasn't a porn piece. In my memory, the figures were clothed, but they may have actually been under a smooth soapstone blanket. It was man on woman though, without a doubt.

My brother picked up the little sculpture and said, to his wife, "Hey! This is what I'm gonna DO TO YA when we get home!"

We laughed.

I told this story recently to a friend when we were talking about Harbourfront. He was horrified. "Your brother said this in front of his child?"

"Yes," I replied. "But, like, she was not even two years old, and really wouldn't get the joke."

"But he said it in front of you? I would NEVER say such a thing in front of my sister!"

I then explained that my brother and I are really close, and also that my sister-in-law has been my friend since grade nine. In fact, she was my friend for years before she was ever my brother's lady. Really, no subject is too personal to not have been up for discussion, whether in general or specifically, over the years. Our Japanese visitors had been amongst us and other friends of mine to realize how frank and (sometimes) crude we could be. Regardless,....

I just thought my brother was funny. In this case, what do you think? Vulgar and inappropriate, or funny and, well, funny?