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One of the sad things about not having cable anymore is that I don't watch The Daily Show on a regular basis. I try to catch it on-line the next day if at all possible, but have missed more than a few episodes. I was lucky enough to catch Thursday's show about the tax protests that were organized by the republican party. While the commentary on the protests was quite funny, it was how the major news sources covered the event that was so entertaining. MSNBC decided to use the phrase "tea-bagging" because of the references to the Boston Tea Party protests that the protest organizers wanted to emulate (it is near the end of the clip above). Unfortunately, the phrase "tea-bagging" has taken on quite a different definition than the one that MSNBC was aware of. As the Daily Show pointed out, that type of phrase is used by The Daily Show!
While funny, speakers also need to be aware of current slang and use of phrases when they are talking. While you might think that there is nothing that can be misconstrued in your speech, you should take another look. Maybe have someone younger look it over to see if they notice anything. Words take on different meanings over the years and slag terms can change quickly. It is better to be safe than sorry.
While I love a good laugh and unintended humor is usually the best, I don't want to see you do something that people are going to laugh about. You want people to remember your speech and presentation for its content - not your unintended humor.
Travis
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