Vacation Revelations

 Appeared in the Idaho State Journal on February 7, 2021

Every year over the winter break, we watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. The 1989 movie starring Chevy Chase is a slapstick comedy that’s become as much a part of our blended family traditions as new pajamas on Christmas Eve and cinnamon monkey bread on Christmas morning.  When the first two movies in the series came out - Vacation in 1983 and European Vacation in 1985 – I was too young to see them in the theater, but they became prime rentals for my friends and me when we got to high school. We watched them over and over and laughed and laughed.

We’ve come to love the Clark W. Griswold family during Christmas, so our brood was on board to watch the other old shows in anticipation of similar giggles.  My recollection was that they were mildly inappropriate and peppered with sophomoric humor that aligns with our boys’ present stages of development. We settled in with our new pajamas, fleece blankets, and dozing dogs to start with the original. I was so excited for us to follow the Griswold family road trip from Chicago to California’s Wally World and revel in the repercussions of Clark’s bad luck and worse choices.

The first city was St. Louis and as the arch showed on the screen, our boys lit up.   Their dad is from Missouri and they have all been to a couple Cardinals baseball games. When Clark took a wrong turn, they ended up in a bad neighborhood. In this show, that means they ended up in a Black neighborhood. Our boys recognized the negative stereotyping immediately.  My wife’s neck whipped around and she glared at me with a mixture of “why are you having them watch this?” and “do you really think this is acceptable let alone funny?”  I had no words to address her stare.

Clark’s wife’s face conveyed nothing but fear. At least Clark was portrayed as clueless, so he didn’t come across prejudiced or overtly racist as he asked for directions back to the interstate. While distracted in the driver’s seat and talking to a Black man in a teal athletic suit, other Black men stole their hubcaps. The camera panned to a gold-chained pimp with three prostitutes flanking him. The only good part of sitting through this scene was the awareness our boys displayed and the disgust they declared at all of it.

With a promise of a family debrief, I convinced everyone to let the movie continue.  During one of the next stops in rural Kansas to see good ole Cousin Eddie, who we’ve come to know from Christmas Vacation, it got worse. When Eddie’s teenage daughter told her cousin “Daddy says I’m a good kisser,” we turned the movie off.

My mom was a child protection worker for crying out loud. I grew up learning that child sexual abuse is never funny. Not ever. How was this show in my head as one of the best stupid movies of all time?

Begging for another chance and assuring them that European Vacation had to be better, I convinced everyone to try it.  

The second show kicked off with the Griswold’s competing on a gameshow called Pig in a Poke where they would go on to win a European Vacation. The show was crafted after the original Family Feud where the relatives lined up to answer questions, and the host infamously kissed all of the female contestants on the lips during introductions.  When the Pig host planted a seconds-long full-mouthed kiss on teen Audrey Griswold, more confused and horrified glares came my way. 

At this point, I wasn’t as interested in being entertained or revisiting laughs. I wanted to dive into an investigation of “how will the rest of this look to me now?”

Some might classify these shows as “politically incorrect nowadays”, but it really goes much deeper than that.  I wish we could eliminate the phrase “politically correct” from present day vernacular and consider something like “compassionately correct” or “culturally considerate” as alternatives.  The Vacation movies’ racial stereotyping and jokes about child sexual abuse have nothing to do with politics, but everything to do with compassion and consideration for fellow human beings. 

Sometimes when we revisit old memories, the hyped nostalgia in our minds doesn’t disappoint. Other times, whether it’s a matter of growing up, shifting tastes or a more widespread changing of the times, an examination of old loves has the potential for unexpected outcomes. My drive down memory lane took a detour I didn’t expect, and I still don’t know exactly where I’m at. Watching the Vacation movies revealed that the last 30 years have remodeled my eyes and conscience. I used to love these movies, but they sure don’t represent what I think is funny today.