NAMES IN THE NEWS : Johnny Cash Slams Hate Humor

Country music singer Johnny Cash wrote a letter to the editor saying he’s worried about what he called obscene, violent, racist and sexist humor favored by some new comedians.

The deep-voiced singer known for such hits as “I Walk the Line” and “A Boy Named Sue,” said in the letter published today in the Tennessean that children are getting the wrong idea about what is funny.

He lamented the influence “anti-Semitic, anti-black and anti-immigrant jokes, obscenities directed at all women in general and the desecration of traditional values will have upon the young minds in this country.”

Cash wrote in response to last week’s appearance of comic Andrew Dice Clay on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” Clay has been criticized for his coarse humor, which includes comments that disparage women and homosexuals.

Cash said he didn’t see the program, but was alarmed about such humor in general.

“There is an undercurrent of violence in this new obscenity,” Cash wrote. “It will shatter the hopes and dreams of many who hoped and prayed and worked for brotherhood and racial tolerance.”