Headline

I think headlines should always be checked for double meanings. I have several Jay Leno books with the headlines he features on his show. You would think people would be more careful after so many years of being made fun of on late-night television. I also remember the headline when my plane was delayed twenty-three hours coming back from England fifteen years ago. It read, “Jumbo Passengers Delayed.” I wish I had kept a copy of it.

This morning I happened to check the news headlines on my phone. I thought the following headline was funny.

“Study: Middle-Age Women Driving Up U.S. Suicide Rate”

Be assured, I don’t find it funny that people are killing themselves. It turns out the article is about the statistic that more middle-aged women are committing suicide. There is no humor in that.

When I looked at the headline, I thought maybe it was the middle-aged women who are driving others to commit suicide. That, also, isn’t funny, but the misinterpretation, I find, is funny. Or maybe I just saw it too early in the morning.