The interesting thing is that Joel is actually gay so he probably specifically went out of his way to not offend the sensibilities of his readers and the culture at large at that time by using "girlfried" as opposed to "partner".
Moreover dark humor has its place. Indeed 2 of the biggest comedies of the last 20 years used exactly this kind of humor (Seinfeld and The Office). Even to this day some of the most acclaimed comedies have humor in this vein (Veep and Curb Your Enthusiasm for eg).
Moreover dark humor has its place. Indeed 2 of the biggest comedies of the last 20 years used exactly this kind of humor (Seinfeld and The Office). Even to this day some of the most acclaimed comedies have humor in this vein (Veep and Curb Your Enthusiasm for eg).