Andy Chase

As the days turned to weeks after the destruction of the World Trade Center, social commentary began to shift its focus. At first it was comforting to read a lot of things being written; accounts of America's generous outpooring of support in the form of blood and monetary donations, patriotic unity as everyone rushed to the nearest street corner to buy an overpriced American flag, even the networks' scamble to organize a celebrity benefit telethon was, in its own strange way, reaffirming.

But at about the same time as the Daily Show came back on the air with Jon Stewart's tearful monologue, the new big topic (aside from The War On Terrorism) was "When will it be OK to laugh again?" Or, "If it's OK to laugh, what is it OK to laugh at?" Or, "Do cynicism and irony have a place in humor after September 11?"

Well, if White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer telling American citizens that "they have to watch what they say and watch what they do" isn't cause for cynicism, I don't know what is. I am still just as shocked, saddened, and dismayed about the destruction that happened in New York and Washington as I was on the day it happened, but after 5 straight days of watching CNN and scouring new web sites for news and information, I had to turn it down a little bit and get back to something that felt somewhat normal. For me (and a lot of people, judging by the shows' longevity) normal is watching shows chock full of irony, sarcasm, and cynicism... shows like the Daily Show, The Simpsons, and Seinfeld. These shows made me laugh before September 11. After the initial shock of that day wore off, why shouldn't they make me laugh now? I can appreciate that there are those for whom cynical humor isn't a comfort right now... but I'll be damned if I'll acknowledge "What's OK to laugh at" as a legitimate social issue.

If you don't think a particular type of humor appropriate, don't read, watch, or listen to it... and don't tell me I have to watch what I say, either. I was under the impression that our President's War on Terrorism was for the express purpose of protecting America's freedoms, which include not having to watch what I say. That one is protected by that pesky Bill of Rights that always seems to be getting in John Ashcroft's way. That's not to say that Bill Maher didn't make an even bigger jackass out of himself than usual by calling the U.S. Military 'cowardly', but his show is called Politically Incorrect and he does have a right to make a jackass out of himself if he wants.

In the end, The Onion came to my rescue with this week's feature story, A Shattered Nation Longs To Care About Stupid Bullshit Again. The Onion really nailed that sucker - when the pundits at sites like Salon.com wring their hands over learning how to laugh again, maybe what they're really wondering is why people suddenly feel empty when they watch shows like Big Brother and Love Cruise.