Jim Newton

Itasca

A friend told me about lying on his bed when he heard the TV on in another room. He got up to see what sounded like Saturday Night Live running a Trump speech parody. It turned out to be an actual Trump speech, the one given during the Gaza end-of-war ceremonies. We both had a brief chuckle over the parody-reality confusion.

I said “brief” chuckle because in some circles, robust laugh-out-loud moments are less appreciated.

My friend’s anecdote reminded me of a phrase adults used when I was young: “We laugh to keep from crying.”

American society entered into withdrawal mode decades ago. Neighbors don’t necessarily know each other just because they live side by side. A Pew Research Center study reports that just 26% of U.S. adults know some or all of their neighbors. A by-product of this withdrawal seems to be our inability to tell or take a joke. You don’t want to crack wise around someone you don’t know very well.

Furthermore, parody and political humor have come under fire among those in elected positions; a vocation not traditionally recommended for thin-skinned souls.

Though not a huge fan, I hope Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon and SNL survive. They’re our current events safety valve. Laughter should remain an amusement release, not a defense mechanism against crying.