Shortly after 9/11, I think it's safe to assume that everyone in America was ready for a good laugh. In fact, it wasn't long before jokes were being cracked on late night TV more or less like normal, although the mood was obviously somewhat subdued. After Mayor Rudolph Giuliani urged New Yorkers and Americans to go back to their lives, most comedians returned to work at a time when people were desperate for comedy to ease their minds.One of the first comedians to return was David Letterman, whose opening monologue about 9/11 spurred other comic talk show hosts like Jon Stewart to do the same. And the amazing thing was that even after all of the speeches from politicians and survivors, some of the most touching and poignant moments came from these comedians. There was something jarring and meaningful about seeing a man who spends every day ridiculing everything and making jokes about every possible situation suddenly sit down in front of a camera and speak for ten minutes from the heart - even breaking down into tears like Jon Stewart. And then after giving such moving speeches, they would flawlessly transition back into humor. The audience would wipe their eyes, laugh, and gradually things went back to a reasonable level of normalcy.
While most comedians chose to focus the audience's attention elsewhere - Conan O'Brien had a segment involving babies lifting heavy objects on his first post-9/11 episode - others managed to actually find a way to make the situation funny. Not the actual attacks, obviously (Gilbert Gottfried was booed off of a stage after cracking the joke, "I wanted a direct flight back to LA, but apparently they have to make a stop at the Empire State Building,"), but a lot of humor was found in the sometimes absurd reactions people had to the attacks.
David Cross has almost an entire CD of standup comedy dedicated to the aftermath of 9/11, in which he skewers "Patriot Packs" that were sold in stores and consisted of different types of flag decals to "out-patriot" your neighbors. He also tells stories about what life was like in New York City at the time, including a memorable bit about the surreal feeling he experienced when he stepped outside on the empty, ash-covered streets on 9/12 and saw a man wearing a gas mask and tight Spandex, rollerblading down the middle of the street with purpose and conviction, like he was going somewhere important ("So fuck you, Mr. Osama bin Jerkhead or whatever your name is. Because if Gabriel doesn't rollerblade to the Chelsea Piers, then the terrorists have truly won").
If it weren't for comedians after 9/11, the healing process would have taken much longer. They did what the speeches of so many public officials couldn't do: they brought us back to reality. When we were all thinking that the world was falling apart and we couldn't step outside without fearing for our lives, comedians across the United States reminded us that the world hadn't gone insane - that you could still turn on the TV at 11:30 PM and see babies lifting heavy objects and other ridiculous comedy on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." And when comedians started making jokes about Osama bin Laden (which they did a lot), it reminded America that there was no need to fear this insane little man. Comedians reminded us after 9/11 that he may have destroyed our tallest buildings, but we could still call him "Osama bin Jerkhead" and there was nothing he could do about it.
And don't even get me started on the amount of post-9/11 jokes George W. Bush provided comedians with.
1 comment:
I was moved when I watched Jon Stewart's opening for his first post-9/11 show. For as much as he makes fun of the administration or politics in general, you see him come to tears because he knows that there is no way that the terrorists can win. He says that we have already won because we have democracy. The simple fact that he (and any other person) can sit back and hurl jokes at the President means that we have already won, because we are free.
It is true that political debates and speeches are much more centered on homeland security since September 11, but there is still that freedom to crack jokes. It is humor that brings us together. When Gilbert Gottfried made that joke he did get a lot of boos and he became visibly shaken. He then began to tell a classic joke (the aristocrats) and won the crowd back. Sure his joke may have been tasteless, but the audience saw that he had the courage to stand on stage and make jokes when jokes are needed.
There are times when you have to be serious and talk about the issues. But even when we disagree on certain things, we are still unified as a country. We are still unified because politicians can be serious, talk about the issues, and thrown in a joke or two. We all have the freedom to do so and the events and aftermath of September 11 made that clear to us.
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