Lead Blog Response: Too Soon?

Lindsay's blog raised a very interesting question about the when a tragedy becomes socially acceptable to joke about. This past 9/11, I noticed a lack of remembrance and discussion, in comparison with years past. This could be because I'm used to high school, where we would always spend at least a moment reflecting on it in most of my classes. Of course there were still discussions and tributes, but it just didn't seem as prevalent. Although I do not personally remember that day in 2001, I vividly recall my elementary and middle school teachers talking about the subject with a very present sense of sorrow, which I feel has dulled as the years have gone on. The "Bush did 9/11" conspiracy quickly grew into a meme, and since then, the dissociative remarks have increased. I will never know the true fear and pain felt by those who remember the day, regardless of how much I hear about it or how many documentaries I see. But I think everyone my age at least comprehends how shocking the event was, and how serious of a turning point it was for our country. That being said, every tragedy is bound to become a historical event, and it is a natural human tendency to feel desensitized from an occurrence, no matter how agonizingly brutal, as time goes on. In Joan Rivers' documentary, A Piece of Work, she successfully executes a joke about 9/11. She didn't plan to go there, but after she was insulted by an audience member for a joke about Helen Keller, she spontaneously used the event to demonstrate a point. A man angrily shouted at her, saying that his son is deaf - she fired back by saying that her mother is deaf, and went on to discuss the importance of comedy as a coping mechanism. The audience laughs and cheers as she makes the joke:

It's interesting how in this situation, her joke was acceptable. But as Lindsay said, some jokes are tasteless and take things too far. Of course, whether or not comedy is tasteless is entirely subjective. 9/11 is a calamity that carries different levels of significance across generations, but I think our nation as a whole has been forced to move on, as more current issues arise. Whether or not that means humor should ever be involved when referencing 9/11, that is up to the individual.