By Patrick Robinson

What has happened to American whimsy? 

My father, Jerry Robinson was a whimsical writer…. a devotee of Mark Twain, James Thurber and Art Buchwald. A fan of Erma Bombeck and Dave Barry.. and somehow to a large degree people like Red Skelton but we don’t have those people around now.

Almost certainly my age is showing but for many decades the magazine Reader’s Digest was chock full of it.. for example:

A turtle is crossing the road when he’s mugged by two snails. When the police show up, they ask him what happened. The shaken turtle replies, “I don’t know. It all happened so fast.”

That, is gentle humor. Is it boring or not edgy enough, or worthy of the put down label “Dad Joke?”

I completely understand the power of humor to reveal hypocrisy, illuminate the human condition, to deflate arrogance.

But today we seem to be so ANGRY, so full of bile toward others, so consumed by the “opposition” it seems to almost justify the growth of insult memes

We need more gentle humor, and fewer jokes about trans people, fewer “crossing the line” stories, less profanity, less shouting, less failing to recognize one another’s humanity.. which to me.. is what whimsy used to represent.

It’s true they are unlikely to offend someone. And for many stand up comedians that is the absolute opposite of what they do. 

For decades a comedian named Don Rickles would call people “Hockey Puck” as he made fun of them, creating a career out of being the “Insult comic.” But even that is not strong enough for some tastes now. Certainly stand up comedy has been a powerful tool for revealing truth, for bringing those so full of themselves they need to be brought down. From Lenny Bruce and Dick Gregory to George Carlin and others their incisive wit and ability to deliver verbally made people pay attention to how contradictory our values have often become.

But there’s a clear difference between a slap on the back and a warm hug. There’s a difference between a clever turn of phrase and someone shouting something meant to offend, in jest of course. I have to say I prefer the lower volume, insightful, smile inducing form of humor these days. I feel better because of it.

I urge you to go look up James Thurber, Erma Bombeck, Dave Barry and others in that vein. The sheer warmth of their words can help you feel better too.

In that spirit I close with a quote from the brilliant funny and wise Red Skelton.

“Live by this credo: have a little laugh at life and look around you for happiness instead of sadness. Laughter has always brought me out of unhappy situations.”