Reviving America’s Dying Sense of Humor
Townhall,
by
Tom Purcell
Original Article
Posted By: Mercedes44,
3/10/2026 4:54:41 PM
Ah, St. Patrick's Day is upon us — a fine time to restore our sense of humor.
More than 20 years ago, British sociologist Christie Davies wrote in “The Mirth of Nations” that Americans were becoming as nervous about swapping jokes as people once were in communist Eastern Europe — a warning he issued well before cancel culture. Which makes me long for the jokes my dad and Uncle Mike — a child of Irish immigrants — shared on Sundays, such as this one:
“Mike,” says Pat, “If you were stranded on a desert island, who would you like most to be with?”
“Me uncle Malachy,” says Mike.
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Reply 1 - Posted by:
mc squared 3/10/2026 6:11:51 PM (No. 2078675)
I grew up in Brooklyn. Germans, Polaks, (sorry) Jews, Irish, Italians, ..... We all told jokes that today would get us thrown out of school, but we laughed at them and no harm was done. No one told us we were victims of anything.
28 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
DVC 3/10/2026 6:21:04 PM (No. 2078680)
Humor used to be very real, very common.
Red Skelton's show was hilarious, and sometimes sad and funny. He often made fun of "bums"....not allowed today.
And Carol Burnett's show was HILARIOUS. We have the DVDs and they are still funny.
The "humor" on late night shows used to be real. Long ago they turned it into mean, hateful jabs at politics that were anything but hard left. NOT funny.
21 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
DVC 3/10/2026 6:28:21 PM (No. 2078684)
I'm so old that I even remember when Saturday Night Live was hilariously funny.
Comedy greats like Gilda Radner, Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Akroyd, Garret Morris and more were HILARIOUS.
Unfortunately, the sad crap on SNL these days is just low rent political hackery.
26 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
mseegal 3/10/2026 6:41:19 PM (No. 2078686)
My grandfather was a salesman. Early in his career, he was told to subscribe to Reader's Digest and learn a lot of good jokes. I remember a big book he had where every chapter had jokes about a different ethnic group, a part of the US (Yankees vs. Southerners), etc. As a child, I loved to laugh over those those jokes....all politically incorrect today.
20 people like this.
Poster girl for lack of humor: H. Clinton.... and then any female leftist, typically unattractive, too.
16 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Namma 3/10/2026 7:26:54 PM (No. 2078697)
How about the little rascals? Some of the things those adorable kids said and did were hilarious. Oh. Remember the Muppet Show that wasn’t really for kids. Peter Sellers singing Cigarettes women and red wine.
Young Frankenstein.
Blonde jokes. Polavk jokes Not nasty. Just funny. But now. Why you end up in jail or kicked off the team Orr out of school for lack of respect. I was always told. Laugh at yourself. Which I sure have done.
Lighten up world. We all love a good laugh
17 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
padiva 3/10/2026 8:04:30 PM (No. 2078706)
OK, here is something that Sen Kennedy said. 'Doing nothing is difficult. You never know when you are done.'
9 people like this.
So, how about a little St. Patrick's Day humor?
Q: What's the difference between an Irish wedding and an Irish funeral?
A: One drunken Irishman.
16 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Ketchuplover 3/10/2026 9:00:18 PM (No. 2078712)
The changing of humor isn't all bad. I enjoy laughing out loud to many of the old Jack Benny radio shows from the 40s and 50s......but back then, Don Wilson's obesity was often the butt of jokes, and also suicide jokes always got a good laugh from the live audience.
2 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
red1066 3/10/2026 9:35:04 PM (No. 2078720)
This is all part of the indoctrination that has been going on in education for decades. It's only gotten worse over the last 20 years. Look at the comedians and shows of the 70's and 80's that were popular back then. Videos of them have people under the age of forty clutching their pearls and screaming racism.
8 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
crashnburn 3/11/2026 12:04:48 AM (No. 2078738)
Pat and Mike were pushing a cart up a hill. Mike was doing more leaning than pushing, and he said, "Some Push", and Pat said, "Some don't."
Pat and Mike split the cost of a bottle of the best Irish Whisky. They decided to make a pact; who ever survived the other would sprinkle a bit of it on the deceased grave. Pat asked, "Is it OK if I pass it through my kidneys first?"
5 people like this.
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