Americans have never been known for their sense of humor. They are way too prudish, unhip; authoritarian. And most are simply too dumb to “get” the joke. Concepts like satire and parody are difficult for the average American to grasp.

A lot of people consider anything which is personally offensive to their minimal, childlike tastes to be a crime against humanity and everything they believe in.

Those people need to lighten the fuck up.

The moral crusaders of today completely miss the point. They fail to understand the historical importance of satire and humor in a democratic society. They want to put limitations on free speech to satisfy a misguided crusade against everything they don’t personally agree with.

American popular culture reflects the festering moral decay which has infected our nation.

When you have a system as corrupt and repressive as America circa 2026, people are understandably incapable of laughing at themselves or at society – or anything else for that matter. They get really uncomfortable when you start making jokes about guns or religion or race. They’re too busy hating and fearing each other to enjoy life or see much humor in anything.

Millennials – having grown up on a steady diet of Political Correctness – have some pretty convoluted opinions when it comes to free speech. But PC-hypersensitivity is a poor excuse for political discourse. That’s what it has come down to in the USA, unfortunately. The middle class can’t seem to admit that the culture war has already been lost. We’re living behind our own Iron Curtain of self-censorship and denial.

Increasingly, jokes can’t be told without fear of a media backlash. Socially relevant humor is dead in this country. Corporate interests and Social Media killed it. Americans – especially the fascist neocons and their minions – are by and large dull, sullen, law-abiding, troop-supporting, Bible-thumping imbeciles.

The neocon pantheon of hateful humor is limited to simply making fun of others: women, minorities, liberals, gays, foreigners. Lots of “Obama is a monkey” jokes: which are never, ever funny. Trust me.

Clearly, there isn’t much humor or joie de vivre in these people’s lives to begin with if that’s all they’ve got.

It goes without saying they’ve got no sense of humor.

Okay, I will concede that when I was growing we had plenty of funny Americans: Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Mel Brooks, Cheech & Chong; even [god forbid!] Woody Allen.

Sadly, those days are long gone. SNL hasn’t been funny for years. Jimmy Kimmel may be good for a laugh or two, but the opening monologue is only about six minutes long; the rest of the show is an endless stream of worthless celebrities. And Jimmy Fallon should be taken out and shot. What a fucking TOOL.

And when they became too poignant and biting in their satire, the networks neutered John Stewart; and they did the same to Colbert.

But this is argument is about free speech and having the right to say something funny and potentially offensive without being vilified in the media.

That is what true progressives are supposed to be fighting to protect.

In ancient Athenian democracy, public opinion could be greatly influenced by the political satires performed in the theaters and in the Polis. They poked fun at politicians, philosophers, and fellow artists. The plays gave an invaluable insight into ancient Greek society, with details on the workings of political institutions, legal systems, religious practices, education and warfare.

Throughout recorded history humor, parody, and satire have been used to offend and ridicule the ruling classes as a way to expose hypocrisy and influence public opinions. Comedy has traditionally played an important role in democratic societies.

Thanks to the influence of the Trump clan, America’s collective humor quotient has regressed to the level of a 7-year-old. Probably even lower.

What passes for humor in America now is embodied by the likes of lame, totally unfunny ‘comedians’ like Tony Hinchcliffe or Von. The lowest of lowest common denominators.

No thank you.

What we need in this country is a lot more real, adult, intelligent – funny – humor.

We are going in the opposite direction.