Saturday, January 21, 2017

WHY ABRAHAM LINCOLN LAUGHED

Why Lincoln Laughed:
Basically a melancholy man, he was not humor's slave, and could therefore bend it to his own uses and make it a vehicle for thought rather than mere clownishness.

This was misunderstood at the time, and once in the dark days of the war, when Lincoln was reprimanded for his unseemly levity, he turned his gaunt face and tragic eyes toward his critic and replied, "I laugh because I must not cry; That's all - that's all."
Since the election and inauguration (which I did not watch) of Donald Trump, I'm slowly making my way out of despair to determination to resist. I can't do a lot, but I will do what I can. There's nothing wrong with having a little fun along the way, and we can count on Stephen Colbert and many others to make us laugh.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for Colbert, grandma. I've not seen him before; Americans satirists are too furious and scathing for my taste. But comedians like him are your (and our) canaries in the mine, for if they can still get air time for their efforts and make a decent living (and not get shot either metaphorically or literally) then there's hope for us all.
    Regards, MikeN.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And here I am thinking that British comedians and satirists are far more biting and edgy than American comedians.

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