Mostly Comedy

We have more than a sufficiency today of instance of domestic, national, and international tragedies. We have a serious dearth of comedy, so serious that we have to search long and hard and look to serio-comedy, a tragic-comedic blend, for some balance.

We are favored today with few if any true, individual tragedies since we are blessed with few if any, true heroic figures who are requisites for classical tragedy. As rare as comedy is, tragicomedies must be employed as another source to lighten the mood.

As a respite from the usual, we present a variety of current examples of light comedy, tragicomedy, farce, and political humor.

Light Comedy–Of Cigars and Bowling:

Meet the Duggars, all 20 of them:

I try not to watch television shows depicting odd behavior and I would have to cite the unreality series, “Eighteen Kids and Counting,” as an example. The Duggars, (and no name-sniggering, please!), Michelle and Jim-Bob, must be out to set a production record with the number of their cherubs, 18 and counting plus a new grandbaby and new daughter-in-law.

As a registered cynic, i just think the family seems to be too good to be true, sort of like the near-perfect, all above average residents of Garrison Keilor’s Lake Wobegon. They also seem like nice, good, deeply-religious people but, seriously now, eighteen kids? Granted, the Bible tells us to be fruitful and multiply but God never suggested we do it like rabbits. I’m no environmental nut but the Duggar carbon footprint must approach Al Gore’s!

Anyone living in the real world would have to wonder where the Duggers live. What planet, that is. I’m not referring to their beautiful sprawling bunk house in Tontitown, Arkansas where the parents appear to do little else but make babies and their kids spend their time looking like cute refugees from “Little House on the Prairie.”

Admittedly, the Duggars seem well able to afford their huge brood and all the kids appear pretty happy, and as clean and attractive as Obama. Even more so.

It’s not really true that they’re homebodies, either. The Duggars are constantly on the move, all 18 of their progeny in tow. The clips of the clan going sky diving or touring Disney World or New York City has to raise suspicions that they could very well lose one or two along the way and would barely notice since there’s probably another one baking in Michelle’s oven.

That’s meanly facetious, of course, but when on the few occasions I’ve seen the show a W.C. Field’s comment comes to mind as does the comment of a friend’s mother in law. In related contexts, Fields is supposed to have said about excessive procreational activities, “I like my cigar too, but I take it out once in a while.” The mother-in-law, after her son in law had impregnated her daughter thrice in four years, asked him, “Why don’t you take up bowling or something?”

All in all, the Duggars represent pleasant, light comedy. See their website: http://www.duggarfamily.com/

Tragicomedy–Jon, Kate and Someone: Somewhat less wholesome is the case of another TLC reality show, “Jon and Kate Plus Eight” which features the Gosselin family, headed by an occasionally shrewish Kate Gosselin and her occasionally horny hubby, Jon.

Michelle Duggar would be horrified at some of Kate’s treatment of Jon and both Duggars would be aghast at Jon who is now suspected of looking for love in all the wrong places, with a few co-eds and conceivably in a bed not occupied by his wife: http://www.usmagazine.com/news/jon-and-kate-dad-caught-with-other-woman-2009284.

Compared to the Duggars, Jon and Kate’s brood is modest, a pair of twins and sextuplets:

Jon Gosselin, who achieved relative fame due to the accident of his wife birthing 6 babies in one fell swoop was caught wining, dining and maybe wooing a damsel other than Kate. Caught in the act, he apologized for his randy behavior, which is more than Senator John Edwards or actor Mel Gibson did when caught with their Fruit o’ the Looms down.

Apologies may not cut it for Jon. Mrs. Gosselin is no Mrs. Duggar and could very well bobbitize him in a future episode. It may be Jon’s good fortune that divorce is in the wind according to US Magazine and other sources, which would probably lead to TLC’s cancellation of Jon, Kate, and their eight.

Farce–The Wedding Crusher: So, a girl was getting wed last September. When Harry met Sandrina they fell in love and they shacked up lived together for 3 years and set the date. Things were moving along swimmingly on this the most important day of her life. Afterward, the bride sued a wedding guest, Harry’s boss.

Said guest allegedly stood up during the ceremony and said, “Me and Harry were good together. You had to ruin everything by marrying him. You f- - -ed everything up,” . . .

(Read the rest at http://genelalor.com/)