The only honest art form is laughter, comedy. You can't fake it... try to fake three laughs in an hour - ha ha ha ha ha - they'll take you away, man. You can't.
Lenny BruceRead
Satire is tragedy plus time. You give it enough time, the public, the reviewers will allow you to satirize it. Which is rather ridiculous, when you think about it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Satire requires time to be accepted as it transforms tragedy into something comedic, which seems absurd.
This quote by Lenny Bruce implies that satire, which is often born from tragic events, can only be properly appreciated after a significant amount of time has passed. It points out the irony in how society gradually becomes comfortable enough with past tragedies to reflect on them humorously through satire, which raises questions about our perceptions of tragedy and comedy.
Themes
SatireTragedyTimeComedySociety
In practice
Example use cases
During a comedy show, a comedian could use this quote to explain how their humorous take on a serious issue has evolved over years.
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All my humor is based on destruction and despair. If the whole world were tranquil, without disease and violence, I'd be standing in the bread line - right in back of J. Edgar Hoover.
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In the Halls of Justice the only justice is in the halls.
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