What Have We Learned From 20 Years of 9/11 Comedy?
A now-familiar joke that started circulating within the first year or two after September 11, 2001, goes like this:
“Knock-knock!”
“Who’s there?
“9/11.”
“9/11 who?”
“You promised you’d never forget.”
The punch line, of course, refers to the refrain that became ubiquitous in the United States following the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and shattered the country. “Never forget” embodied the reflexive patriotism of a time when people began to affix American flags to their cars and plant them on their front lawns. September 11 was quickly made into something hallowed and untouchable—a malleable symbol and political litmus test as much as a series of terrible events. The knock-knock joke was a small, transgressive gesture; it punctured the etiquette that said humans must approach certain tragedies with a deep moral seriousness.
[Read: Tragedy + comedy = catharsis]
Many such jokes were prevalent during those first years after 9/11. The, directed by Nick Scown and Julie Seabaugh, chronicles nearly two decades of 9/11 comedy through interviews with late-night hosts, writers, and stand-up performers. The film is an absorbing journey back to a cultural moment that indelibly altered the course of modern comedy, although it concludes by overstating the power of satire on its own to shape politics.
