This is a tangent but i think it crosses your question
Whoopi Goldbergs last Situation comedy that died
right before the election after she said uncouth words
after a cocktail to many about The President.
From the beginning simplely all out utilizing Comedy
to attack the state. Something that reaches all the
way back to Comedie Del arte and the Catholic church.
With Punch and Judy and Harliquien..please pardon
my spelling it's horrible...Plus a character that Smoked
and drank and was Honestly Lower Middle Class Black
that was alot for "the system" to eat crow. Michael Moore's
Doc's allways have an element of Comedy when Jib Jab ing
at the system. I hold it was Jib Jab and Leno, plus Lettermen,
and Conan, as Well as Saturday Night Live. That endorse or
Not, as well as the Cable Comedy shows. One could guess
which way the country will float by the way the humor runs.
Most times the truth isn't what Propaganda wants, and for the
courses of History it's who tells the joke that leads to the direction
of the punchline. Take today's news about The Chappel Show,
gasp Horror how could this person run off with 5 million ect.ect.
or did he? Cause and effect tell a tale often enough it becomes
accepted as truth maybe even by the person telling or singing itI bet there were tons of jokes when Columbus
left spain to sail over the edge of a flatworld. Funniest joke ever
is probablely " Lucille Ball and 'The show with the assembly line
out of control." More sight gag than words...but classic.

"I dreamt I ate my pillow...and when I woke up, my giant marshmallow was gone!"

Said by Chris Langham on an episode of the British show Alas Smith and Jones. I love that when I quote this line, everyone insists I must have gotten it wrong.