Can we blame Greenspan for this, too?

Our nation is in a recession. I get that, I know it, the people on those "Cash 4 Stolen Gold" commercials remind me of it every time I watch cable TV. I also know that in a recessed economy there is not only a lack of money but also a lack of resources. As a result, people are broke AND they can't get tomatoes on their Subway sandwich because tomatoes are crazy expensive and no one would buy a "15-dollar footlong." It doesn't work in the jingle. So everything is madness, and we have to buckle down and learn to do without a lot of the luxuries we once took for granted.
One thing I don't understand, however, is the lack of humor in current comedy. I mean, I know I am getting OLD, so my frame of reference is pretty broad, but I swear I remember a time when comedy on TV was funny. I remember laughing. It really doesn't seem like it was long ago, either....Maybe January?? Anyway, I can only conclude that the recession has trickled down into the world of comedy, and now humor is scarce. The thing is, though, that we as people need to laugh. It is a necessity of life, like breathing and love and caffeine. So now, much like people are settling for day trips instead of full vacations and boxed hair color over visiting the salon, they are also learning to laugh at things that aren't really funny....but will do in a pinch. They are desperate for laughter, and any laugh is better than none, right?

Wrong. These people are panicking. They are hysterical (and not the good "ha ha" kind.) They are thinking with their hearts instead of their heads. I am going to now symbolically slap them across the face (imagine, if you will, a sharp "slap" sound), shake them by their theoretic shoulders, and type boldly at them to get a grip!! Laughing just for laughter's sake is not worth it. Life is too short to commit to half-assed experiences. You can buy two cases of cheap beer for what it costs to buy a six-pack of the good stuff....but the premium beer will give you the better drinking event, and you won't end up peeing every six minutes either. You can rent an armful of bad movies for the price of one premium theater ticket, but the theater experience will transport you -- and with no late fees. And no J-Lo. You can set up a tent in your backyard all summer long, but it won't rival one night in a lodge at Yellowstone. Even with the bears attacks. You get my drift. Quality over quantity. There is no reason to settle for mediocrity, no reason to sacrifice excellence, no reason to watch Leno....
But even with all of that understood, here is the rub....
(Shakespeare.....yeah, I know stuff....)
The "comedy drought" that seems prevalent in our entertainments today is pretty much non- existent. There is funny everywhere, but you have to know where to look..... Classic British movie parodies, current British anything, random smart television sitcoms, rogue comedy tours (Hi, Conan!!), anything with Tina Fey, people who hang out on "I'm With Coco," Garfield comics, Flo the Progressive lady, C-SPAN, wedding dances on YouTube, pinata crotch-hits on AFV, robot skeleton sidekicks....There is SO much to laugh at out there, so much humor to be mined and enjoyed...There really is no excuse for sub-par comedy. None. Pandering to the lowest comedy denominator just isn't going to cut it. At least it shouldn't We all need to rise up, en masse, and tell those in charge of poor comedy programming that we are on to their little game, and we deserve better!

Take note, NBC.... We are bored as hell, and we aren't going to take it any more. Put that in your "Marriage Ref" and smoke it....