I have a bit of a follow-up to offer to my post of July 20th, where I brought up the notion of the inappropriateness of humor within the context of commentary on our current political scene.

I have noticed a change of tone in Garrison Keillor's recent columns. They appear on occasion in the New York Times and more regularly in the Reader, the free paper out of Duluth, MN. (The Reader offers itself as "The Best Paper Money Can't Buy.") Traditionally, Garrison has employed humor in his critique of and comment on imagined as well as real events--be they based in Lake Wobegon or Washington, DC. Recent columns appear to have set aside the humor. The Reader's by-line may be telling; Garrison is described as a "columnist, radio host, and author." Wikipedia continues to describe Garrison as an "American author, storyteller, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality."
(Emphasis added.)

Rather than the use of humor for diversion or a satirical critique, Garrison quietly offers an alternate focus by way of counterbalance to the chaos in the enterprise of politics and governance. He celebrates communities marked by civility, compassion, and diversity as he writes of the summer solstice in Norway or summertime travel in New York City subways. We are challenged to reach for our better selves enriching our lives and the lives of those around us by celebrating the diversity of thought, political identity, ethnicity, race, geography, and socio-economics present in our national and international communities. We are asked to take note of the goodness that surrounds us, the capacity for resilience and repentance--the former always a good thing--the latter when appropriate. We avoid mocking the sickness present in certain spheres. We get on with healing--doing right by folks.