Over 100 years ago, Chesterton worried that the world had robbed us of satire. If he thought that about that world, imagine what he would think about ours. It is nearly impossible to outcrazy the crazies. You can invent the most absurd scenario only to discover that it is currently being used as a curriculum on a major university campus somewhere. You can try to flex your hyperbole muscles, only to have a trip to Wal-Mart show you how weak minded your exaggeration exercises have been.
Satire assumes a center. It requires a generally accepted standard. In that way, satire is a lot like society. Without widely agreed upon norms, you cannot satirize anything and you cannot have a functioning society. The punchlines only work when you can provide an unexpected outcome. When the unusual becomes the expected, it ruins the ability to surprise you. Insanity is humorless. It is no joke. It refuses to join in with laughter and instead passes legislation to make mockery a hate crime.
