Last week the public air was filled with stories concerning the 20th anniversary of the Twin Towers attack.
Dividing life into specific periods of time is a useful way to think about things. Anniversaries of national or world events can be a catalyst to developing deeper insights about life as well as planning strategies for going forward. On a personal level, anniversaries can be a good time to look back at how one has changed or not changed during the period in question.
In my memories of the days right after the towers were knocked down, I remember at first being angry and wanting to hit back. At the same time, there was an outpouring of grief and a positive resolve to do something to help. For a while there, it seemed like people were nicer to each other. The quick release of music by so many musicians to raise money for the first responders was one particular effort that has stayed with me.
I remember a hope many had that this would somehow bring us together as Americans, possibly unite us after so many years of being divided politically and culturally. We felt as if we were at war, and as history shows, a sense of being at war is a good way to bring a people together. At least for a while. This sense of being united by war usually doesn’t last. And in the long run, this is probably a good thing.
Our sense of unity of purpose didn’t last that long for a number of reasons. And today, In many ways, we are more divided than we were just before the Towers came down. It’s almost like in today’s angry, divisive times, we actively look for ways to cause confrontations. How is that a good thing?
As I was in the midst of reflecting on the events of 20 years ago, I happened upon a magazine article by Tim Alberta in the newest Atlantic entitled, “The Nicest Man in Stand-up.” It is a short biographical sketch of the comedian Nate Bargatz. A point of the article was that Bargatz is unusual because in his stage act he doesn’t yell, curse, or insult people or groups. He doesn’t get into the weeds of politics or identity issues either. His jokes usually revolve around how clueless he is. The only person he makes fun of is himself.
As a long-time TV teetotaler, I was unaware of Bargatz. I figured I needed to catch up. It turns out he has performed on many television comedy shows and his live performances are sold out months in advance. I checked out some YouTube videos. He’s laugh-out-loud funny.
But Nate Bargatz intrigues me as much for his devotion to being nice as to being funny. It strikes me as a little sad that this style of comedy these days is thought of as unusual. To me, it says something about what we consider entertainment that we have come to a place where a performer who is “nice” is considered an outlier. Alberta, the author of the magazine piece, suggests that Bargatz is popular because “he’s tapped into something powerful: the discontent with our discontent.”
Bargatz believes people are tired of entertainment delivered with a message. He wants to be “super careful with anything that could be seen as making fun of someone.” I am cautiously hopeful that this attitude is a trend. Maybe it is true: perhaps we are growing tired of people being mean to one another.
I am seeing signs of this attitude. “Be Kind,” “Love More” and similar sentiments are popping up on posters, t-shirts and stickers. Maybe we can start believing it is OK to be nice.
Norman Knight, a retired Clark-Pleasant Middle School teacher, writes this weekly column for the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].
