Punch lines carry softer punch in wake of attack

"This is a cataclysmic enough event that it could start that shift where a society like ours begins to examine things it hasn't thought too much about, such as the Muslim faith or Arab Americans," says Edward Fink, a communications professor at California State University, Fullerton.

Eventually, that could lead to new views of humor about racial profiling, demonizing foreigners and their leaders, and making fun of American politicians.

"Can we be funny?"

"Why start now?"

- Mr. Giuliani, responding to a question from Lorne Michaels of "Saturday Night Live"

Though some believe all this is just part of a temporary period of mourning, a new sensitivity was certainly evident in the tender days after the attack.

As with the nonentertainment world's worry that day-to-day living will never be quite the same, many late-night comics worried aloud that their jobs would never be the same. Letterman, Leno, Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart - all made serious speeches to their audiences, almost apologizing for the inconsequential nature of what they do.

Letterman discarded his usual monologue for a personal message of sadness and then shared tears with Dan Rather. Mr. O'Brien even warned young people to never become cynical.

"Saturday Night Live," too, kept its usual irreverence in check. At the show's season premiere two nights ago, Mayor Giuliani, flanked by two dozen police, fire, and rescue personnel, gave a brief opening speech. He talked about heroes meeting the "worst of humanity with the best of humanity."

Security is tight everywhere. At the K-Mart kiddie plane ride, kids have to arrive three hours early and show identification.

- Jay Leno

Within days, though, the mood lightened considerably. Leno poked fun at the former vice president. ("The FBI has detained an overweight, unemployed bearded man. It turned out to be Al Gore.") And Leno was back to listing goofy headlines or ads, such as a desktop shredder that claims to handle top-secret documents but is shown shredding a grocery list.

Still, many writers say this is the time to reconsider the craft entirely. "For a lot of us, irony had long ago been reduced to a cynicism whose well had pretty much run dry," says Mo Rocca, a correspondent for Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." "This will force us to experiment with new tones, with new kinds of funny."

"It's certainly possible to be funny without being sarcastic," Mr. Rocca adds. "And it is certainly possible to be ironic without sneering or allowing base sarcasm or just plain meanness to pass for irony."

Whether America's current self-examination on everything from late-night comedy to international cooperation is long or short-lived, one thing is certain: Humor will return, in one form or another.

"Watch for the license we give to humorists over time," says Mintz. "If this trend of world events continues and people continue to feel as vulnerable as they do now, there will definitely be a change in the nature, centrality, and acceptance of humor."

Everyone in New York is turning patriotic. Today I went into Rupert G's [restaurant] and ordered takeout soup, and when I got it back to my desk, the cockroaches had spelled out, "USA."

- Letterman

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