TOP DRAWER SATIRE

 

Laughter, Limited
by
HL Carpenter

 

Giggles Inc., a small laughter manufacturing firm, is agitating to eliminate a regulation that restricts the amount of frivolity available to individuals.

“We’re serious about fighting grimness,” says a somber company representative. “Repealing limits on laughter is the only way to lighten things up.”

Research by an industry trade group indicates the no-laugh law has been extremely effective in convincing Americans to conserve merriment and joyfulness. According to polls, millions believe happiness is a scarce commodity that must be preserved for future generations.

Giggles plans to reverse that notion by launching a nation-wide educational program. Interactive lessons will include topics such as “Laughter is a Renewable Resource” and “Laughter is Contagious, But Not Deadly”.

Critics of the proposed program say Giggles merely wants to snicker all the way to the bank, by expanding what could potentially be a lucrative market. But those same critics admit that limiting joy is nothing to chuckle about.

Whether Giggles will be successful in its effort to return to pre-legislative gales of unrestricted hilarity remains to be seen. Any change would have to be authorized by Congress, and most pro-laughter groups agree there’s a built-in bias toward solemnity in Washington.

“It’s an occupational hazard,” says an industry spokesperson. “When politicians laugh, voters wonder what they’re up to.”

 

Originally published February 2007.