Too Hoite Toite?

Ok, so I wasn't going to post anymore this weekend, because I was supposed to be painting. However, the rain, hail, and my ankle are creating problems in that department. Yes, my ankle is still the size of a grapefruit, but I'm trying to "walk it off." There's no real pain anymore, just a swollen foot and ankle that hurts when it's touched, but not when it's moved.
On to the point of this post. I went out on a double date last night with another couple. Jill and Derek (you may recall Jill from a previous post) met us at Chiang Mai Tai (obviously I mean my wife and I....You know, because my mistress and I don't go to Uptown...sheesh). The highlight of the evening, however, came after dinner over at The Brave New Workshop. They are currently running a show I recommend called Shut Your American Pie-Hole; or Discount Family Values. It was brilliant. Sure, it was only their fourth preview, and at times the show was rough, but overall it was extremely funny. The audience learned "What Would Terri (Schiavo) Want", that Dr. Laura did porn (sadly true), and many other funny aspects of our society. BNW usually uses word of mouth to help people go see the shows, so I am sending it out there to you, my dear readers, to go and see this show. It's brilliant.
Very few people truly understand satire. I myself have a section of my Senior English class dedicated to teaching the students about the literary technique. What's interesting, however, is that a great deal of people (because of beliefs) don't find much satire funny now. I remember watching The Simpsons with my mother-in-law, and she didn't like that they were making fun of the current government. I believe satire is also the greatest form of comedy, because it assumes that the audience is knowledgeable about the subject. Fart jokes can be funny. Slapstick a la The Three Stooges? Sure. Satire, however, is lost on a great deal of people, because the humor is too "high." The greatest example of this is Huckleberry Finn. Twain wrote the book to be a satire of 1840's Southern America. After being published, Twain (nee Clemons) was already being accused of racism. At one point in the 1930s, Twain's "views on blacks" were used by racists to explain why minorities needed to be "put in their place." Even now people ban Huckleberry Finn in schools and libraries, because they see it as racist. Yes, the character is known as "Nigger Jim," but again, in 1840s America, he would have been known that way, aaaannnnnddd the book is satire (Remind me at some point to discuss my feelings on banning books).
I could go on, but I shouldn't. In conclusion, I recommend Shut your American Pie-Hole, I recommend reading Huck Finn again, but seeing it as satire, and I recommend everyone doing something super-fun today and tomorrow before the school year begins.