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Humor almost disappeared from American culture in the period immediately following the tragedies of 11 September 2001. For more than two weeks nary a joke was to be heard throughout the land, let alone any of the to-be-expected outpourings of sick humor that often chase close upon the heels of horrific events. The Challenger explosion, the death of Princess Diana: those were almost immediately the subject of gallows humor offerings, some of which were so appallingly tasteless as to provoke a smile in even those most reluctant to laugh. This time things were different: the terrorist attacks and the staggering loss of human life on that beautiful September morn silenced thelaughter. Yet laughter is necessary to the healing process and to the process whereby we begin to come to terms with events of great magnitude, both personal and global. The loss of a family member becomes a joking matter, not because that person wasn't loved and treasured or isn't grievously missed, but because he was and is. Likewise, horrific large-scale events become fodder for the joke-makers, and through their product we begin to deal with the sorrow that would otherwise overwhelm us. Laughter reminds us that the world goes on, and that we must go on with it. During the third week following the attack, humor began to make its reappearance, but not in its previous brazen, anything-goes manner. Akin to a rabbit poking its head from its hole, tentatively sniffing the air, alert to all nuances of potential danger and ready to dash back to safety at the first hint of anything going wrong, the jokes were uncertain and the laughter nervous. The events of September 11 were scrupulously avoided. But it was a beginning. The fourth week brought a further loosening as the rabbit came a bit more out of its hole. There was yet a little more expansion into areas of humor that each of us had quietly declared off limits in the aftermath of the tragedy. One story was an example of this fourth stage. It's an apocryphal tale as told: no names are given, and there is no pretense of this true story being anything but an inventive offering. But it does employ the massive destruction of the World Trade Center towers as the backdrop for its tale of marital infidelity uncovered: The following version began making its Internet rounds in May 2002. Notice how the story has been fleshed out with additional detail: In June 2002, this joke began to circulate in the form of an image of a purported newspaper clipping: A similar legend of a man trapped into having to reveal his adulterous activities began to circulate several weeks after Malaysia Arlines Flight 370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared on 8 March 2014:
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