David Brooks: The nuclear family was never going to last

[Mersky]

2. Then you haven't met my MIL.

But more seriously, most ‘good’ comedy works because it turns on that which is true. Might be hard, ugly, or gross, but nonetheless rooted in truth. I can’t, for the life of me, think of one comedian who focuses heavily on MILs, then again it could be because of my migraine-ish headache. I can’t help but stand up for comedians, cuz bless their hearts, I don’t know what I’d do without them.

I do think there are societal issues of taking on fast-paced modernity and all the inter-generational disagreement that comes with it. The idea of some ideal American tradition of nuclear family falls away when you consider the histories of slavery, foundlings, orphan trains, and peoples displaced in their struggles to make a life in this country. If it’s the 1950s mirroring of American familial perfection that we’re lacking, well, most everyone will be disappointed in their efforts to take on 2020.