It seems to me that humour is everybody's way of keeping sane and standing off from the situations so that they can see it intellectually, as well as emotionally, and I don't know whether you've noticed, but if somebody tells a joke, it's nearly always a mini fantasy.
“Today, in American imperialism, the commodity has reached its most grandiose historical manifestation.”
“The radio for these women is like television is for us today, which is really like looking at the radio.”