For hundreds of years, the satirists of their times have been the ones most familiar with societal tides. The value we add to society is helping explain society to society in real time. The very best comedians - the Bill Burrs, the Chris Rocks, the Dave Chappelles, the Sarah Silvermans, and the Adam Sandlers (it is my aim to be in that lauded group as well) - are holding up a mirror to society and saying, "This is what's happening. Let's talk abut this a little before we accept it as part of the culture." These days, people go to see comedians not just because they want to get a good laugh, but also because they sincerely want the comedians to make sense of a world that seems to have gone mad, relatively quickly.