Ours is a culture coming unstuck. The recent history of humor holds a small but clear example of this. Plot the following three data points and then draw in the vector. The humor derives from showing up the distance between characters, their actions, judgments and so on, and what ought to be. A shared standard is presupposed.
Critique goes hand in hand with laughter.
We are asked to laugh at genuine folly. Characters and situations provide continuity, a set of expectations. The humor derives from preposterous juxtapositions that transgress those expectations. Here juxtaposition alone provides most of the humor. Some of the items on the list have a Far Side feel to them, some even harken back to Trudeau's critical intent.