One says, "This is not funny, " only to be drowned out by the laughter of the main speaker and those supporting him.

CNN: Why don't some boys see it as rape?

This is a tension which, apart from occasional spasms such as 19th-century British abolitionism (which, interestingly, did not prevent Britain from supporting the Confederacy to keep the cotton flowing to the mills of Lancashire), not only is absent from other nations, but elicits cynical laughter from them.

ECONOMIST: Letters

Speaking of 'tween heartthrobs, Scott Brown is here. (Applause.) I admire Scott -- a rare politician in Washington with nothing to hide. (Laughter.) Now, you should be aware that Scott Brown is not the only one with a salacious photo spread floating around.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama and Jay Leno at White House Correspondents Dinner | The White House