The Life of Robin Williams Is the Madness of America

This August 11 is the 10th anniversary of the death of Robin Williams, the most beloved comedian to come out of the new America unleashed by the ’60s, entertaining the country for more than 40 years through a number of changes in genre and medium. Williams was distinctive because he showed us that he was crazy and we recognized ourselves in his act: being American is being crazy. That’s how we live, and he made it seem fun, even glamorous, given the success that followed on his exuberance and his shameless abandon of every propriety or restraint. In our hearts, we would like to rebel. Moreover, his craziness was full of vitality and seemed something we could all be part of. We wanted to believe him because we’re afraid of dying. He made our crazy lives look like they could expand to include anything, everything, and there would never be a price to pay. We didn’t look behind the curtain—we believed the surprises would always be delightful. Then Robin Williams committed suicide, and we were mostly shocked.