No,
Laughing matters
The Desire to write about funny is evidence that the sense of humor is lost to us for good. –Bernard Shaw
This book is a non-commercial work produced as a student research project for educational purposes only.
What color were Christie McAuliffe’s eyes?
Copyright © 2008 Kristín Agnarsdóttir All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the author. Published in the United States of America by Kristín Agnarsdóttir kristinagnars@gmail.com San Francisco, California Written, designed and produced by Kristín Agnarsdóttir Sponsored by the Academy of Art University GR 600 Visual Communications Lab Instructors Phil Hamlett, Hunter Wimmer Spring 2008 Cartoons by Hugleikur Dagsson reprinted with kind permission from the author. Other illustrations and photographs are grabbed from television, CSA Archive Images, Digital Stock Library at Academy of Art University and by Kristín Agnarsdóttir.
Blue. One blew this way and one blew that way.
IIpride pridemyself myself on onsaying saying real realsh*# sh*#that that people peopledon’t don’t even evennotice noticeI’m I’m saying, saying,But But they theyfeel feelit. it. –Dave –DaveChapelle Chapelle
Dark humor & a dark place I love
comedy. So much that I have problems distinguishing between what is serious and what is not. I, like many others, am uncomfortable with sincerity and therefore resort to witty remarks, puns and sarcastic retorts to guard my self-esteem. The last resort; selfdeprecation. Growing up, I would frequently act out skits with my older brother, he would take care of impersonations, I would clown around and shock. I found out later that this is quite common behavior for younger siblings; get creative in attention-getting ways and will often find their niche in clowning around. I was no exception, as a side note, my
first big crush was Chevy Chase and I just recently found out, to my great surprise that he was not viewed by many as a heart throb. This tendency to shock people started to snowball somewhat in my teens as the angst was settling in and so instead of being sincere or calm, an extroverted clown would come out. Thankfully that has subsided (or so I believe). Today, I live in a country that seems to shock easily. Oddly enough as bombs are dropped on live TV, presidents scandalize and disasters are broadcast as entertainment, it is the unpolitically correct jokes that seem to cross the line with people.
NO, LAUGHING MATTERS•9
Iceland Ain’t No Niceland
Icelanders don’t cry in public, nor do they hold hands with our significant other, in fact most public displays of affection are generally frowned upon. Expressing jealousy or passion is also a pool that we don’t dip our little toes in. In Iceland, we don’t have ‘please’ in our vocabulary (‘ef þú vildir vera svo væn/n’ doesn’t really roll of the tongue) nor do we frequently use the word thank you, be it not for the sarcastic way that is followed by a smirk. This can be quite off-putting and we get misunderstood as cold and a little abrasive even, but this attitude is only skin-deep. We are warm once you’re in the circle, but not until then. The humor is as cold as the demeanor. With little daylight, an extremely hostile climate and a hard working ethic we tend to end up laughing at basically everything. The darker and more absurd the humor the more we laugh. Our homogeneity can’t be left aside either, as we’re all the same –there aren’t any others to offend.
hugleikur dagsson Should you be laughing at this? Harper Collins Publishers. 10•No, laughing matters
More than Boobs and Farts The
ability to laugh is according to many scholars, what separates us from animals. For as long as we have existed we have amused ourselves. We laugh more in the presence of others than in solidarity, an odd misplaced object in your fridge will be funny to you if you are alone, whereas in the company of others, you will most certainly laugh. Studies have even verified this, some even go so far to say that laughter barely exists in solitary. The saying however ‘laughing to keep from crying’ touches more on the subject at hand in this book. According to Herbert Spencer (1800s), laughter can be caused by a range of feelings, not always pleasant (for instance
12•No, laughing matters
sardonic and hysterical laughter). Strong emotional upheavals lead to a build-up of nervous energy. This energy seeks to escape, and most easily does so through those muscles which, because of low mass, have the least inertia: the mouth muscles, the mimetic muscles, the vocal apparatus, and the respiratory musculature. If not, the body will begin to use other escape channels such as shaking. This theory I find quite interesting, as it validates what I believe to be a trait of so many shy clowns out there. Many comedians found goofing around to be the way to break the uncomfortable silences. Class-clowns often tend to be awkward people when not able to resort to wisecracks and
NO, LAUGHING MATTERS•13
A sense of humor is a It is a sign of good I stakes precisely on t smart fellow has m survival. That is wh can be a much bigger than the pumped-up
strong male quality. ntellect. Evolution he intellect since a ore chances of y a sense of humor sign of masculinity muscles 窶的gor Krichtfovotich
14窶｢No, laughing matters
NO, LAUGHING MATTERS窶｢15
A business man was having economic
fooling around. Put them on the couch and ask them to be sincere and watch what happens. Jokes are also a sign of leadership and of a certain aggression. It is hard to try and argue that society is not a constant battle, especially the western culture as we know it. We build ourselves up by putting others down. Families, especially groups of siblings use joking to establish a hierarchy, and this is by some believed to be practicing for bigger battles in life of the social kind. But it is, in my belief, not the context of the joke that we are aggressive towards, but rather the mere act of joking, of being somewhat indifferent, showing a sign of strength, being able to distance ourselves from the issue at hand, whatever the issue may be.
16•No, laughing matters
The build up or build down
Many interesting theories exist on humor, one being the incongruity theory, an old theory re-invented numerous times with slightly different definitions. Basically what the theory entails is the element of surprise that happens in a joke. The joke builds up to something big and ends up with small and vice versa. You expect something that is then broken. For example the joke on the following page plays on the incongruity that in the professional world, honesty, loyalty and responsibility are important traits that we are evaluated upon. In reality though (and the appropriate incongruity) relies on the fact on how women workers tend to, in practice, be valued more by “their other assets, to use a very bad pun.
difficulties and was in the position of having to dismiss some of his employees. He had three secretaries, and he would have to let two of them go, but he didn’t know which two to let go and which one to keep. He explained his dilemma to a colleague over lunch one day, and the friend made the following suggestion: “Listen, this may cost you a little money up front, but it will be well worth it and will pay for itself in the long run. Next payday, add an extra five hundred dollars to each of their paychecks and see how they respond. That will give you an idea of who to keep.” The next payday came around and he took his friend’s advice. The first secretary looked at her check and said to herself, “The boss overpaid me by five hundred dollars. I’d better get that extra money back to him right away. I know the business is in trouble, and he can’t afford such errors.” The second secretary looked at her check and said to herself: “He overpaid me by five hundred dollars. He will eventually discover the error, but in the meantime, I will bank the money. When he asks me to give it back I’ll return it, but I will keep whatever interest it accumulates.” The third secretary looked at her check and said to herself: “He overpaid me by five hundred dollars. He’ll eventually discover his mistake and ask for the money back, but I won’t give it back. I’ll just quit. The business is not doing all that well, and it will probably go under. At least I’ll be five hundred dollars ahead.” Which secretary got to keep her job? –The one with the big tits. NO, LAUGHING MATTERS•17
What was the last thing that went through astronaut Christine McAuliffe’s head on the the Challenger shuttle? steering
What was the last thing going through Mr. Jones' head when he was working on the World Trade Center's 90th floor? The 91 st floor
wheel
A shorter example would be a random pull from the era of bad Bill Clinton jokes after his alleged adultery with an intern: Q: What does Bill Clinton say after coming to his wife? A: -I’ll be home in twenty minutes. Here we rely on the incongruity that Bill Clinton is a womanizer. The appropriate incongruity is that he’s not with his wife. Relating to dreams
Sigmund Freud, on the other hand, gave jokes a much bigger meaning. Freud believed our jokes to be connected to the way we dream, releasing things normally suppressed. The catch was that the translation was somehow scrambled, thus not reflecting our true psyche - but only an altered version of it. His
18•No, laughing matters
release theory certainly makes sense. If we think back to the poo and fart jokes, when were they most funny? Commonly the answer will be right after our parents taught us to suppress it. This is all obviously related to the other culture suppression theories of Freud. The final theory I’ll mention in this short introduction is the superiority theory; that jokes are always on some level malicious, however small that level may be. Slapstick is a form of this, someone falls and we laugh, they fail we conquer; basically we put others down to elevate ourselves. Not nice, but none the less a part of human nature. This part of humor, is something that we can look more into in the next chapter as we explore the stereotypes in a multicultural society.
When bad things happen to other people
For most media-covered disaster, whether natural or not, there is a joke cycle that follows. Some weeks after the Challenger shuttle exploded in mid-air and was aired non-stop on network television, a joke-cycle emerged. Anything from NASA acronym spins (Need Another Seven Astronauts) to shampoo puns began cyrcling around and at one point the editor of The Los Angeles Times wrote an editorial about the jokes deeming them as cruel and disrespectful. He added he would never print them in his paper. But is that maybe why indeed these jokes exist? Could it be connected to the way the media exploits other people’s grief? News channels have gotten very good at exploiting horrible circumstances and milking
NO, LAUGHING MATTERS•19
them for every moment they can. Broadcasting a bomb being dropped in the Gulf War is a good example of this. The endless coverage of Princess Diana’s death is another. Repeating the 9/11 live broadcast, in its entirety of multiple hours on the five year anniversary of the attacks yet another. I’m sure we can all think of many more of the top of our heads. At first there is the shock, you sit down, mesmerized and wait for more information, perhaps the day after you are still very sincerely interested in the subject, but it is the seven or ten days later, when your empathy runs out, or you
simply need to get on with your life that coverage starts to feel like ‘emotional porn’. This is when we start to feel like were being manipulated or even bullied into feeling endless empathy for something we are incapable of doing. And then the jokes start, our only weapon of power, something even the media (at least the editor at the LA Times) can’t touch. We’re protesting and declaring (and even exaggerating) our feelings; life goes on, we can’t cry anymore no matter how many reruns of loved ones grieving at memorial services they broadcast.
Afghanistan Weather Report The weather in Afghanistan tomorrow is expected to be sunny with increasing mushroom clouds in the afternoon. The temperature looks to be a moderate 2000° with cool winds upwards of around 700 mph.
20•No, laughing matters
NO, LAUGHING MATTERS•21
I’M WITH Stupid We
allhave a tendency to mock the guy across the fence. Such has been the way for centuries. In the States, the Poles, the Portuguese and the Italians were mocked but in France the Belgians and the French Swiss were the butts of the jokes. In western Canada, jokes were told about the stupidity of Icelanders and Ukranes. These jokes rely on the characteristics of stereotypes and national identities. The stereotypes that we mock is what we shall look at here.
aggressive? Finally, an African American from Brooklyn. What do you think he’s like? Do you anticipate that he swears?, is a hipster? Likes rap? Isn’t destined for a future in academia?
Studies of racial and group slurs coincide with the nationalism throughout Europe in the 19th century. That would of course be no coincidence. This genre of jokes; ‘Blason Populaire’ is an offspring of the friction that exists within multicultural societies. A typical technique, Picture a blonde, perhaps with a according to Sociologist Alan Swedish accent. What is your Dundes, depicts two or more initial perception of her character? individuals (representing Do you think she’s maybe a party their respective folk groups) girl?, fun and fancy-free?, ‘loose’? performing the same act, a A little naive maybe? And next, splendid exemplification of the a Jewish mother? A little loud? comparative method. The act Opinionated? Maybe passiveitself is held constant while
22•No, laughing matters
Superiority Theory in Multicultural Societies
presumably the only variable is the characteristic, stereotyped behavior of each folk group represented. This could be interpreted as an extension of the formerly described superiority theory where you, as an individual, are making fun of the person next to you on an individual level. Only this time, it’s your ethnic or racial group and theirs. We are all, whether we like it or not, somewhat reliant on stereotypes. You might be thinking that you are quite well rounded in the groups of the world and the different types that occupy it, but sure enough, if you think long enough, you’ll come across a group of people where the bulk of your knowledge of that particular group is derived from stereotypes; African Americans? Jewish American Princesses? Feminists? Gangsters? Republicans? Vegans? Gunowners? French farmers? We absolutely cannot be totally aware and knowledgeable of all the other cultures around us. We rely on these ideas or images
especially at first glance, when flipping through channels; what would you expect from a black comedian? Would it surprise you to hear him joke about the tax system? And the same for a Jewish comedian, would it feel out of place to hear gun jokes? Would that only be for the flannel shirt ‘cable guy’ genre of comedians? We even rely on them somewhat in self-definition. I, myself, am guilty of that trait. Were I not from the strong Viking culture, but perhaps the French one, I’m quite sure I would define myself as more feminine and even behave in accordance to that. Probably wouldn’t even be the behavior I’d be altering, my self-identity would simply be different, and therefore my character. Imagine if you were born or raised somewhere completely different. Specifically where your race or gender is viewed differently. How would it affect the way you behave normally? Would your identity be vastly different? Your character traits?
Elderly Jewish people & young black men A list by Sarah Silverman
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
They like their sneakers white. Dig the tracksuits. Both poof their hair They love money, diamonds and bling Their crazy about their grandchildren. Very big on Cadillacs All their friends are dying. They say ‘yo’ a lot, but Jews obviously say it right to left. They love orange soda.
NO, LAUGHING MATTERS•25
This doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Stereotypes do not necessarily as we all know have to have some truth to them. Some do, some don’t. Some are believed to have some kernel of truth to them (this is especially true for international stereotypes) but since many scholars believe there to be no such thing as a national character, it makes it almost impossible to say either way. Even though many different countries will all share their belief of the militaristic and ‘precise’ manner of a German, that does not mean that the Germans possess those traits by any means, even though Germans’ self image was in part corresponding with the image of others. Though they might perceive themselves as being militaristic, does not at all mean that they are. Of the traits that do borrow from the truth, let’s take Jew jokes for example. On a serious level, Jews and Scots are considered to be economical, not a bad trait at all. Quite a good one. But it is the nature of jokes to not only reinforce stereotypes but exaggerate their traits, thus economical becomes stingy.
But at what point does that trait cross the line? And why? That is something that can not easily be answered. Finally let’s not forget that as with the economical qualities of Scots and Jews, most traits in ethnic group jokes are transferable somewhat; the Chinese and Mexican are bad drivers, the Greek and the French somewhat horny, and not picky about their sexual conquests. That been said, we still tend to poke fun at each other, be it because of our derogatory nature or simply as some observational entertainment, the Pollack jokes, the Irish Catholic and the ‘Redneck’ jokes will always exist in some shape or form. Trying to ignore their existence is ignoring the elephant in the room. We’re all somewhat different, even though we like to think we’re the same. But we are not poking fun of the souls or essence of other groups, we are simply poking fun at a stereotypical behavior that has been created, whether it has some kernel of truth to it or not.
Token Black on South Park is portrayed, in a satire on racial stereotypes, as having the wealthiest family in South Park, which leaves him open to ridicule from the boys not for being black, but for being rich. The name ‘Token’ comes from tokenism or token character where a single character is not white.
26•No, laughing matters
NO, LAUGHING MATTERS•27
IF U R 1 How come you all look alike? Just kidding, but seriously, do you think all white people look alike? Because, no offense, I think all blacks look alike. Same with Asians. Even Jews. People from Connecticut? They ALL look alike. Same with gays. And pretty much any minority group I may have forgotten. You know who looks a lot alike? Portuguese people who write shitty college humor columns. See, can’t get mad now, because I self-deprecated. Self-deprecation. It’s like a life jacket. Ten things I Don’t Understand About Black People. Justin Rebello National Lampoon: Not Fit For Print.
28•No, laughing matters
There is of course the factor that one can make fun of their own group, and therefore it would fall into the category of self-depreciation, or close enough. This was the topic of a famous Seinfeld episode where Jerry is annoyed that his dentist believes he can now make Jew jokes, as he has converted to Judaism. As the storyline develops he tells Catholic jokes as well as, according to him –he used to be one. There is of course much truth to this. We don’t get upset when black comedians reinforce long dated black stereotypes, after all –it’s only comedy. Same thing goes for women and feminist jokes. In a talk with a writer friend, she admitted to being comfortable writing derogatory jokes about women after establishing herself as a feminist (which she is), until that point she felt chauvinistic doing so. On the flip side though we can become too accustomed to the joke matching the teller. There are many examples of comedians relying highly on stereotypes in their humor, and getting away with simply because they are one; Woody Allen, Chris Rock, Larry the Cable Guy. ‘David; The Only Gay in The Village’ an outrageously flamboyant character on BBC’s Little Britain offended many, until they realized that the creator / actor, Matt Lucas, thankfully, was gay. Phew!
NO, LAUGHING MATTERS•29
A spoonful of sugar Comedy can be a useful tool when tackling subjects too sensitive for news networks.
30•No, Laughing matters
NO, LAUGHING MATTERS•31
Social
imbalances and sensitive issues should always be kept in forethought. Western society to me is very racially infested and we have a long way to go. For comedy to be able to reflect the society we live in, it has to be allowed to touch on all issues, no matter how offensive or sensitive they are. If we can discuss these things on a serious level, comedy too should get its turn. The positive effects of comedy poking at injustices or perhaps a dark phenomenon that lurks under the surface (an unspeakable of sorts) is that indeed, a spoonful of sugar does help the medicine go down. For example, imagine Jon Stewart without the humor. Just annoying ranting from an angry liberal perhaps? Thankfully he has wit, and he does help to keep the issues at the top of our mind; to always question government and be critical of the things in our environment. There are mainly two ways of using stereotypes in humor. There is mimicking where the character/s behaves a certain way and there is the stereotype with the point. This is the humor that over rules political correctness. Here the comedy takes advantage of certain traits and imbalances and makes a point, pokes at issues and all in all serves a higher purpose than entertainment normally does. Following are examples that I believe raise important issues, and tackle things that perhaps are hard to address normally.
Coming up:
TOP 10
Comedy Raising Issues 32•No, Laughing matters
Racist Word Association Interview Saturday night live : 1979 written by: Paul mooney Starring : chevy chase (interviewer) & Richard Pryor (Mr. Wilson)
“Pod”. “Negro”. Mr.W: “Whitey”. I: “Tar baby”.
34•No, laughing matters
more psychological test we always do here. It’s just a Word Association. I’ll throw you out a few words anything that comes to your mind, just throw back at me, okay? It’s kind of an arbitrary thing. Like, if I say “dog”, you’d say..? Mr.W: “Tree”. I: “Tree”. [ nods head, prepares the
test papers ] “Dog”.
“Tree”. I: “Fast”. Mr.W: “Slow”. I: “Rain”. Mr.W: “Snow”. I: “White”. Mr.W: “Black”. I: “Bean”. Mr.W:
Your momma! $7,500 a year? Mr.W: Your grandmomma! I: [ desperate ] $15,000, Mr.Wilson. You’ll be the highest paid janitor in America. Just, don’t.. don’t hurt me, please.. Mr.W: Okay. I: [ relieved ] Okay. Mr.W: You want me to start now? I: Oh, no, no.. that’s alright. I’ll clean all this up. Take a couple of weeks off, you look tired.
Mr.W: [ defensive ]
Mr.W:
I: [ casually ]
I: [ aggressive ]
I: [ fumbling ] Uh..
Mr.W: [ silent, sure he didn’t hear what
Racist Word Association Interview Written by: Paul Mooney I.....Chevy Chase Mr.W.....Richard Pryor I: Alright, Mr. Wilson, you’ve done just fine on the Rorshact.. your papers are in good order.. your file’s fine.. no difficulties with your motor skills.. And I think you’re probably ready for this job. We’ve got one
“Cracker!” “Spearchucker”. Mr.W: “White trash!” I: “Jungle Bunny!” Mr.W: [ upset ] “Honky!” I: “Spade! Mr.W: [ really upset ] “Honky Honky!” I: [ relentless ] “Nigger!” Mr.W: [ immediate ] “Dead honky!”
Mr.W:
he thinks he heard ] What’d you say? I: [ repeating ] “Tar baby”.
“Ofay”. “Colored”. Mr.W: “Redneck”. I: “Jungle bunny”. Mr.W: I:
Mr.W: [ starting to get angry ]
“Peckerwood!” I: “Burrhead”.
[ face starts to flinch ] I: [ quickly wraps the interview up ]
Okay, Mr. Wilson, I think you’re qualified for this job. How about a starting salary of $5,000?
[ fade ]
NO, LAUGHING MATTERS•35
The Great Dictator 1940 directed by & starring: Charlie Chaplin
The Great Dictator is a film directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin. The film was first released in October 1940, it bitterly satirizes Nazism and Adolf Hitler, culminating in an overt political plea to defy fascism. The film is unusual for its period, in the days prior to American entry into World War II, as the United States was still formally at peace with Nazi Germany. Well before the full extent of the horrors of Nazism had been uncovered, Chaplin’s film advanced a stirring, controversial condemnation of Hitler, fascism, anti-Semitism, and the Nazis.
36•No, laughing matters
The Black White Supremacist THE DAVE CHAPELLE SHOW “clayton Bigsby” season one starring: DAVE CHAPELLE
A sketch that Dave Chapelle himself described as the ‘craziest thing he’s ever done’ portrays a White Supremacist that is actually a Black blind man. The sketch uses the term commonly referred to as the ‘N’ word, something Chapelle tried to lesson the venom of in his comedy. In a 2006 interview Chapelle talked about how his attempt might not have been such a good idea as he feels we are not responsible enough to handle that word among others, as it has so much power and can still start a fight. Chapelle himself said he flinched when white people would approach him and praise him for ‘the Niggar sketch’ another one of his staples following the Niggar family, a white family in the 50s.
NO, LAUGHING MATTERS•39
South Park Matt stone & trey Parker creators Thanksgiving special, 1st season.
44•No, laughing matters
The creators of South Park; Matt Stone and Trey Parker, rely heavily on the exaggeration of stereotypes and offensive humor with underlying social commentary. They have through twelve seasons portrayed most stereotypes and groups imaginable. Starvin Marvin was one of their first, an Ethiopian exchange student. The episode was a Thanksgiving special.
NO, LAUGHING MATTERS•41
White Like Eddie Saturday night live 1984 Starring: Eddie Murphy & Jim Downey (clerk) EM: You know, a lot of people
talk about racial prejudice. And some people have gone so far as to say that there are actually two Americas: one black and one white. But talk is cheap. So I decided to look into the problem myself, firsthand. To go underground and actually experience America.. As a white man. [ enters Make Up Room ]
I hired the best make-up people in the business. If I was gonna pass as a white man, everything had to be perfect. EM Voice-over:
For you have done so much to fill my life with happiness.” EM Voice-over: Finally, I was ready. [ Eddie walks onto the street,
Clerk:
I’m sorry. This is not a charity. This is a business.. White Loan Officer: Uh, Harry, why don’t you, uh, take your break now? I’ll take care of… uh… Mr. White. Loan Officer: Well.. okay. Thanks, Bob. [ exits ]
EM:
White Loan Officer: [
the perfect portrait of a white man. He enters a store, grabs a newspaper and drops it on the counter. ]
What are you doing? I’m buying this newspaper. Clerk: That’s all right. There’s nobody around. Go ahead, take it. Take it. [ Eddie gives him a quizzical look ] Go ahead, take it. Yeah. Take it. Take it.
laughs, then sits ] That was a
close one, wasn’t it? EM: It certainly was.
to Eddie catching a bus. He sits down between two white women. ]
We don’t have to bother with these formalities, do we, Mr. White? EM: What a silly Negro! White Loan Officer: Just take what you want, Mr. White. Pay us back anytime. Or don’t. We don’t care. EM: Tell me, do you know of any other banks like this in this area?
That’s, uh… I look kind of Harry Reemsish. Make-up Artist: Mmm, I like it. EM: I studied for my role very carefully. I watched lots of “Dynasty”.
EM Voice-over: There was only
[ cut to Eddie in Make-up Room ]
one other black man on the bus. He got off on 45th Street. [ the bus
EM:
[ show Eddie watching TV ]
The problem was much more serious than I’d ever imagined.
[ make-up is placed on Eddie’s face ]
Hmm, I think that’s a little light. Make-up Artist: Okay, let’s try this. [ applies fake white EM:
moustache on Eddie’s lips ] EM:
EM: See? See how they walk?
Their butts are real tight when they walk. They keep their butts tight. I’ve gotta remember to keep my butt tight when I walk. EM Voice-over: And, I read a whole bunch of Hallmark Cards. [ show Eddie reading greeting cards ]
“For my lovely wife.” That’s it. That’s it. That’s it. Go ahead. “You always mean lots more to me than you could ever guess. EM:
[ Eddie takes the newspaper, and cautiously exits ]
Slowly, I began to realize that when white people are alone, they give things to each other for free. [ cut EM Voice-over:
driver looks around the bus carefully, then sets a party in motion, complete with music and cigarette girls ]
[ cut to Eddie at a bank, talking to a black Loan Officer ]
Now, let me get this straight, Mr., …uh… Mr. White. You’d like to borrow $50,000 from our bank, but you have no collateral, you have no credit. You don’t even have any I.D. Is that correct? EM: That’s right. Loan Officer: Mr. White, Loan Officer:
White Loan Officer:
So, what did I learn from all of this? Well, I learned that we still have a very long way to go in this country before all men are truly equal. But I’ll tell you something. [ pan to reveal Eddie’s black buddies applying white make-up to their faces ] I’ve got a
lot of friends, and we’ve got a lot of makeup. So, the next time you’re huggin’ up with some really super, groovy white guy, or you met a really great, super keen white chick, don’t be too sure. They might be black. [ fade to black ]
NO, LAUGHING MATTERS•43
Borat Sagdiyev Da ali g. show Starring: Sacha baron cohen
Originally airing ast a character on ‘Da Ali G Show’ in the UK, Sacha Baron Cohen cleverly portrayed misconceived stereotypes. Among those was Borat the reporter from Kazhakstan. The issue behind this particular character would be the recent immigration flood into western European countries following the open border policy in the European Economic Community. The normal European could barely cite the names of all the eastern European countries, let alone be knowledgeable of their cultures. This Gipsy-esque culture was not what some clean northern countries were ready or willing to cater to.
NO, LAUGHING MATTERS•45
Little Britain Starring: Matt lucas & David Walliams Judy: Racist old lady at fair
British television series with record viewing. Matt Lucas and David Walliams mock the lower working classes of England like the poor, overly defensive and always pregnant teenager with an attitude problem, the obese and rich
divorcee who has moved into a spa/fat camp. Inbred and socially infested upper middle classes and sexually perverted politicians are also common targets. Judy, one of their characters is a racist white upper class lady who’s social life
revolves around church events and county fairs. Judy vomits whenever she tastes something made by someone black, Indian, gay, uneducated or poor. It’s clever to see such a disgusting view with something physically disgusting.
NO, LAUGHING MATTERS•47
Prophet Mohammed with bomb Cartoonist: Kurt westergaard Jyllands posten, denmark
And now for the mother of them all. I have to say that I wasn’t quite sure if I should include this, but on the basis that this is comedy raising issues, and to not be ‘captive’ of my topic, I decided to do keep it. On September 30th 2005 Jyllands Posten published this cartoon depicting The Prophet Mohammed with a bomb in his turban. According to Westergaard the cartoon was aimed at fanatical Muslim terrorists, a small part of the Islamic community. Unfortunately his cartoon has become iconic in the friction between Muslim communities and others and groups associated with Islamaphobia. Something that Westergaard really didn’t want and has been suing individuals misinterpreting his cartoon. This cartoon is undoubtedly one of the most controversial ones to date, unleashing enormous friction, retaliation and anger. The issue still remains a hot topic; Westergaard still lives in hiding under police protection and the article is locked for editing in Wikipedia. Westergaard said in a recent interview with Spiegel that he does not regret drawing the cartoon and adds that he hopes that “our Muslim fellow citizens will understand what it means to live in a democracy. Even if you are against the democracy, you can still live there, but you must fight with peaceful means. In Denmark we have a saying: Democracy goes to bed with its enemies –not out of desire but out of principle.”
NO, LAUGHING MATTERS•51 Chapter•49
#
9
Converting for the jokes Seinfeld “yada yada” season eight starring: jerry Seinfeld & Bryan Cranston (Tim whatley)
In a satire on the self-deprecation factor in humor (If you are one, you can) Seinfeld gets upset with his dentist, Whatley, who converts to Judaism and two days later is making Jewish jokes. When Jerry addresses the issue with Whatley his response “But Jerry, humor is what has sustained us as a people for three thousand years” only pushes Jerry further in his opinion that Whatley converted for the jokes. As the story evolves he goes so far as to say he can still make Catholic jokes as he used to be a Catholic.
52•No, laughing matters
The ‘N’ word Richard Pryor
Richard Pryor was a comedic pioneer in many ways. One of which was creating an alternative means of communication, addressing racial issues and other sensitive topics using characters and his comedy. Pryor was the first to use the word ‘nigger’ on stage creating a sense of empowerment by taking the power of that word used by Whites as a means of oppression against Blacks.
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recycling the absurdity Hugleikur Dagsson is a cartoonist who tackles cannibalism, incest and general mayhem - just to name a few. If any, what is the most common criticism your cartoons get? Most of the time I’ll get positive reactions to my cartoons. Once in a while people get offended, which I think is understandable. If everybody would like it, what kind of world would this be?
hugleikur dagsson Should you be laughing at this? Harper Collins Publishers.
There are not many memorable negative reactions. Though, there was this priest who complained about a scene from one of my stories (‘Fermið okkur’), that was an advertisement for the book on the web. The scene had a priest confessing beating up his child. Maybe the priest who complained
saw himself in the story and was so embarrassed he decided to get the ad censored. Which he managed to do. I read that you first created your cartoons at last minute before a show. Since then, have you developed some sort of theory or philosophy/wisdom behind your cartoons or is it simply still ‘in’ if it’s funny and ‘out’ if it’s not? Do you feel they serve as something more than cartoons? The philosophy behind the cartoons is variable. And the method has changed since I started. For the first books I’d try not to think at all about what I was drawing. Later on I put more thought
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books I’d try not to think at all about what I was drawing. Later on I put more thought into it so I wouldn’t repeat myself. My aim is that as long as it’s funny, I’ll do it. Sometimes though, it doesn’t have to be funny. Sometimes weird or sad is enough. When I started publishing I started getting reviews about how socially relevant my stories were and how full of contemporary satire. That may be true, but that was never really my intention. But I think if you live in this world and are aware of all the horrors and absurdity of it, it’s gonna seep into your creations. At the end of the day, they’re just cartoons, but I believe most good cartoons have something to say.
anything to say about them yet. Like I said, as long as it’s funny, I’ll do it. I never think “hmmm I haven’t done this taboo yet”. I just do whatever pops into my head. Most of the time that happens to be something a little ugly or disgusting, but that’s just the way my mind works. It’s my way of recycling all the crap that comes from the outside. Do you feel politically incorrect humor humor has a role in society? Why? Yeah, I guess it does. Subversive humor is necessary to balance out all those manufactured ‘Barbie sitcoms’ out there. We can’t live in a world where the only music is Celine Dion. We need some Sex Pistols as well in order to survive culturally.
But being politically incorrect isn’t a surefire way to be funny. You can’t just draw a man shitting on his mum and expect everyone to burst out in I don’t really hate political correctness. laughter. You have to put something It’s just not funny. I know there are a extra in there; like some truth or few topics I still haven’t touched on, wackyness that makes it more than but that just means I haven’t had just ordinary offensive. What are your feelings on political correctness? Are there any topics that you wouldn’t touch? Why?
58•No, laughing matters
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Subversive humor is neccesary to balance out all those ‘Barbie sitcoms’ out there. We can’t live in a world where the only music is Celine Dion. We need some Sex Pistols as well in order to survive culturally. –Hugleikur Dagsson
60•No, laughing matters
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Comedy Matters More than just joking around.
When
trying to understand the sensitivity people have towards jokes about other groups and ethnicities I asked around. Friends and colleagues all seemed to agree, it all depends on the circumstances. With some people, usually close ones, you are less censored than you would be in public. Not only in what they might say, but also, more interestingly in their reactions to what others might say. For instance: A friend of mine is disappointed in his colleagues at work for telling jokes about Jews. Not because he is one and is offended, but because he’s afraid one might be in ear-shot. So he goes beyond being only worried about his own boundaries (which aren’t crossed) but imaginary ones of other people. This is step above simply not laughing or engaging in the joke, but being over-aware of your surroundings and the people in it.
62•No, laughing matters
This made me think, I have to admit I’ve been uncomfortable on occasion as things are being said that aren’t quite in my comfort zone, but when I analyze this behavior it doesn’t make a lot of sense. It is not up to me to censor other people’s surroundings just as I would not care for other’s do to so for me. The good, the bad and the ugly
If we assume that humor, as a whole, is a reflection on society, we should not expect it to ignore certain subjects. Like the jokes in the chapter preceding this one portray, there are issues in our culture we would ideally not want, but never the less, are a reality. Humor has to be allowed to touch on all aspects of society, the good, the bad, and especially the ugly. For it is there that we need, as a whole, to better ourselves. One of the impasses that kept appearing in my research is that people seem reluctant to think of comedy outside its predefined box. Just kidding, only joking etc. is engraved in our minds. We’ll disregard something as ‘an inappropriate joke about retards’ and fail to actually think about what the joke is trying to tell us. Is it only making fun of the mentally handicapped or is it perhaps poking at how incredibly mistreated they are in society, even by their family members? And isn’t that something society should be reminded of every once in a while?
hugleikur dagsson Should you be laughing at this? Harper Collins Publishers.
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66•No, laughing matters
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I feel this gap between disregarding humor and actually understanding its validity lies in explanations and educating. A few ways come to mind: Sociology and comedy
Showing important comedy sketches with narration and commentary from sociologists and folklore professors explaining the society at the time, the issues and how we entertained ourselves. For instance, an insight into the comedic genious of Richard Pryor, how he took the malicious ‘N’ -word away as a tool of suppression by using it on stage. This I feel would bring some understanding to the issue if not to only bring up the idea that they’re not ‘just kidding’, that they have something to say. And finally to show us what an important tool laughter is against the evil around us. I Kid ‘Cause I Care
A simple idea of creating awareness that comedians serve this higher
68•No, laughing matters
purpose of social commentary I talk about. Figures often misunderstood such as Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Dave Chapelle, Sarah Silverman and Paul Mooney are portrayed with the campaign slogan ‘I kid ‘cause I care’ and a direction to a website with information about how comedy can help us address issues. For the closer we look into the world of comedy and the more open we are to perhaps being offended or uncomfortable once or twice on the way the more we’ll realize how it serves an important role. Chin up, Chelsea & Chester!
Just as the future generation needs to be taught how to use energy, how to look at the ‘stuff surrounding us’ and have a more educated look on the physical world we live in, I believe that they would too benefit greatly from relearning how to deal with words and humor; The characters; Chester and Chelsea are normal children with their ups and down
America needs an honest discourse with itself. We could actually be the greatest country that ever existed if we were just honest and if we learn how to have that discourse. Things like Racism are institutionalized, it’s a systemic. You might say ‘I’m not a racist because I don’t hate black people’ But you benefit from racism just by marrying the color of your skin and the opportunities you have, you’re privileged in ways that you may not even realize because you haven’t been deprived of certain things. This is something that needs to be talked about in [ order for it to change ], its like the elephant in the living room that nobody says anything about. ... I’m a comedian, that’s how I look at the world and that’s what I’m spitting out. –Dave Chapelle, Inside the Actors Studio. 2006
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like most children. In these books they would learn important lessons about human behavior, cultural friction and mostly - how not to let words hurt them. Every book will tell a small story of everyday life; at school, in sports, playing with friends or even a doctors visit. Each tale presents them with a dilemma - whether exposed to a joke, or having an interaction or reference to culture that puzzles or perhaps stings a little. Through understanding different cultures and upbringings, social backgrounds and cultural history they learn to develop a thick skin and not put such gravity on words.
Dan Perjovschi Project 85. Museum of Modern Art, New York 2007
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Offsetting and reflecting
One way to create dialogue and help people reflect on the power of words, when the line was crossed etc; could be a remote control device which
generates, on demand, a joke of your choosing. Simply select the race, sex, cultural and or religious background (if applicable) and select from one of many lifestyle choice and weaknesses. The ‘Offensive Off setter’ will generate a joke about that person that is sure to offend. And get them back! Concentration game
An altered version of the standard game of concentration where a certain joke matches up with an issue. For instance, some joke about a woman’s breasts in the office would coincide with the friction that ermerged during the womens liberation movement. The Elephant jokes would be clarified with National Identity issues and so on. A simple tool to educate people on the background on our society’s history in humor and in friction.
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Understanding where jokes come from and what the societal issues where when they started is important in comedic tolerance. The new “GET IT?” Concentration game is an interactive way to understand humor and what it is reflecting on. The objective is to match a particular joke with the issue that provoked it.
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How well do you know your stereotypes?
Align right the with group t beha heir vior
How many does it take to change a light bulb?
30•No, Laughing matters
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Author’s epilogue Boundaries are a very personal thing. Through all my research, as much as I would like to see these matters through someone else’s eyes –I can not. Not the full extent, therefore I can only speak for myself and have my views. Otherwise my voice in this book would seem quite forced. In my native language we have a saying; ‘In the presence of the human soul, show caution’, the basic message of it is to be careful to not hurt other people’s feelings. During my research on my topic I found no mention of such a thing. Sociology and folklore are not interested in popularity, they interpret what is, not what should be or would be nice. I decided to go the same route. But I still believe that saying is a valid and important one. My final discovery (or re-discovery as I supposed I knew this before) is that the US has a very young history, and a very dark past. I guess it is the normal evolution for American society to want to back of each other and to live in the ideal, at least for a while until the problem cannot be ignored anymore.
Selected Bibliography Alan Dundes Cracking Jokes: Studies of Sick Humor Cycles and Stereotypes Berkeley: Ten Speed Press 1987
Hugleikur Dagsson Should You Be Laughing At This? New York: HarperCollins Publishers 2006
Elliot Oring Jokes and Their Relations Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky 1992
Christie Davis Jokes and Their Relation to Society New York: Walter de Gruyter 1998
C.H. Dalton A Practical Guide to Racism New York: Gotham Books 2008 Igor Krichtafovitch Humor Theory: Formula of Laughter Denver: Outskirts Press 2006 Jimmy Carr & Lucy Greeves Only Joking: What’s So Funny About Making People Laugh? New York: Gotham Books 2006
Therapeutic Humor, Publication of the American Association for Therapeutic Humor 1997 Saturday Night Live 25 (DVD) Trimark Home Video 1999
South Park - The Complete First Season (DVD) Starring: Trey Parker, Matt Stone Arthur Asa Berger An Anatomy of Director: Trey Parker, Matt Stone New York: Comedy Partners 1997 Humor New Jersey: Transaction Little Britain: The Complete Publishers 1998 Collection (DVD) Director: Steve HUMOR: International Journal of Bendelack, Declan Lowney New Humor Research (Various issues) York: BBC Warner 2007 New York: Mouton De Gruyter Anna Reimann “The Cartoon Must Not Be Used Against Steven M. Sultanoff, Ph.D. Muslims as a Whole” Der Spiegel “Survival of the Witty-est; Online Mar 28 2008 Creating Resilience through Germany: Spiegel Verlag GmbH Humor” Originally published in
Da Ali G Show - Da Compleet Seereez (DVD) Director: Scott Preston HBO Home Video 2006 Chappelle’s Show - Season 1 Director: Andre Allen (II), Bill Berner HBO Home Video 2004 Inside The Actors Studio: Dave Chappelle Director: Jeff Wurtz Shout Factory Theater 2006 Heroes of Black Comedy: Richard Pryor (5 of 5) 2002 Directors: Ninder Billing David Upshal TV Documentary/Mini Series) Channel 4 Television: 4 February 2002 Life of Pryor: The Richard Pryor Story (TV Documentary) BBC: 14 October 2006
For there to be a line we have to cross it every once in a while design consultants Phil Hamlett, Hunter Wimmer. editorial consultants Benjamin Boothby and Eve Fox. Text set in Bitstream Clarendon designed by Hermann Eidenbenz and Edouard Hoffmann in 1953. Letterform based on Clarendon originally created by Haas Hermann Eidenbenz and Edouard Hoffmann. FontFont Unit designed by Erik Spiekermann in 2003. Printed on 80lb text weight Smart White by French Paper Co. Technology Adobe Creative Suite CS3. Epson Stylus Photo R1800 with Epson Ink. iMac 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with Mac OS X operating system. special thanks Valdimar Tryggvi Hafstein
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