Not just for laughs: 3 new ideas about humour
鈥楩眉hrer Humor鈥� 鈥� politically incorrect or fair game?
from the University of Sydney鈥檚 has researched Hitler comedy or 鈥楩眉hrer Humor鈥�.
鈥淭here is an argument that one shouldn鈥檛 make jokes about Nazi Germany or make fun of Hitler,鈥� Dr Nickl said.
鈥淏ut even before the end of the Second World War Hitler and Nazism were targets of humour. Isn鈥檛 that what Charlie Chaplin did in his film 鈥淭he Great Dictator鈥� from 1940? Or, post-war, Mel Brooks, when he put together 鈥淭he Producers鈥� in 1968?聽
鈥淥nly a couple of months ago I wrote several pieces for The Conversation about these very questions. One was related to the Fair Work Commission, which dealt with a worker being fired over him聽. Another was a review of Taika Waititi鈥檚聽.
"It comes down to questions about the use we put our monsters to.鈥澛犅�
A ghost of Sydney's satirical past
聽takes a more lyrical approach: the Australian literature expert from the has explored the relationships between poetry, humour and journalism via the works of once notorious, now acclaimed Australian satirist Ronald McCuaig (1908-1993).
鈥�Vaudeville, an anthology that covers themes including sex, violence, despair, ennui, and tenderness, published in 1938, was so scandalous that McCuaig was forced to print the book himself in his Potts Point apartment,鈥� Associate Professor Kirkpatrick said.
鈥淗is satirical poems describe contemporary urban life and lovemaking with a frankness that鈥檚 still confronting in the #MeToo era.鈥�
The art of rakugo - 'sit down' comedy
聽from the University of Sydney鈥檚聽聽has studied the traditional Japanese comic art聽谤补办耻驳辞,听which involves a lone storyteller, sitting on a stage, playing multiple characters.
Bringing added insight from his years as a聽rakugo聽apprentice, his project analyses the聽makura聽(introductory material) that聽rakugo聽storytellers use to warm up their audiences.
鈥淚n the West, stand-up comics are often thought of as political, social, and cultural critics, or satirists, but this isn鈥檛 the case with Japanese comedians. Many of my Japanese friends and colleagues have fantastic senses of humour, but political and social issues are generally hands-off,鈥� Dr Shores said.
鈥淟aughing at oneself, or one鈥檚 own family or in-group is fine 鈥� provided it doesn鈥檛 threaten the hierarchy. People seem to like joking about incongruencies in daily life situations鈥攁gain, provided no direct political or social critique is waged. Slapstick and scatology are perennial favourites in Japan, too. Japanese people have a strong affection for wordplay and 鈥榙ad jokes鈥� as well, though some are more willing to admit this than others.
"Finally, humour and comedy are generally quarantined in 鈥榣aughter safe spaces鈥� (warai no ba), such as comedy halls, comic variety programmes, and when drinking with one鈥檚 in-group.鈥�