Political Humor

Humor is what makes a person laugh or smile at something they find funny. It can take many forms. Often humor appears in jokes, movies, plays, printed texts, symbols, pictures, cartoons, slogans, or actions. Political humor can take the shape of irony, satire, parody, or ridicule. Humor builds on contradictions and duality. Often the humor turns the world upside down, for example, having the oppressor and the oppressed changing positions or making a sad situation comic. Laughter is the expected result of humor, but not everyone will regard the same jokes as amusing, especially since jokes are often about a specific person or group. During the German occupation of Norway from 1940 to 1945, many stories were told about Vidkun Quisling, who took the title minister president and whose name later became a synonym for traitor.

Presumably Quisling did not laugh at this joke. The main function of some jokes is to ridicule or harm individuals and groups, their opinions, their decisions, or their policies.

To appreciate political humor, one needs to understand the political and cultural context in which it is created and used. Political humor deals with political figures, conflicts, and situations. In most political situations, people are telling funny stories about leading figures and stereotyped representatives on each side. Also, in the most repressive situations, people tell jokes about their depressing situation. The concentration camps and prisoners-of-war camps are no exceptions.

This universal phenomenon of political humor has a distinct character in every context. The stories are unique to each conflict, but at the same time they have several common aspects. Jokes, like humans, both are unique and share several attributes. One of the most widespread experiences is that good stories are copied and adjusted to new situations. In the Soviet Union, people knew the answer to why there were no more stamps with the portrait of Stalin—“People were spitting on the wrong side!” The same story is known in many places around the word. With a different name, a new audience can laugh. Another typical element is that the humor is directed toward someone in the position of power or even toward oneself or one's own affiliations. Jews are famous for being good at telling stories about Jews in the same way as oppositional movements and minorities are frequently telling stories that make fun of themselves.

Political humor has several important and serious purposes. The entertainment function is essential but is not the most important. Perhaps the most important function of political humor is to make life easier for those who are under pressure and stress in their ongoing conflicts. A good laugh can lighten up any situation. All sorts of humor have that effect, but when daily life is especially difficult, jokes can offer some relief. It creates a small space of freedom and liberty for those who share the amusing story. It also builds links and creates unity among those who share the humor. This function is utilized in social movements in order to mobilize more activists.

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