Enjoy Political Humour -- The Legacy of an Open Society
Published: 24/01/2010 by Peter Garant
George Bernard Shaw once said, "The problem with political jokes is that they get elected." Well, at least there are a lot of material for political humour. Even if the global economy is practically crashing down around everyone, people can always enjoy political humour.
Understanding the Humour in Politics
People enjoy political humour because it is something that everyone can relate to. The public generally blames the government for everything, so everyone basically appreciates humour in politics. In truth, this particular source of hilarity is almost always delivered in a satire-like fashion. It is generally amusing and it does not disregard the real issue. In fact, it addresses whatever political issue is at hand. To fully appreciate and enjoy political humour, however, you should not regard it as an attack on a particular statesman or politician. Adopting this kind of thinking or attitude will prevent you from really appreciating this type of humour.
Instead of regarding it as an attack, think of it as a personal observation of the person delivering the satire-like lines. After all, underneath the surface humour lies the intent to bring forth an issue to promote change. If you are a politician and you have found yourself a favorite subject, you should consider the truth beneath the jokes and deal with it. Usually politicians who have kept an upright image of themselves are difficult subjects, so comedians generally avoid adopting them as topics.
Humour and Politics - They Go Hand in Hand
You can never have politics without a dash of humour. Political humour is not a new concept. Comedy in politics has been around for centuries. In fact, it is as old as politics itself. An example of ancient sense of humour is Lysistrata, a Greek play written by Aristophanes.
Political humour is actually a legacy of a free society. Unfortunately, there are still some countries that do not allow political ribbing and attempt to limit jokes. For example, Italian televisions are controlled by the government, so people cannot wholly enjoy political humour. A visiting dictator once asked former President Bill Clinton why he didn't just arrest individuals who questioned and criticized the then President's poor judgment. Fortunately, for comedians, the United States adheres to free speech.
Modern Political Comedy
Comedians are fairly inventive now days when it comes to this kind of humour. And now more tahn ever people truly enjoy political humour when they hear the jokes while they go about their business. They also appreciate political jokes more when they can relate to the comedian's sentiments. This type of humour is fairly common during the election period. The comedians are at the top of their form dishing out satire after satire.
Political satire, however, varies from one comedian to another because the views of these people vary. The jokes will depend on how a comedian regards a particular official or the government itself. Nowadays, it is easy to enjoy political humour. Irreverent movies are practically flaying politicians alive.
Political humour exists in order to prevent the hubristic tendencies of politicians from developing.
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