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Poli 311.01 (W,IT) Professor Sammy Basu |
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ANALYZING
JOKES
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What makes the
following cartoons, jokes and anecdotes ÔhumorousÕ or ÔfunnyÕ? Analyze each
example separately. What issues arise for you about the nature of humor as
you try to explain these examples individually, comparatively, and
collectively? What qualities are specific to only one or some examples? What
if any qualities are shared by all of these examples of humor? |
1.
2.
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3. On a moving train a Jew spots an
S.S. man searching for Jews hiding. The Jew rushes into the toilet to hide,
he does what he needs to do and the German goes on looking. Finally he knocks
on the toilet door, the Jew doesn't answer. He finally attempts to open the
door screaming: "S.S." The Jew answers: "Dos drek ess alein". |
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4. Some Nazis surround an old Jew and ask
him who is responsible for the war. ÔThe Jews,Õ he answers. And then he adds,
Ôand the cyclists.Õ ÔWhy
the cyclists?Õ ask the puzzled Nazis. ÔWhy the Jews?Õ replies the old man. |
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5. In the
summer of 1941, we were using the so-called dray to haul the corpses of
prisoners who had died in the camp hospital to the nearest crematorium. At
the turn to the main entrance gate of the camp, one of the wheels came loose
from the cart. The dray lost balance, suddenly tipping to one side, and the
corpses fell on the ground. The overturn happened so suddenly that one of the
accompanying attendants completely vanished under the large mass of corpses.
Suddenly we noticed how arms -- like the arms of a breast-stroke
swimmer -- popped up out of the pile of corpses. Then somebody from our group
screamed, "Adam, you have to do the crawl, then you'll swim your way out
faster!" Although the occasion was so horrible, I still remember that we
burst into screams of laughter, and later we frequently even asked Adam how
things were with his swimming skills. |
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6. Once on a Saturday a bunch of us,
Dutch and Hungarian kids, put on a little show for each other and I was the
master of ceremonies. We mimicked top overseers and I did impersonations about
camp life and somebody did a little tap-dance, different funny, crazy things.
The overseers slipped into the barracks while we weren't looking, and instead
of giving us a punishment they were laughing their heads off. I couldn't
believe it: one day they were hitting us black and blue, and then there they
were laughing while we made fun of them. |
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7. A long line of Jews are being marched into a gas chamber. Among them are two elderly
gentleman and longtime friends. One of them starts to cough and asks of the
nearby S.S. Officer: ÔCould I get a glass of water?Õ The other one elbows him
and says in a hushed voice: ÔOy Moshe, why you have
to make trouble?Õ |
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8. Do you think Der
Fuhrer could keep on being Der Fuhrer/ If
he saw what everybody else sees every time he looks in the muhrer? |
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9. Q: What's the difference between a Jew and a
pizza? A: A
pizza doesn't scream in the oven. |
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10. The trouble with German food is that no
matter how much you eat, an hour later youÕre hungry for power. |
11.
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Sources: |
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1. A cartoon from the Nazi publication Der Sturmer.
Germany crucified on the cross due to WWI payments. The imagery of a
crucifixion builds on centuries of Christian anti-Semitism in which it is
claimed that the Jews killed Christ. www.c-hef.org/
2_exhibition_online_03.htm 2. anti-Jewish stereotypes of Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher, publisher of the notorious Der Sturmer http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_article=480&x_context=2 3. Jewish joke at the time. 4. Jewish joke at the time. 5. Recollection of camp survivor. 6. Recollection of camp survivor. 7. After the fact, Jewish joke, possibly by descendant of camp
survivors. 8. After the fact, Ogden Nash, 1902 -1971), American
author and humorist, was born in Rye, NY. 9. Contemporary,
on racist website. http://www.panzerfaust.com/niggerjokes_1.shtml
Also cited as example of anti-semitic
slurs used by football coach and other players against Jewish student and
aspiring football player in a law suit filed this
year. 10. Contemporary, origins unknown. 11. The Chicago
Tribune ran a cartoon by Dick Locher on
May 30, 2003 reminiscent of the anti-Jewish stereotypes of Nazi propagandist
Julius Streicher, publisher of the notorious Der Sturmer. |