You Mean Shenanigans?
Following along with the "Islam lacks a sense of irony, particularly in their sense of humor" discussion, Mesh and I came to the conclusion that the Islamic world is like Farva in Super Troopers (Team Ramrod!).
Note the scene in which Farva is finally allowed to ride along with Arcot "Thorny" Ramathorn. The boundaries and content of Farva's sense of humor is expressed in "pranking" the driver of a pulled-over-car by calling him "pigf!ck#r", which is funny only insofar as it isn't. Farva though, found it cruel, funny, and clever.
Kind of like a comic picturing Adolph Hitler smoking a cigarette in bed with Ann Frank making a disparaging comment about "the Jews". Again, only funny insofar as it isn't funny.
What I don't understand is what the point of the comic is? If its point is to be funny as a satire or charicature of the role of the Holocaust in the Western psyche, it fails. It its simply meant to be funny-as-offensive (which seems to fit with the expressed intent of the cartoon contest's sponsors), I certainly don't see the point at which its morally iconoclastic. I suppose the comic is cruel, but even in that regard when the intent is so glaringly obvious its remarkably impotent in its intended effect.
A friend had this to say:
"I can't decide what's funnier about this project: their idea that somehow they're getting a little of their own back by publishing Holocaust cartoons - really, a civilization that fetes individuals such as Howard Stern, Sarah Silverman, Matt Stone and Trey Parker is not going to be at all vexed by a few clumsy cartoons displaying Hitler and Anne Frank in post-coital relaxation - or the complete imperviousness to the nature of wit displayed by the fact that they think the Holocaust, whether illusory or not, can be as easily and effectively satirized as Muhammad and his jihadist acolytes."
Back to the Farva & Super Troopers thing: I want to see a "Photoshop the Super Troopers Posters as Jihadist Warriors" contest. Dig Thorgenson needs to get on this, or perhaps the Bad Advice guys. Speaking of which, what ever happened to them?
| By Josiah Roe | 12:36 PM
Comments
I'm a bit late and therefore confused. BUT- the whole Anne Frank in bed with Hitler thing. I think it is actually a cartoon of Jewish pride.
I think inside every Jewish person is the inner need to f#@k a kraut. Maybe I can only speak for the boys but it is the ultimate realization of Jewish self-loathing AND Jewish revenge. And Hitler was the kraut of krauts. Anne Frank is now more than ever a Jewish hero.
I would like to thank Iranians for giving Jews everywhere the hope of one day, maybe one day- doing a kraut.
Posted by: Jack at February 9, 2006 02:29 PM
Josiah:
Not to diminish the material reality of the situation by theorizing BUT. . .
Your post and this whole "respond by mocking the holocaust" thing raises the issue of what lines DO exist in the West, particularly in terms of discourses which privilege cultural sensitivity (ironically, again certain versions of the West, even though that is exactly what the more moderate Islamic protestors are asking for). For example: _The Aristocrats_ is a film premised, in part, on what defines offensiveness and how it is we slip over into the offensive. And among my friends and I who saw the film (almost entirely white and western), it was interesting to see which parts were too offensive to be funny/ironic. The limits were different in ways you wouldn't necessarily expect.
As another example: my students are reading _Heart of Darkness_ and I asked them if they would be ok reading a novel set in the Holocaust, replace Marlow with an SS officer and Kurtz with a Mengele type-figure. But, of course, all of it offering profound reflections on the human condition, etc. etc. Most of them said they wouldn't read such a book BUT that Conrad's racism was easier to deal with/ignore. Why is that? And is that a moral deficiency on our part?
And even if it was funny, if we get the humor . . . should we laugh?
These are somewhat divergent comments, but its a real issue with real teeth.
Posted by: paul at February 9, 2006 07:29 PM
Gee, we just watched that movie on Tuesday for the 100th time. I love that movie. MEOW!
Posted by: Beth at February 10, 2006 09:26 AM
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