02-13-2017, 01:12 AM
In light of the SNL furor, and the reaction of he who shall not be named, to it, this is a very interesting article about satirical humour in oppressive regimes, and around the word.
Much more here:
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/2017020...e-or-death
Quote:Even in Iraq in 2003, with Saddam Hussein still in power, with US bombings about to begin, comedian Mahir Hassan could find a reason to laugh: Saddam Hussein himself. Hassan told his favorite Saddam joke to the Guardian in March 2003: "Saddam is addressing a convention of the blind in Baghdad on the eve of the American attack. He tells them: 'God willing, you will see our victory.'"
Hassan was one of Iraq’s most famous comedians, but he could only dare to lob his political humour from Northern Iraq, which was under Kurdish control. Hassan had become infamous for producing a comedy film sending up Saddam in the 1990s after the Kurds had taken the north, relaxing restrictions on freedom of expression – at least a bit. Hassan recruited his Hussein lookalike friend, Goran Faili, to play the reviled leader. In the film, 50 Kurdish guerillas hired to play Iraqi soldiers marched around singing Long live Saddam in a parody of the TV propaganda Hussein’s regime regularly aired. Faili’s Saddam was a rambling madman, with an emphasis on the leader’s Tikrit accent and slow movements.
When the film aired on Kurdish television, it was a hit. Saddam ordered assassins to kill the entire cast. Faili spent years in hiding and survived several attempts on his life. Kurdish authorities eventually arrested the would-be assassins, who were apprehended carrying a list of their targets.
Hassan and Faili’s willingness to take grave risks for a bit of satire shows how vital the right to political comedy is to freedom. Throughout history, comedy has proven to be one of the most effective forms of resistance, especially for those under tyrannical rule; comedians can claim they were just kidding, after all, or subtly mock a leader without naming him or her. It’s such an important release valve for any society that even some medieval monarchies made room for the masses to laugh at their leaders during the annual Feast of Fools, in which masters served slaves and peasants played at leadership positions, led by an appointed Lord of Misrule as king.
The right to laugh at leaders has been taken for granted in longstanding democracies such as the US and the UK, but the election of Donald Trump as the United States’ new president appears to have renewed interest not just in speaking truth to power but poking fun at it too.
Laughing bigly
When Trump’s victory first became apparent, many US comedians didn’t want to laugh at all: comedy filmmaker Judd Apatow tweeted on election night, “One thing I do not want to watch right now – comedy about any of this.” The first broadcast of satirical show Saturday Night Live (SNL) after the election featured cast member Kate McKinnon as failed candidate Hillary Clinton seriously singing a mournful version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. Even the comedy show didn’t have the heart to laugh.
But since then, as Trump moved towards the White House, US comedians were recalibrating their approach to skewering him. SNL moved from its pre-election strategy of poking fun at his mannerisms and speech – and early in the campaign, even having the candidate on as a host – to a harder hitting approach. In one more recent sketch, he was depicted as a distracted rube too busy preening on social media to take intelligence briefings – and literally being advised by Satan (a depiction of Steve Bannon, the chief executive of Breitbart News). Trump himself noticed the more cynical depiction of him, and live-tweeted his ire (“unwatchable!”) without apparent irony. He’s even suggested that the show might be cancelled soon, despite its 41-year history: “Frankly, the way the show is going now,” he said in a phone interview with the Today show, “who knows how long that show is going to be on?”
While the comedy transition parallels Trump’s transition into office, it’s instructive to look at how comedians around the world have historically taken on those in power, whether their targets were leaders of ostensibly free societies like Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi or dictators like Iraq’s Saddam Hussein. Even Margaret Thatcher, who posed no threat to democracy, inspired an influential ‘alternative comedy’ movement through sheer dislike. One thing’s for sure: the comedy may get bleak, but it never dies.
Much more here:
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/2017020...e-or-death
every time somebody says something he doesn't like. It comes with politics and your skin better be pretty damn thick when you are trying to represent over 300 million people.