This style
of humor ties in very closely with Arabic society and the freedoms that exist
in the Middle East. Freedom of speech is not all inclusive like in America,
which controls a lot of what is considered funny. The government cannot be
joked about publicly; in addition, personal lives, marriage, sex, religion, and
cuss words are not allowed. These conditions eliminate most of what Americans
use for entertainment. But all of these restrictions raise entertainment to a
higher caliber; just like Arabic music is based off of well-known poetry set to
beautiful lyrics, so too is their humor of a more intellectual and
sophisticated nature. Without specific aspects of society to target such as the
government or religion, Universal topics such as mankind and the human condition
become the punch line. And seriously, who can’t laugh at that? Humans just really
are not that bright…
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Tales of Juha: Arabic Commentary on the Human Condition
I found Tales of Juha
to be the most benign, yet truthful, humorous piece we have read so far because
mankind and the human condition are the targets of each of the stories. One
particular group is not targeted; the stories are not far-fetched, imaginary
situations created purely to evoke a “belly-laugh;” the humor is not physical or
dirty; rather, these stories poke fun at the general stupidity of humans. Often
times, this is done through wit on the part of Juha, who continually out-smarts,
through seemingly stupid actions, another character in the story. I consider
this humor to be intellectual; it focuses on words and double meanings, and is
not as blunt as American humor can often be.
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I agree about the intellectual humor of Juha. There really isn't any crude or physical humor involved in these tales, just wit. I think I like that about Juha. It's interesting to think about its relevance from a cultural standpoint too. The freedom of a country can, in some ways, be seen in its humor.
ReplyDeleteStephanie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the sophistication in Tales of Juha. While most Americans might find this book unappealing because of its lack of potty humor, sexual humor, and "belly-laugh" humor, the absence of these characteristics made me enjoy the book even more. I found I could relate better to the stories because they were mainly about outwitting others, something everyone in America tries to do.
Personally, I prefer jokes that point out the quirks of being human. I personally value being able to laugh at myself. I agree that Juha is able to do this on a grander scale and laugh at all of humanity with a few simple words. I think the relatability of Juha is key to its humor. Because we can all recognize these certain faults in humanity or certain people as Juha points them out, we can laugh at them. I find your assessment of the jokes' caliber as it is related to Arabic music and other sources of entertainment interesting. I never had thought about it before, but this more intellectual approach of joke-telling is carried out in other forms of entertainment throughout the culture.
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