JANUARY 30 — There’s a Cold War anecdote about a secret police officer requesting orders from his new cultural affairs director-general in an unnamed eastern European country.
“How would you like the humour at the theatres and clubs, comrade commander?”
“Humourless.”
Be careful what you wish for is the cautionary tale.
Former communist governments and their bureaucrats are the go-to when it comes to thought control, or at least the overzealous effort to achieve it. Even 35 years after Communism’s collapse, the allure to up obedience titillate national leaders.
Governing is complicated, east or west. Democratic or socialist. It’s difficult to keep people’s support at the best of times, impossible on shaky days. A pliant society is very useful to leaders to manage support.
Fortunately, Malaysians live in enlightened times. According to our able leaders, developed nation status is within reach. Have them buildings, highways, schools with AI and multiple Internet providers, and the country is flying, they say.
How does comedy shape societies?
Or more pointedly, when the economy reportedly marches to prosperity parallel with politics stabilising after 10 years of tumult, why upset the balance with fickle distractions like comedy?
In isolation, it seems so natural and true. Comedy never feeds the masses.
In isolation. Man is a social creature therefore extreme isolation is the path to therapy.
Look at ourselves and realisation is fast, and in the most clichéd manner possible, a laugh a day is necessary.
Dating sites are less enamoured about phallic endowments and express desires for partners who make them laugh — men can measure up better this way.
Awkward cross-cultural meetings are untangled by laughter. We laugh away our problems, not rebut them academically away. It’s difficult to hate someone who has made you laugh. Even super-villains want to have the last laugh.
It’s quite hard-wired to the human person. The need for humour.
The problem begins, which is where we trek back to Malaysia, when the joke invariably directs itself at groups or individuals. Or at times, a feeling. There is a tonne of truth that great comedians begin from laughing at themselves.
Which is why the greats emerge from amazing personal tragedies. SNL legend Pete Davidson’s firefighter dad died in the 9/11 New York terror attack when he was seven years old.
That’s a roundabout way to arrive at the ongoing fiasco to go after those who make the wrong jokes.
Although, there are no right or wrong jokes in the world of humour. They are either funny or not.
Which leads to the current predicament.
It shocked me that one comedian from our collection of lukewarm comedians ended up facing death threats over a trite wordplay commentary.
To be clear, there are very funny Malaysians. However, Malaysia has a spectacular reputation to promote up the partially-amusing to be comedians.
To be clearer, the allegedly offensive joke, an overly obvious observation of the first syllable of a Cantonese word did not break a whole country into laughter. But it did allow for those with fixed opinions to ride it to pass their own comments as they forwarded the post on. Suffice to say, not a joke which brought the house down.
To be clearest, when jokes are prosecuted a country is moving in the wrong direction. Nations unlike jokes can be wrong.
Nations risk becoming jokes when they are averse to jokes.
The threat of laughter
The Emperor’s New Clothes fable is about how the mighty feeling impregnable despite acting ridiculous are defeated by laughter. Jokes are the tip of the rebellion’s sword.
Shout at the people about freedom, human dignity and representative government, and expect the milling people to pay scant regard. Make them laugh at their national leaders in a beer hall then a revolution is two kegs away.
The fear is palpable.
Especially in Malaysia where political leaders are accused of every real and imaginary sin except being funny.
So, the funny are threats. For the powerful have no ripostes to jokes. No reply to, “Your momma so fat...”
Which is why satire is derided by Malaysian officials on the grounds it offends. Satire by definition offends. When satire is forbidden, a society denies itself the mirror which reflects its own follies to itself. To ask reflections not to exist is to mire oneself in deflection. That’s awful for personal growth. It’s a disaster for national growth.
One vital test to know if a country is developed is its resilience to jokes. They do not hurt anything except feelings. In a democracy, in a progressive society, people are told to get over it. People laugh at a joke and move on. It’s funny because it has an ounce of truth to it. Learn to laugh along is what your wisest friend can advise you.
There are no universal jokes, one person in humanity will find offence. Even about jokes about molecules in the Andromeda Galaxy.
For nothing is everyone’s cup of tea. Comedy thrives if it excites a large number of people. Comedians die on stage when jokes fall flat. To allow comedy only when it is completely safe for everyone’s consumption producing zero negativity is an oxymoron.
Oxymorons — for the unacquainted — are not awesome.
Around the square (don’t be a square) and at the clubs again, a good place to end. With an anecdote.
In the 1970s, a group of German show agents laughed their gestapo pants off at a Mel Brooks play. They went backstage after to meet Brooks, and asked him, “How come we don’t have anyone as funny as you in Germany?”
He said (though this is never confirmed), “You did but you killed them all.”
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
