The Peasants are Revolting!

The History of the World - Part I

 
After posting last week’s blog about the revolt of the State Colleges, a great line from Mel Brooks’ movie comedy, The History of the World - Part I—“The Peasants are Revolting!”—popped into my head.
 
That gag line from Count de Monet to King Louis XVI of France gets great laughs because of its double-meaning potential.  Adding to the laughter is the fact that Count de Monet, played by Harvey Korman, is repeatedly called “Count da Money” in this movie segment spoof about the French Revolution.
 
The King, played by Mel Brooks, cashes in on the double entendre with: “You said it, they stink on ice.”  
 
Mel Brooks’ movies are never subtle; hence the King’s contempt for ‘his people’ goes beyond hyperbole in this parody in which live peasants cry out in pain under the red carpets on which the royals walk.
 
Humor, even grossly exaggerated humor, is more than capable of exposing sordid underlying truths, as suggested by the persistence of political satire in human history, from ancient times to the present day.
 

Humor as Social Corrective

 
The connection between deadly serious issues in society on the one hand, and satirical or comedic portrayals of those issues on the other, is well-established and can be understood in the context of “Humor as Social Corrective,” as described¹ in Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum, 3^rd ed., by Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen, eds., which excerpts the work of Avner Ziv.
 
Ziv quotes Charlie Chaplin, one of the greatest comedians of all time, as saying:
 
“The function of comedy is to sharpen our sensitivity to the perversions of justice within the society in which we live.”
 
Ziv also ascribes the following two quotes to Stendhal, a pseudonym for Henri Beyle (1783-1842):

“The aim of comedy is to expose man to the mockery of the audience.” 
 
“People may accept rebuke but cannot bear to be laughed at, and are prepared to be wicked but not ridiculous.” 
 
One of the earliest recorded examples of a satirical statement made in jest about a king dates back more than 2,000 years!  While just last week, 60 Minutes featured a story about Bassem Youssef, the political satirist, who has come to be known as the “John Stewart of Egyptian TV.”
 
Both of these stories involve satirists who mocked powerful individuals in their respective societies, and came to face serious repercussions as a result.  
 
The danger posed throughout history to those who dare to mock the powerful has been eloquently described by Elliott Oring² in an article entitled “Risky Business: Political Jokes under Repressive Regimes,” and includes this account from ancient history:

“When Theocritus of Chios was told that he would be pardoned by King Antigonus I (382-301 BCE) if only he would "stand before the eyes of the king," Theocritus, knowing the king had only one eye, responded, "Well, then, reprieve is impossible."
Theocritus was executed for this remark.”
 
The 60 Minutes segment tells the story of an Egyptian cardiac surgeon who was inspired to become a political satirist after seeing Jon Stewart, of “The Daily Show,” on American TV.  As shown in that vignette, Bassem Youssef has become concerned about his personal safety and that of his staff, as the “government” takes steps to prevent his very popular program from being aired on Egyptian TV.
 

The Dichotomy Between Reality and Satire

 
The difference between real situations and satirically portrayed versions of them is stark since satire tries to be funny, while the underlying situations being mocked may not be funny in the least.      
 
Mel Brooks’ parody of the French Revolution was hilarious, but there was nothing funny about the Revolution itself.  Unlike Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and Robespierre, all of whom eventually lost their heads, Mel Brooks could safely mock the French Revolution without fear because, unlike the others, he was safely separated from the guillotine, in both distance and time, by the Atlantic Ocean and 225 years. 
 
Next week, we will return to the theme, “The Revolt of the State Colleges,” by asking a critical question: “What factors throughout history have stirred humans, despite great risks, to engage in revolution?
 
¹ https://www.msu.edu/~jdowell/ziv.html.
² http://polsci.jodyb.net/5.pdf.