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German Humour
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Okay, Joke #1... Contrary to the popular stereotype, Germans do have a sense of humor. Well, considering that a person who lived in Chemnitz from 1900 to 2000 would have to go through the Kaiserreich, two World Wars, Nazi Germany, East Germany (during which time his city would have to endure being called "Karl-Marx-Stadt" even though poor old Mr. Marx was born and raised in Trier—about as far from Chemnitz as you can get in Germany) and The Berlin Republic, possession of one would become pretty much mandatory. There also are strong cultural differences. Bavarian (and Austrian, if they can be counted here) humor is more down-to-earth and gritty, Sad Clown type, while the Western Germans seem to carry their Karneval/Fasching/Fastnacht (Mardi Gras/Carnival) lightheartedness in all their comedy. Since the major low-brow TV stations are based in that area, this translates into almost unwatchable fare nationwide. Between these, the national character of German Humor is darker than what many Americans are comfortable with. However, it is seldom as dark as Russian Humor, which can veer straight into Black Comedy. Britons may even be surprised to hear that German (especially Northern German) humor is actually very similar to their own — a bizarre combination of dry wit and slapstick. The stereotype of Germans having No Sense of Humour appears to originate in a combination of the Prussian reputation for efficiency and a perceived lack of the habit (more or less unique to Britain, although the Irish, Australians, and New Zealanders have picked it up in whole or in part) of using humour as a "default mode" for dealing with the world in general. Part of the reason for the image of Germans as humorless is that there are comparatively few comedies in German dramatic writing; however, this impression is in no small part due to the fact that German critics and literary scholars tend to put a bigger premium on "serious" writing, and thus very few stage comedies are described as "classic". However, there are quite a few comedies written in dialect, comic operas and operettas. Also, as Robert Gernhardt, a great writer of comic poems, has pointed out, Germany has a great tradition in the short form, with an unbroken line of highly original comic poets spanning back at least to the beginning of the 18th century, something no other national literature other than the British can boast of. Germany has a strong tradition of satirical cabaret shows dating back to the 19th century, with some cabaretists becoming nationally famous. This satirical fixation somewhat mirrors a perceived whinyness in the German nature generally. However, the nature of the medium means it doesn't travel well. |
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