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HOW SOON IS TOO SOON?

This lecture is part of my Jewish Humor course. See more at https://jewishhumor.proffriedman.net/

Professor Linda Weiser Friedman

Baruch College of the

City University of New York

Disclaimer: Sometimes to illustrate a concept, I use a brief portion of a media clip found on YouTube. Unless I created that video myself, I take no responsibility for its authenticity or ownership.

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DOES TRAGEDY CREATE HUMOR?

  • Laughter in serious times
  • Compare to humor after 911, the Holocaust

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  • Why?
    • create a bond
    • reduce stress
    • increase self-esteem
    • hope / survival

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  • Is it true that: Tragedy + Time = Humor?
  • How much time is enough?

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HOLOCAUST – HUMOR IN THE CAMPS

  • Elsewhere, and
  • Two excellent books:
    • Steve Lipman, Laughter in Hell: The use of humor during the Holocaust [electric fence story]
    • Chaya Ostrower, It Kept Us Alive: Humor in the Holocaust

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Stop eating so much. You’ll be too heavy for me to drag out of the gas chamber tomorrow..

See you on the pharmacy shelf

Who does your hair? It’s lovely.

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WHAT KEEPS US HUMAN?

  • Victor Frankl (Man’s Search for Meaning) What kept people alive was having something to live for
  • Larry David’s SNL monologue (5:30)

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HUMOR IN ISRAEL OCT 2023 – TOO SOON?

  • Israeli citizens and leaders are still reeling from the Hamas terror attacks on October 7.
  • Of course, there is nothing funny about this.
  • This is not the place to relive the horrors.
  • If comedy = tragedy + time, then…
  • When will we see some humor from these tragic times?

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TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

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From the IDF, a heartfelt message to our friends in America:

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Thank you so much for all you have done. But – please – no more Ashkenazi food. We have enough problems at the moment.

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DON’T MESS WITH A MOTHER

In the days following the 10/7 attack, reservists were called to active duty. Many of these reservists were teachers, and so, once again, schools were employing zoom for remote classes. One overwhelmed mother shared:

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If this goes on too long, the IDF won’t have to worry about taking out Hamas. The mothers will do the job for them.

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ONE WORD FOR YOU

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pmhzkSYTYDYc3ifMj0ywKFvMPnB_CgLA&usp=drive_fs

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AND FROM THE JEWISH SPACE LASER CRAZIES…

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QUICK TAKES FROM SOCIAL MEDIA

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MORE QUICK TAKES FROM SOCIAL MEDIA

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RAINING DOWN FROM HEAVEN

  • In this case, an oldie but goodie still works.

A couple in their golden years, the husband whispers sweet nothings to his wife:

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“I’m so lucky. You were a precious gift that came down to me 50 years ago from Heaven.” <Pause> “Of course, there was no Iron Dome at the time.”

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TURNABOUT

  • We have a “tradition” to take those who have come to oppress and murder us, and to turn them into humor. Need a reference? See Purim.
  • Jews celebrate Purim as a joyous holiday commemorating that Haman failed at annihilating them about 2,500 years ago.

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OVERVIEW: HUMOR CAN HELP US SURVIVE

  • Laughter in serious times
  • Compare to humor after 911, the Holocaust

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  • Why?
    • create a bond
    • reduce stress
    • increase self-esteem
    • hope / survival

TOO SOON?

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