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appreciating humor
1.       juliacernat
424 posts
 12 Mar 2007 Mon 04:03 pm

"“I have a funny problem with humor, I guess, because I don’t consider it fun.”
-Kara Walker, 1996
I think Nasreddin Hodja books in English, German, Italian, Spanish and other languages should not be sold to tourists in touristy places but only to people who have lived here for a year or more! One of the hardest things to communicate across cultures is humor. Humor is a complicated human response: We laugh at things that are both absurd and tragic.

Humor can be expressed in many ways. In America, Kara Walker had her own style of humor which she expressed through her artwork. Using silhouette images she portrayed folklore in the Deep South, raising identity and gender issues for African-American women in particular. Walker employed her sense of humor through violent imagery; she found a balance in the comic, as well as humor’s ethical limits and function in both culture and visual art.

You can go far in life if you have a good sense of humor and you can go even further if you are also a conversationalist. Look at Nasreddin Hodja!

Often tourists cannot appreciate the 13th century character Nasreddin Hodja stories because they do not understand Turkish culture. Hodja has his own logic; he always seems to be able to settle a matter amicably using wit, common sense and ridicule to expose the shortcomings of society, and even criticize the state and religious affairs. But the jokes are only funny if you understand the underlying cultural values that the character is gently pointing fun at.

Until you have lived with a mixture of nationalities, you do not realize how much of your own humor is based on a shared general knowledge, background and cultural perception. Have you ever been at a party or out for the evening with a group of different nationalities and observed how puns, comic throwaway lines etc. don’t seem to translate, as not everyone knows “the rules” of the joke teller’s particular nations’ humor. For example, a British person may say “here’s one I made earlier” -- a reference to a classic line from a UK children’s program. Other Brits in the room laugh, the Americans and Europeans look blank.

Nasreddin Hodja stories often illustrate a phrase in Turkish e.g., “Tanrı misafiri” -- a guest of God -- a beautiful phrase that means guests (whether invited or not) that are sent by God and should be treated with honor and hospitality. Even if this means the host is going to be inconvenienced.

One of the beauties of the stories of Nasreddin Hodja is that the hodja gently pokes fun at hypocrisy or double-standards. A tourist who won’t have learned this phrase and doesn’t understand this cultural value, just can’t understand the humor in the story: “A traveler knocks on the Hodja’s door in the middle of the night. He announces himself as being “God’s guest.” Hodja puts his coat on and takes the visitor down to the local mosque. ‘”Well,” he says, pointing to the mosque door, “if you are God’s guest, here is the place you should stay.’”

After you have been living here for a while you can really begin to appreciate these stories. How many foreign teachers get frustrated when they realize their students give the answer they think the teacher wants to hear, rather than what the students really thinks or believes?

Well, Hodja shares your frustration and acts out, revealing the frustrating behavior for his friends to see. On Friday he stood up in the mosque to deliver the weekly sermon. “Do you know what I am about to say?” he asked the congregation. “Of course not!” they replied. He got down from the pulpit and went home immediately saying, “Well, I won’t waste my breath on people who have no foresight.” Next Friday he starts his sermon with the same words. This time the congregation gave the opposite answer, “Of course we do.” Hodja got down from the pulpit and went home immediately saying, “Well, I won’t waste my breath if you already know.” The third week came around and Hodja started his sermon with the same question; this time the congregation was really stuck as to which answer he was wanting to the question so they said, “Some of us do, some of us don’t.” To which the Hodja gave the immortal reply, “Let those who do explain to those who don’t.”

If this doesn’t make you smile, you haven’t taught enough classes here!"

by Charlotte McPherson, "I have a problem with humor", Today`s Zaman, 12.03.2007

2.       libralady
5152 posts
 14 Mar 2007 Wed 03:07 pm

Uhmmm! I have a dark sarcastic sense of humour, and a quick wit! Not always appreciated in this country (UK) let alone in any other

3.       robyn :D
2640 posts
 14 Mar 2007 Wed 08:06 pm

You see I can appreciate my humour, but no-one else can

4.       Elisa
0 posts
 14 Mar 2007 Wed 10:46 pm

Quoting juliacernat:



Thanks for the article Julia, I liked it.
Keep on posting

5.       TeresaJana
304 posts
 14 Mar 2007 Wed 10:51 pm

i appreciate the article. refreshing! thanks

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