Is it OK to laugh about it yet? Hitler Rants YouTube parodies in Hebrew

The Holocaust was and remains a central trauma in Israel’s collective memory. For many years, the perception was that a humorous approach to the Holocaust might threaten the sanctity of its memory. Official agents of the Holocaust memory continue to believe in this approach, but since the 1990s, a n...

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Main Author: Liat Steir-Livny
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cracow Tertium Society for the Promotion of Language Studies 2017-01-01
Series:The European Journal of Humour Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.europeanjournalofhumour.org/index.php/ejhr/article/view/160
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spelling doaj-3a94f13692ca48a0ae7bc4a936de3a162021-03-02T17:49:02ZengCracow Tertium Society for the Promotion of Language StudiesThe European Journal of Humour Research2307-700X2017-01-014410512110.7592/EJHR2016.4.4.steir119Is it OK to laugh about it yet? Hitler Rants YouTube parodies in HebrewLiat Steir-Livny0Sapir academic College, Israel & The Open University, IsraelThe Holocaust was and remains a central trauma in Israel’s collective memory. For many years, the perception was that a humorous approach to the Holocaust might threaten the sanctity of its memory. Official agents of the Holocaust memory continue to believe in this approach, but since the 1990s, a new unofficial path of memory began taking shape in tandem with it. It is an alternative and subversive path that seeks to remember – but differently. In the last decade, YouTube has become a major cultural field including new humorous representations and images of the Holocaust. The article analyses a virtual phenomenon – “Hitler Rants” (or “Hitler Reacts”) parodies in Hebrew. These are internet memes in which surfers take a scene from the German film Downfall (Oliver Hirschbiegel 2004), showing Hitler ranting at his staff as the end of WWII approaches, and they add parodic subtitles in which Hitler rants about completely different things – current affairs and pesky little details. The incompatibilities between the visuals, the German screaming, and the subtitles turn Hitler into a ludicrous individual. The article objects to the notion that views the parodies as “cheapening” the Holocaust, and rather claims that they underscore humour’s role as a defence mechanism. Israelis, who live in a society in which the Holocaust memory is intensive and creates constant anxiety, seek to lessen reactions of tension and anxiety, even for a few minutes, and they do so through humour.https://www.europeanjournalofhumour.org/index.php/ejhr/article/view/160holocaust humor, hitler, defense mechanisms, israeli popular culture, social media, youtube, incongruity theorysuperiority theoryrelief theory
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Liat Steir-Livny
spellingShingle Liat Steir-Livny
Is it OK to laugh about it yet? Hitler Rants YouTube parodies in Hebrew
The European Journal of Humour Research
holocaust humor, hitler, defense mechanisms, israeli popular culture, social media, youtube, incongruity theory
superiority theory
relief theory
author_facet Liat Steir-Livny
author_sort Liat Steir-Livny
title Is it OK to laugh about it yet? Hitler Rants YouTube parodies in Hebrew
title_short Is it OK to laugh about it yet? Hitler Rants YouTube parodies in Hebrew
title_full Is it OK to laugh about it yet? Hitler Rants YouTube parodies in Hebrew
title_fullStr Is it OK to laugh about it yet? Hitler Rants YouTube parodies in Hebrew
title_full_unstemmed Is it OK to laugh about it yet? Hitler Rants YouTube parodies in Hebrew
title_sort is it ok to laugh about it yet? hitler rants youtube parodies in hebrew
publisher Cracow Tertium Society for the Promotion of Language Studies
series The European Journal of Humour Research
issn 2307-700X
publishDate 2017-01-01
description The Holocaust was and remains a central trauma in Israel’s collective memory. For many years, the perception was that a humorous approach to the Holocaust might threaten the sanctity of its memory. Official agents of the Holocaust memory continue to believe in this approach, but since the 1990s, a new unofficial path of memory began taking shape in tandem with it. It is an alternative and subversive path that seeks to remember – but differently. In the last decade, YouTube has become a major cultural field including new humorous representations and images of the Holocaust. The article analyses a virtual phenomenon – “Hitler Rants” (or “Hitler Reacts”) parodies in Hebrew. These are internet memes in which surfers take a scene from the German film Downfall (Oliver Hirschbiegel 2004), showing Hitler ranting at his staff as the end of WWII approaches, and they add parodic subtitles in which Hitler rants about completely different things – current affairs and pesky little details. The incompatibilities between the visuals, the German screaming, and the subtitles turn Hitler into a ludicrous individual. The article objects to the notion that views the parodies as “cheapening” the Holocaust, and rather claims that they underscore humour’s role as a defence mechanism. Israelis, who live in a society in which the Holocaust memory is intensive and creates constant anxiety, seek to lessen reactions of tension and anxiety, even for a few minutes, and they do so through humour.
topic holocaust humor, hitler, defense mechanisms, israeli popular culture, social media, youtube, incongruity theory
superiority theory
relief theory
url https://www.europeanjournalofhumour.org/index.php/ejhr/article/view/160
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