I resent Egypt trying to ban satire. They should stick to the Republican method of just not getting it.
— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) March 31, 2013
The Egyptian government today announced ambitious plans to ‘end humour’ by 2018. Modelled after the hugely successful ‘End Poverty’ global campaign, the initiative will aim to eliminate humour, satire and joke-telling from Egyptian society within a tightly-controlled five-year plan. Smiling will also be frowned upon, even though it won’t be strictly prohibited. The campaign was launched earlier today by ordering the arrest of popular TV satirist Bassem Youssef, widely seen as a symbol of the nation’s obsession with flippancy and light-heartedness. A stern-looking government spokesman announced that this is a symbolic strike at the entire echelon of satire and joke-telling that has infiltrated Egyptian society, hinting that foreign hands have been behind the drive to paralyse the nation through the promotion of humour in a strict religious nation…. “For decades people have been promoting inaccurate stereotypes about the Egyptian people, describing them as ‘funny’, ‘witty’ and ‘can make a joke of everything’. This nefarious propaganda promoted by the travel guide industry has distorted the perception of the our serene countrymen and their wives, and I am sad to say that many Egyptians have adopted this alien way of thinking”.
It seems the Arab Spring is effecting the Arab world in ways those of us in the West couldn’t have begun to imagine. Egypt, a country that’s seen revolution lead to democracy only to find it once again on the road to revolution, the latest casualty is humor. No, I can’t explain it, either, but Egypt is as of today embarking on an ambitious five-year program to eliminate humor and satire with dour contemplation of life’s utter, intractable serious nature.
If I didn’t know better, I’d suggest that our own Tea Party was working to establish a beachhead in Egypt. And why not? I’d imagine that a group of dour, humorless, rage-steeped Americans would feel right at home in a country trying to ban humor and satire. When there’s so much to be angry about, why should people be allowed relief via humor when rage can be channeled and propagandized to the advantage of those seeking political power?
With the myriad problems facing Egypt, from the economic to the social to the political and beyond, you’d think that the Egyptian government would recognize that being allowed to laugh would provide Egyptians with much-needed release. Unfortunately, as has been proven time and time again (take note, Americans), government that isn’t separate from religion is government without a sense of humor and the ability to enjoy life.
Party on, Mustafa…or not.
