{"id":1348,"date":"2024-10-02T13:46:50","date_gmt":"2024-10-02T12:46:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/?p=1348"},"modified":"2024-10-07T08:01:53","modified_gmt":"2024-10-07T07:01:53","slug":"a-germanophiles-look-at-germans-and-humour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2024\/10\/02\/a-germanophiles-look-at-germans-and-humour\/","title":{"rendered":"A Germanophile\u2019s look at Germans and Humour"},"content":{"rendered":"

Any opinion piece about Germans and a sense of humour from an Anglo perspective usually starts dismissively: Germans and humour? Surely an oxymoron.<\/p>\n

In this blog, Teaching Fellow Moira Govan looks at German humour's rich tradition, from Bertolt Brecht's sharp wit<\/a> to cabaret and comedy films like Willkommen bei den Hartmanns<\/em>, about a German family welcoming an immigrant, and Er ist wieder da<\/em>, where Adolf Hitler wakes up in modern-day Germany and becomes a media sensation. Ich bin dein Mensch<\/em>, a sci-fi romance, questions love and what it means to be human.\u00a0David Safier<\/a> is an accessible humorous German writer, whose best-selling detective novels feature a retired Angela Merkel as a sleuth with her husband and dog, Putin, as sidekicks.<\/p>\n

The German Stand-Up Comedy Scene<\/h3>\n

Anglo comedians dominate the stand-up scene, but Germans are making inroads in an industry that is not as energised or well-organised as it is in the UK. Christian Schulte-Loh<\/a> describes in his book Zum Lachen auf die Insel<\/em> how he started his stand-up comedy routine with the line: \"I\u2019m German and a stand-up comedian\", which was met with hysterics. He highlights that Germans take work seriously but are hilarious when having fun. Humour and work rarely mix in Germany, unlike in Britain, but there is a Deutsches Institut f\u00fcr Humor<\/a> in Leipzig!<\/p>\n

Comedian Paco Erhard<\/a>, in his sold-out tour 5-Step Guide to Being German<\/em>, uses humour to encourage audiences to move beyond their cultural mindsets. Erhard is considered one of the best cultural comedians in the world.<\/p>\n

Michael Mittermaier<\/a> has found success in Germany, the UK, and the US. In one routine, he recalls what it was like to be a German elementary school student in the 1970s<\/a>: \u201cEvery day we heard, you're guilty, you're guilty, you're guilty, you're guilty. I had a school subject called guilt. Three times a week, we had guilt. On Fridays, we had shame. By the time I was 14, I thought I invaded Poland.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most major German cities have comedy clubs, and Berlin\u2019s Comedy Caf\u00e9<\/a> hosts an annual Fringe Festival. British comedian Eddie Izzard performs in multiple languages<\/a>, including German, and remarks that \"humour is human, not national.\" Both German and English audiences laugh at the same parts of his routine.<\/p>\n

Using Comedy to Ask Cultural and Political Questions<\/h3>\n

Ilka Bessin<\/a> is one of the most successful German female comedians, and famous for her character Cindy aus Marzahn. Israeli-German comedian Shahak Shapira<\/a> uses humour to address politics and extremism. Many German comedians from immigrant families fight racism with humour, like Senay Duzcu<\/a>, the first Turkish-German female comedian, and Kaya Yanar<\/a>, who found success with Was guckst du an?<\/em>, a show that humorously addresses foreigner stereotypes.<\/p>\n

Award-winning German comedy shows like Ladykracher<\/em> and the Heute Show<\/em>, modelled after The Daily Show<\/em>, provide satirical takes on news and society. Die Anstalt<\/em> (The Institution) is another satirical news show featuring comedian Bodo Wartke<\/a>, a master of puns and rhymes. His song Barbaras Rhabarberbar<\/a> went viral, briefly outranking Beyonc\u00e9 on streaming charts. Wartke\u2019s range is impressive, covering everything from love to anti-war songs. He has even performed in English in London, where audiences are just as entertained as those in Germany.<\/p>\n

The German Comedy Ambassador<\/h3>\n

No discussion of German comedy in the UK would be complete without Henning Wehn<\/a>, the self-proclaimed German Comedy Ambassador to the UK. With countless stand-up shows and TV appearances, Wehn\u2019s humour is full of sharp observations. \"Success in stand-up comedy is down to determination and efficiency, which explains why Germans are best suited to do it,\" he jokes. He contrasts German and British humour, saying, \"We laugh when the work is done, not instead of.\"<\/p>\n

Wehn has even caught the attention of King Charles III, who referenced him in a speech to the German Parliament in 2023, saying \u201cHenning Wehn has given us an understanding of German quirks.\u201d Wehn\u2019s latest show, Acid Wehn<\/em>, is currently selling out, and he's scheduled to perform in Bath in April 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If German humour is new to you, I hope this blog has provided a useful starting point. And if you're considering learning a new language or honing your language skills at the University this year, I warmly encourage you to do so. Humour and even simple jokes with punchlines are a great way to practice the language but gain valuable insights into the culture of another country. Viel Spa\u00df beim Lachen!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Any opinion piece about Germans and a sense of humour from an Anglo perspective usually starts dismissively: Germans and humour? Surely an oxymoron. In this blog, Teaching Fellow Moira Govan looks at German humour's rich tradition, from Bertolt Brecht's sharp...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1962,"featured_media":1349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[59,175,103],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-foreign-languages","category-intercultural-competency","category-student-skills-ambassador"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2024\/10\/German-comedy-blog-post-1.png","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":742,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2021\/12\/14\/5-facts-about-german-and-germany\/","url_meta":{"origin":1348,"position":0},"title":"5 facts about German and Germany","author":"Kerry Vevers","date":"December 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"There\u2019s a lot more to Germany than beer and sausages! 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