Funny

Satire has become the most influential art form of our time. Sold-out shows, Netflix specials coming out as if they’re being produced on an assembly line – the industry is booming. The supposed court jesters are becoming not-so-secret rulers themselves. Comedians are entering politics or shaping public debates like, as seen in the examples of Jan Böhmermann in Germany or Jon Stewart in the US. At the same time, there seems to be a political shift within the comedy scene. While stand-up used to be associated almost exclusively with leftist and liberal critique, there are now high-profile satirists such as Dieter Nuhr or Lisa Eckhart who many would position on the right of the political spectrum. And then there are populists such as Donald Trump or Argentinian President Javier Milei, who whip up their supporters using absurd forms of performativity. Isn’t breaking taboos supposed to be the hallmark of left-wing art? Do more liberal times automatically produce more regressive forms of provocation?

The microcosm of satire and stand-up mirrors many of the central phenomena of our time. Jens-Christian Rabe sets out to make sense of these phenomena and shows why the rise of comedy tells us more about the present state of society than we might suspect – or like to admit.