Laughter is sacred (BE340)

Martha Rooster-Singh martharoostersingh at gmail.com
Mon Jan 6 08:11:15 CST 2014


If BE is what has been called a satire, not in the mode of GR (GR may be
considered, and has been by several critcs, and with success, a Menippean
Satire, an Anatomy, a Encyclopedic Narrative, Postmodern non-corrective
Satire), but what is called "light-hearted satire", we should do well to
give our attention to Horst's claim that laughter is sacred. Laughter, of
course, is not essenatial to satire, and, is not its goal. In fact, as
Horst explains, so much that is called humor is a sacralization of the
profane consumer laugh track or  the mere use of satirical tools of irony,
parody, and the like.

BE is not meant to be a funny book. I may make us laugh, or smile, but
rarely LOL, because it is light-hearted satire that seeks to humor us out
of our collective paranoia and call attention to what we have
made sacred----9-11, that Survivor Tree, the Flag, the Wars.
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