Bruno Jonas gets serious: The science of jokes
Created: 2022-10-11Updated: 2022-10-11, 7:30 p.m
By: Rudolf Ogiermann
The brain behind the idea and the “scientific leader”: Bruno Jonas (right) and Germanist Friedrich Vollhardt.
© Oliver Bodmer
None other than cabaret artist Bruno Jonas is one of the founders of the "Central Council of German Humor", which wants to scientifically examine the state of German humor at a "humor symposium" in Munich's LMU.
That can be fun.
A press conference with Bruno Jonas, and then in the rooms of the Munich laughing and shooting society - who doesn't automatically think of advertising for a new program, including a few pithy crackers?
But what the cabaret artist presents here is not about practice, but about theory.
Jonas is one of the founders of the "Central Council of German Humor", which in turn is organizing the first "Humor Symposium" on November 25th and 26th in the Great Hall and in the Audimax of the LMU.
What sounds weird as a name (and probably should sound exactly like that) is meant quite seriously.
Humor, according to Jonas at the presentation of the two-day event, should be "scientifically examined and described" in all its current manifestations.
He believes that this topic has been "carelessly treated" so far.
According to the will of the 69-year-old, artists from all genres, as well as cabaret artists, caricaturists and filmmakers, should “bring about their personal humor experiences at the conference”, and experts from various faculties should respond.
And not only literary scholars, as the Germanist Friedrich Vollhardt adds as "scientific director", but also representatives of other disciplines such as jurisprudence
(see below)
.
Ultimately, it is also about the question of what satire is allowed - and what is not.
Questions from the audience are allowed, "However, seminar certificates cannot be purchased from us," as Jonas clarifies with a wink.
There will also be no whole cabaret numbers: "It's not supposed to be the usual."
The experienced mocker, who had the idea for the symposium, suspects that it is difficult to talk about the joke in a funny way: "I also see the danger that it can become boring, but then we as the organizers are called upon to intervene." However - also heatedly could be the debate in the LMU, because the "readiness to be outraged" has increased in Germany in recent years.
For example, are you allowed to joke about the appearance of the Green Party boss Ricarda Lang ("Dick and Doof used to be two people")?
His diaphragm reacted, says the member of the Central Humor Council cautiously, and then uses the image of "the big and the small drum" in every human being - depending on the size of this instrument, the vibration, i.e. the sense of humor, is stronger.
The symposium as a course where you learn to laugh (again)?
In fact, Bruno Jonas has found that there is a loss of satirical competence, recently he received applause in a performance for a statement that was meant to be completely ironic.
And adds with a mysterious smile: "You can use language to communicate - but isn't it naïve to do it?" In the end, that's still a punchline.
The program:
On Friday, November 25,
the cabaret artists Bruno Jonas and Mathias Tretter and the caricaturists Greser & Lenz will discuss with professors of German, art history and law.
On Saturday, November 26th,
cabaret artist Gerhard Polt, satirist and member of the European Parliament Martin Sonneborn and director Leander Haußmann, among others, get to the bottom of the joke with “FAZ” editor Jürgen Kaube and film scholar Josef Früchtl.
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The events take place from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Tickets are available at centralrat.lachundschiess.de.