“The ironic speech situation:
discursive democracy,
citizenship, and humor”
Sammy Basu PhD
Associate Professor of Politics
Willamette University
Salem Oregon, USA
Overview
I. Deliberative democracy
II. What’s so bad about humor?
III. What is humor?
IV. What’s so bad about deliberative
democracy?
V. The ironic speech situation
I. Deliberative democracy
Representative democracy and
communitarian alternatives
Jurgen Habermas and the Ideal Speech
Situation according to which “In the
final analysis, the normative content
arises from the very structure of
communicative actions” (1996:26).
II. What’s so bad about
humor?
1. The buffoon
For Habermas (1982:271), “jokes,
fictional representations, irony, games,
and so on, rest on intentionally using
categorical confusions which, in the
wake of the differentiation of validityclaims and corresponding modes
(being/illusion, is/ought,
essence/appearance), are seen
through as category mistakes.”
2. The cynic, or misanthrope
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3. The boor
4. The hysteric
III. What is humor?
The essence of humor
close
juxtaposition of
two or more
phenomena,
frames, etc.
Modes of appreciation
Physiological
Cognitive
close juxtaposition of two or
more phenomena, frames,
etc.
Affective
Evaluative
Theories of Humor
Physiological
Cognitive
RELIEF:
pleasurable relief
as pent-up
nervous energy,
anxiety, or
sensory
excitement is
rapidly deflated
INCONGRUITY:
pleasurable recognition
of relation between the
familiar and what
initially is unexpected
and/or meaningless but
subsequently proves
meaningful
close juxtaposition of two or
more phenomena, frames, etc.
RELEASE:
pleasurable
release of psychic
energy otherwise
used to regulate
or repress socially
taboo topics or
desires
SUPERIORITY:
pleasurable sense of
one’s relative eminence
at the expense of
someone or something
aggressively downgraded
Affective/
Evaluative
Theories of Humor
The Hysteric
The Buffoon
Physiological
RELIEF
Cognitive
INCONGRUITY
close juxtaposition of two or
more phenomena, frames,
etc.
RELEASE
Affective
The Boor
SUPERIORITY
Evaluative
The Cynic
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Theories of Humor
Physiological
Cognitive
RELIEF:
pleasurable relief as
pent-up nervous
energy, anxiety, or
sensory excitement is
rapidly deflated
INCONGRUITY:
pleasurable recognition of the
close juxtaposition of the familiar
against what initially is
unexpected and/or meaningless
but subsequently proves
compactly yet pivotally
meaningful
close juxtaposition of two or
more phenomena, frames,
etc.
RELEASE:
pleasurable release
of psychic energy
otherwise used to
regulate or repress
socially taboo topics
or desires
SUPERIORITY:
Affective/
Evaluative
pleasurable sense of one’s relative
eminence at the expense of
someone or something
aggressively downgraded
IV. What’s so bad about
deliberative democracy?
1. Buffoon, or capacity for
Holistic critic
Specific critic
Linguistic critic
Holistic criticism: Modern Times
Specific
Criticism
Linguistic criticism:
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2. Boor,
or
Devil’s
Advocate?
“It would seem that you cannot be funny without
being vulgar — …. For it is not only sex that is
‘vulgar’. So are death, childbirth and poverty, the
other three subjects upon which the best music-hall
humour turns. And respect for the intellect and
strong political feeling, if not actually vulgar, are
looked upon as being in doubtful taste. You cannot
be really funny if your main aim is to flatter the
comfortable classes: it means leaving out too much.
To be funny, indeed, you have got to be serious.”
Orwell (1968)
3. Cynic
(and misanthrope) or
necessary
hostility?
4. Hysteria or just cracking up?
V. The ironic speech situation
Truth
ideal
speech
reasoned
testimony
Critical
Disengag
ement
exit
footdragging
and
mumbling
critical
engagement
through
comic voice
fraud
force
Untruth
lipservice
and
marching
loyalty
Uncritical
Engagement