Humour, as much as any other trait, defines British cultural
identity. It is 'crucial in the English sense of nation,' argues
humour scholar Andy Medhurst; 'To be properly English you must have
a sense of humour,' opines historian Antony Easthope. Author Zadie
Smith perceives British humour as a national coping mechanism,
stating, 'You don't have to be funny to live here, but it helps.'
Sex Pistols frontman Johnny Rotten concurs, commenting, 'There's a
sense of comedy in the English that even in your grimmest moments
you laugh.' Although humour invariably functions as a relief valve
for the British, it is also often deployed for the purposes of
combat. From the court jesters of old to the rock wits of today,
British humorists - across the arts - have been the pioneers of
rebellion, chastising society's hypocrites, exploiters and phonies,
while simultaneously slighting the very institutions that maintain
them. The best of the British wits are (to steal a coinage from The
Clash) 'bullshit detectors' with subversion on their minds and the
jugulars of their enemies in their sights. Such subversive humour
is held dear in British hearts and minds, and it runs deep in their
history. Historian Chris Rojek explains how the kind of
foul-mouthed, abusive language typical of British (punk) humour has
its antecedents in prior idioms like the billingsgate oath:
'Humour, often of an extraordinary coruscating and vehement type,
has been a characteristic of the British since at least feudal
times, when the ironic oaths against the monarchy and the sulfurous
'Billingsgate' uttered against the Church and anyone in power were
widespread features of popular culture. Rojek proceeds to fast
forward to 1977, citing the Sex Pistols' 'Sod the Jubilee' campaign
as a contemporary update of the Billingsgate oath. For Rojek, the
omnipresence of British caustic humour accounts for why the nation
has historically been more inclined toward expressions of
subversive rebellion than to violent revolution. 'Protest has been
conducted not with guns and grenades, but with biting comedy and
graffiti,' he observes. As an outlet for venting and as an
alternative means of protest, Brit wit, not surprisingly, has
developed distinctive communicative patterns, with linguistic flair
and creative flourishes starring as its key features. Far more than
American humour, for example, British humour revels in colourful
language, in lyrical invective, in surrogate mock warfare. One
witnesses such humour daily in the Houses of Parliament, where
well-crafted barbs are traded across the aisle, the thinly veiled
insults cushioned by the creativity of the inherent humour. Such
wit is equally evident throughout the history of British rock,
where rebellion has defined the rock impulse and comedic dissent
has been a seemingly instinctual activity.
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