Reflective Humor: Ridiculing Modernity

Abstract

This essay attempts to capture relationship of humor to macro structures of the new era of mankind i.e. modernity. Instrumental rationality that characterizes modernity is prevailing all social intuitions that, in turn, has changed modus operandi of the social institutions: the alienated working conditions at industrial sector; the usage of technology to conquer nature and uncertainties of economic structure of capitalism, to name a few are contents of jokes that we hear these days. Also, the humor brings to surface irrationalities embodied by ostensibly rational structures and asserted-independence of social institutions from normative order of a society. Reflective humor, a kind of humor that contains satire on modern structures, brings under its critical evaluation the whole idea of modernity.  Hence, by doing so, the humor questions the idea of progress that human beings have championed. The humor suggests that the reality is the other way round: human beings are now more at the mercy of macro structures that have acquired such a tremendous power that it is becoming beyond human's capacity to influence over them.