Leticia Neria PhD thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText ...

Abuse of power
Just as in the previous chapter, I will now trace how humour, with the support of the
mechanisms of incongruity and exaggeration, aims to be a corrective by portraying
abuses of power. Like in the comics, the authorities come in for sharp criticism. They
are portrayed as people who take advantage of their superior position for their own
benefit.
In Calzonzin Inspector, Don Perpetuo gives instructions to the policemen about
the actions that should be taken to impress the supposed inspector: ‘Pónganme en la
sombra a los opositores, rojillos, borrachos y feos’, 83 he commands. He yells and his
movements are exaggerated. His order to imprison those who are ugly is absurd and
arbitrary. It is unexpected. But beyond the elements that make us laugh, we also notice
that official abuse is clearly portrayed. Don Perpetuo articulates no legal reason for
jailing these people. He adds as he brandishes a gun: ‘No’más me fallan y ¡los espero en
el presupuesto!’ 84 In this scene we witness various abuses of power, threats with a
firearm and threats to manipulate the bureaucracy and the finances at whim. We know
that this is an exaggeration of the real world, but it helps us criticise the authorities and
to use our laughter as a mechanism of protest. 85
83
Arau, Calzonzin Inspector, 1973.
84
Ibid.
85
Rafael Barajas Durán ‘El Fisgón’, Sólo me río cuando me duele (México: Editorial Planeta, 2009), p.
20.
Image unavailable due to
copyright restrictions
Image 4.4. ‘Don Perpetuo with a basket on his head’. Calzonzin
Inspector, dir. by Alfonso Arau (1973) (in colour)
186