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

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negatively depicted in films. The existence of guerrilla groups appeared only in the comics. Reflecting on these topics helps us create a portrait of the political and social reality of Mexico. Despite more than fifty years passing since the Revolution, there were still major inequalities. Some basic necessities such as social security, equal opportunities, employment, services, and others had not been satisfied. We can see how the political class was understood as abusive and authoritarian, and how a contagious corruption ran right through Mexican society. Although the apertura democrática allowed these issues to emerge, the very apertura itself was questioned and criticised by some intellectuals and artists, such as Rius. However, all is not lost. To poke fun at the faults was a way to notice them, invite a reflection on them, and try to correct them. At least one sector of society, as the filmmakers and cartoonists, were concerned about the destiny of Mexico and through their own language they expressed their discomfort. Films and comics became not only entertainment but also a social awakening. Thus, the prevalence of critical content revealed its salience. The authors and directors clearly wanted to discuss these issues, and the readers and audiences recognised the realities, understanding the media as a microcosm, and some of the situations as allegories of Mexican reality. Except for Los Agachados, President Echeverría was not directly criticised in the media, but other governmental authorities, such as governors and diputados, became the butt of jokes. It was possible to understand that these officials embodied the presidential figure. As we know, abuse of power and exploitation were widespread. People suffered oppression and poverty, and were excluded from political participation. Politicians were perceived as abusive and idle. Mexican citizens suffered day by day from the decisions of their leaders. But both media were careful to avoid the president. 243
Even so, flaws were ‘sugar-coated’ with humour, increasing the likelihood they would avoid censorship. In fact, to communicate these points of view through the language of comedy provided great benefits. The combination of a mass media and humour seemed perfect for expressing those thoughts. Both films and comics used the mechanisms of humour in similar fashion, and the benefits to the audiences/readers were also similar. The nature of humour did not change according to the genres through which it was expressed, but rather it changed the manner in which it was perceived: Regino Burrón was funnier than Eufemio from Mecánica Nacional because Regino was an absurd caricature, while Eufemio was ‘more realistic’. But the way in which they expressed social concerns and the social good they brought to viewers did not vary. The language of humour brought the message, and the two genres were the channel through which we received it. Despite the similarities in topics, there were some interesting differences. Guerrilla activity was only discussed in comics. None of the four films included topics or characters representing guerrilleros. The very discussion of it is important because it was a time in which the authorities denied the existence of these groups. Even the language of the guerrillas was used (such as ‘expropiaciones’ in La Familia Burrón), showing that the wider population was very aware not only of their existence, but also who they were. The exaggerated caricatures and loose slapstick of La Familia Burrón were an invitation to dismiss such discussion as unserious. But that would be a mistake – the political context, the wide readership (La Familia Burrón was a weekly), and the nature of the message, raised serious implications. Likewise with the army in the films Calzonzin Inspector and Mecánica Nacional. As we mentioned, there was an unwritten code in which the army, the president, and religion were not discussed by the mass media, much less criticised. Nevertheless, both films contain characters who represent 244
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HUMOUR AS POLITICAL RESISTANCE AND
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Abstract This research focuses on t
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Table of Contents Acknowledgments
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The breaking of the rule ………
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Acknowledgments After so many years
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fantastic friends who are now part
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Introduction Dime de qué te ríes,
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And what about comics? Comics take
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helps us to understand a specific c
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were expecting a funny story. In ad
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Román Gubern’s ideas of visual a
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Chapter 1 Laughing when it hurts: A
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etween varieties of terminology in
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than just disjunctions in the narra
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serve as the basic vehicle for the
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so that there are parts which are n
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her body, she has a large round red
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classified jokes and humour and des
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case of Excélsior showed. 50 So, p
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We might find this joke funny becau
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absentmindedness in men and in even
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oken the rule of being respectful w
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Even though humour can work as a so
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sentiments, develop and perpetuate
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jokes are ‘a useful means of diss
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Other authors consider that in fact
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neutralise our feelings because lau
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power for thirty-five uninterrupted
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-and in the subsequent years- did n
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numbers of businessmen, workers and
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undermining the image of a dictator
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people’. 50 It aimed for an appar
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cambio (exclusivamente verbal), por
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university. In the film El Águila
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gave money in secret to Scherer to
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men appeared and beat many of the s
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Thus they decided to fight against
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PDLP, 115 captured those they thoug
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money without working because they
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information on antagonistic groups,
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Although the violent methods were o
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those who appeared to be hippies, h
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ock and roll and read the writers o
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Chapter 3 Laughter and reflection,
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are richer and carry more informati
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two years later the formula was rep
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magic will punish those who are hur
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time: Regino Burrón and his demand
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around them, in La Familia Burrón
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In 2008 Gabriel Vargas said: ‘el
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story, such as the Licenciado askin
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were discussed. In that chapter we
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the flat roof of the vecindad 49 or
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True humour: humour as social compl
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those in power for citizens in trou
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puro macanazo me convenció! Yo ni
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Machismo is another topic which eme
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dibujaba Rius en los sesenta como u
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One last example from Los Agachados
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collect a large amount of money to
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In the same episode in which Borola
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As we may remember, Freud also sugg
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alleges. 102 So, through the misfor
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apart and the reader enjoys the pol
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Superiority and antithesis In the f
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gaining a sense of victory over the
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are in better position than us, at
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Differences between groups of youth
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eaction is no more compassionate. T
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the actions of their antithesis, su
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controlling our fear. We could argu
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democracy, even if the official Par
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policeman is not acting in the way
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sistema de valores, pero por lo men
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‘Pues sí: siendo rojos, tienen q
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of the joke we are too wise to beli
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allows us to discuss the existence
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campo.’ 187 But this does not mea
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Police As seen above, the police ap
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The police talk openly and unashame
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Nicanor was a victim of police brut
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speaks openly about the paramilitar
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demanded land reform: ‘consiguier
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point of view. This group makes ref
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we think about them. However, if we
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would be mere entertainment. Yet th
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claridades’. 228 That is what hum
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industry finally blossomed. 1 This
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make their own statements’. 13 In
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with Corona that Arau became politi
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The film was shot in 1971 and the p
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Echeverría sexenio he continued wo
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around the world. 45 It is consider
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eceived by the critics 53 but the p
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evident in some films than in other
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eal inspector has arrived, there is
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indicio) 67 which set the audience
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es una pura y celestial chiripada
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artists are in a coffee shop discus
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However, after this demonstration o
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the milk in a metal pot, which make
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‘¡pelos, pelos!’ 92 Tiliches a
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Page 208 and 209: liberating us from their control an
Page 210 and 211: for the way he is dressed. They arg
Page 212 and 213: Superiority We have seen that humou
Page 214 and 215: or with that what which is prohibit
Page 216 and 217: world and change the situation in w
Page 218 and 219: During another event, the journalis
Page 220 and 221: antipathy or resentment toward disp
Page 222 and 223: Peasant: Ya va pa’treinta años d
Page 224 and 225: 211 DA: Raza de majaderos, eso es l
Page 226 and 227: elationship between conquerors and
Page 228 and 229: marked limp and when Eufemio sees h
Page 230 and 231: light side’), we are presumably b
Page 232 and 233: no se va a poder [cheat on him]. Po
Page 234 and 235: un disfraz inimaginable’. Don Per
Page 236 and 237: Policeman: La lengua Poncho: De ham
Page 238 and 239: sombreros, indicating that they are
Page 240 and 241: we may feel consolation in Critchle
Page 242 and 243: criticises the abuse and dishonesty
Page 244 and 245: young one whose job is to carry the
Page 246 and 247: population. They were made in diffe
Page 248 and 249: elaxed or to break the tension afte
Page 250 and 251: In the section Speaking the Unspeak
Page 252 and 253: Conclusion This research has shown
Page 254 and 255: We also saw how films and comics co
Page 258 and 259: the army in an unfavourable light.
Page 260 and 261: Tlatelolco in 1968, and the Halcona
Page 262 and 263: message. This kind of analysis, acc
Page 264 and 265: story. They were identified by high
Page 266 and 267: deep thought, etc. 21 ‘Even the s
Page 268 and 269: distinguished the concern of his gi
Page 270 and 271: Appendix 2 Tables The following cha
Page 272 and 273: Mechanisms of humour Los Agachados
Page 274 and 275: Mechanisms of humour Films Calzonzi
Page 276 and 277: Mechanisms of humour Mecánica Naci
Page 278 and 279: Bibliography Agnew, Bob, ‘¡Viva
Page 280 and 281: Brewster, Keith, ed., Reflections o
Page 282 and 283: ----------, The Role of the Reader.
Page 284 and 285: Jardón, Raúl, 1968, el fuego de l
Page 286 and 287: Oikión Solano, Verónica, Marta Eu
Page 288 and 289: Zolov, Eric, Rebeldes con causa. La
Page 290 and 291: Bracho, Diana, ‘El cine mexicano:
Page 292 and 293: [accessed 28 February 2010] Monsiv
Page 294: Films Ahí está el detalle, dir. b
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