There is no explanation for the Egyptian Channel CBC to stop broadcasting a comedy program like el-Bernameg- presented by popular but controversial talk show personality Bassem Youssef– other than fearing the impact of sarcasm on the new Egyptian regime.

There is no explanation for the Egyptian Channel CBC to stop broadcasting a comedy program like el-Bernameg- presented by popular but controversial talk show personality Bassem Youssef– other than fearing the impact of sarcasm on the new Egyptian regime. The program’s second season of 29 sequels has directed painful blows toward the former regime of ousted President Morsi and could become a threat to the current political figures who attempt to dominate the political arena after the departure of the Muslim Brothers.

Effective sarcasm still impacts the Egyptian arena and all official and leading figures are potential targets.

Types of mockery

The Egyptian brand of mockery includes several types of humor, the most famous of which is the traditional popular joke that is about to die as a result of years of rigid political rule, which prevented Egyptians from creating new jokes apart from the ones about Mubarak, which were repeated every few years by changing the name of the involved Prime Minister.

Another kind of joke telling is through the use of popular proverbs but they are canonized, despite the change of successive generations. Caricatures and comics are also classified under mockery, but professional artists are needed to convey their intended message. Sarcasm, the final type of mockery, only requires a sense of humor to lightly describe a certain situation.

Sarcasm is often employed to mock officials’ statements, newspaper headlines and political slogans used in election campaigns— which is then posted on Facebook or Twitter, where welcoming or opposing comments reflect the political position of their owners.

Examples

A photo of Sami Anan, former Chief of Staff, was published with the comment : “Sami Anan: Egypt’s President for 2014” on which sarcastic activists replied with other comments on the same photo “Sami Anan: President of Nozha Neighborhood for 2014,” in a clear reference to his inability to rule Egypt. This example indicates the importance of sarcasm to evaluate the public opinion, which has Facebook or Twitter accounts. It is not needed here to ask people whether they support Anan’s candidacy or not since the mocking comments reveal the people’s sentiments.

Sarcasm is not only intended to affect certain figures but also political movements and trends. A sarcastic commentator posted this dialogue:

“Him: What do you study?

Me: Trading.

Him: Sounds important. Do you study Arab, English or foreign trading?

Me: No sir, religious trading— I specialize in promoting beliefs.”

However, sarcasm is not limited to social networking websites.  It is also easily transferred to a public that does not have a Facebook or Twitter accounts— including taxi drivers, vendors, doormen, in addition to those who knew nothing about Facebook before the revolution and later created accounts on the global blue site.

Characteristics of a sarcastic individual

Sarcastic characters enjoy certain attributes, including having a sense of humor and awareness of the current events, in addition to enough wit to create new jokes that are up-to-date with political events. Sarcastic figures must also be neutral, to reach a wider audience.

This may explain the failure of the Muslim Brotherhood and other religious parties to face the jokes directed against them by using the same approach— due to their lack of creativity and sense of humor, in addition to being biased to their affiliations.

General rules

Several rules have been controlling sarcasm via networking sites since the January revolution, as no official today can prevent being the object of a joke.  Joking will continue in the same current trend as long as the political life heads on the same track and as long as officials feed the jokers with enough gaffes. Besides, Egyptians would never make fun of any official or figure they respected and believed in.