Oldal 80 [80]
OCR
Playing With Otherness: Within and Beyond Stereotypes in Visual Representations a specific content that emerges from a particular confrontation with the whole past (and present) set from among the store of images of cultural and historical experiences. These cultural elements, of past and temporary origins, create the image of the person standing vis-a-vis us. Thus, the image is constructed and takes part in the process of formatting stereotypes or making a “generalized Other.” As a result, the German is presented as militaristic or arrogant (ills. 16, 17, 26, 27), the Russian as thievish, and the Jew as industrious (ill. 24).2? Listeners react to jokes differently than to stories that are not intended as jokes; they are not expected to express sympathy for the butt-figures, as in the case of the Babina Glava representation. As Michael Billig puts it, the point is not to elicit concern for the pain suffered (2005: 54). Both satire and humor can employ stereotypes. The difference in their use lies in the intention and the goal they are supposed to achieve. In the case of satire, the goal is most often to jeer and to make people aware of a drama, while humor aims at producing contentment and merriment of all the participants.”’ The above distinction between satire and humor acquires significance when one observes the fact that while satirical are common in the press discussed here everyday cheerfulness is much more difficult to encounter.‘ According to Alexander Kozintsey, satire forms a part of a serious play, while play/humor should be understood as a temporary suspension of social rules and roles, corresponding to Bakhtin’s notion of carnival, the object of which is joy and the result of which is laughter (Kozintsev 2010: 129). Kozintsev develops this idea further, claiming that the serious satire may turn into social exclusion and stir up hatred (Ibidem: 133), which makes for a significant distinction. In both cases they deal with the unknown, first, fighting openly against the Other, objectified as unwanted, evil, or ridiculous and, second, exposing the Other objectified as unnoticed, not sufficiently visible. Satirical, in the sense of serious play, seems to be frequent and characteristic of a modernizing period. Education and Discipline as Part of a Social Civilizing Model The period of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, from which came the illustrations interpreted in this article, was a period of modernizing spirit in Poland and, through the images depicting human interactions, a time of proliferation of strict social and cultural rules—and of humor. Those were times of refinement; of modernization entering the life of the cities; and of attaching increased impor 22 In Poland during this period. 23 For this article I limit my focus on humor to that having a disciplinary and playful function, skipping cases of humor that have a healing effect. 24° On the other hand, the censorship that was common during that period strived to avoid sensitive ethnic subjects, as a result of which instead of a serious social and political satire, the public was presented with lighter topics and forms. 27
