The whisper joke is told behind closed doors. It might offend people within earshot, offend sensitive ladies' ears, or be so true that it becomes dangerous to people in power. Actually, the whisper joke is a political joke. When people resented an authoritarian system or feared reprisals, they told whisper jokes. Is that where we are in our democratic dictatorship of parties? Whoever does not fit into the political streamline is gladly declared crazy or silenced with subtle methods.
Now, yes, the jokester thrives on disrespect, but the air is getting thin because mockery is precisely the best means of sawing at the chairs of authority. For this the infowar rages in the net, politically incorrect, unclean, paranoid. Mainstream vs fake news, trolls, but also real rarities you never hear on TV. "Let's hope it doesn't get as bad as it already is," said Bavarian comedian Karl Valentin. The queasy feeling is growing that one can no longer express oneself quite freely. "You mustn't say that out loud," you often hear. But saying it out loud is important - ma muaß reden mitanand, Gemunkel aus dem Dunkeln ins Licht heben, so geht Diskussionskultur. In Bavaria, with the Catholics, with the Muslims, with the car lobby and their helpers. In Facebook and Twitter, however, remarks critical of the system mysteriously disappear, accounts are blocked or deleted. Political correctness becomes dictatorship of opinion, the police patronize the citizens, who counter with scaremongering. Outrageousness disenchants the republic.
Text source and more information about this event: http://diekäs.de/wp-content/uploads/Kaes_Programmheft_DINlang_1709_Screen.pdf
