Douglas brings the definitions of jokes and what is seen to be funny from her predecessors-Bergson and Freud- going further to explore how she sees jokes a social rite. Furthermore, she goes into great detail on how jokes are often a criticism on one’s social standing, ‘the sick joke.’ (97) She states “It plays with a reversal of the values of social life;” (97) Which made me think of the climax of the film Bodies Bodies Bodies– to be fair, many things remind me of this scene, but I believe that adds to the iconic nature of its comedic writing. The scene sees a group of girls fighting over who has a gun and who could potentially be the murderer in the blacked-out mansion. The girls are all ‘friends’ though loathe each other because of their differences, but stay friends because of – to paraphrase- ‘the suffocating weight of their shared history’.
The part of this clip that I want to focus in on relates to this idea of jokes being used to criticise class. “Needless to say, a successful subversion of one form by another completes or ends the joke, for it changes the balance of power.” (96) The balance of power is wildly interesting in this scene, and in the film overall. Jordan holds the gun, thus has the power? While Alice mocks her. “Your parents are upper middle class” this within the context of the film and in today’s world of needing to fight for something, to be oppressed, to want for something, Jordan plays the card that she is poorer and, thus has moral righteousness over the others who are wealthier than her. “The joke works only when it mirrors social forms; it exists by virtue of its congruence with the social structure. But the obscenity is identified by its opposition to the social structure, hence its offence.” 106 The punchline comes when Alice says, “who could date a spreadsheet with a superiority complex.” Jordan then shoots Alice. Jorden later denying point blank that she shot Alice. This is funny- obviously- because “For just as in jokes absurdity is what undoes philosophical logic, indecency undoes what practical morality, decency and good manners prescribe to us.” (Jolles,204) It is absurd to deny shooting someone when you did, even more absurd to deny it to the person you shot. Jordan in trying to exist in the real world below her social class has become the butt of an oddly woke joke. To go against Jolles and the idea that “Without exception, every joke both undoes an inadequate structure and dissolves a tension.” (209) The joke although meant to be a small jest to mock Jordan of her inability to understand her social standing, backfires and increases the tension in an already very tense moment. Does this make the joke less funny? I would argue not as the film through its jokes and inter-character mocking criticises how we – young people- tear each other apart- in this case literally killing each other- in trying to be the most oppressed/woke.
I agree with you that this does not make the joke less funny! Instead it enhances the increasingly ridiculous nature of the argument itself, seeing as it started from arguing over Jordan’s dislike of Alice’s podcast.
I love Bodies Bodies Bodies! You raise something very interesting by pointing out the switched power of jokes made at the expense of middle and upper classes, something that can be seen in everyday life as on screen. The only thing I would have to disagree with is actually your disagreement with Jolles about the tension that is caused by a joke. I understood this to mean there is a tension within the audience member, so even if a joke may increase the tension on screen, as is so often the case, comic relief for the audience eases the tension for the viewer (even if not for the characters). But I do think it is a bold claim to say “without exception”.
This also makes me think about the comment that is directed at Rachel Sennot’s character, to which she replies, “A podcast takes a lot of work. You have to organize the guest, you have to do a Google Calendar, and then you build a following”. Here, it appears that the lack of brevity in her response is what makes the joke funny, and evidently here, the joker lacks the self-knowledge to know that she is making smart—or perhaps, dumb—with her words. I love this movie.