Many UR readers have had the priceless educational privilege of growing up behind the Iron Curtain. These readers will identify Professor DeLong’s tone at once: it is the tone of the Soviet humor magazine Krokodil. I will take the liberty of Anglicizing, and call it “crocodile humor.” Extremely educated readers may also be familiar with the Nazi variant, as found in Der Stürmer and the like. The material is different, of course, but the tone is unmistakable. We’ll hear a good deal more of it in the next four years.
Crocodile humor is the laughter of the powerful at the powerless. It is not intended to be funny. It is intended to intimidate. Those who laugh, as many do, are those who love to submerge themselves in a mob, feel its strength as theirs, chant and shake their spears as one. Professor DeLong and his tribe have certainly backed the strong horse in our little moment of hipparchy, and even those of us who mock the rite must respect its anointed, in the ancient way, as conquerors. A reactionary always respects strength. But the powerless, too, can laugh.
At the risk of losing some Valuable Less Wrong Points for being offtopic, I really would like to know the answer to this: How do you feel about the various accusations of communism and association with Satan, in the post you’re citing?
The crocodile humor is DeLong’s post, specifically the run-like-the-wind-Skittles bit. DeLong is being sarcastic and mocking the belief of folks like Pinkerton or those discussing Obama’s less savory connections that publicizing it to any degree could hope to make a difference. It’s the laughter of the powerful (the liberal side of the continuum who know that nothing short of assassination could stop Obama - ‘the strong horse’ - from winning at that point) at the powerless (the reactionaries).
http://unqualified-reservations.blogspot.com/2008/11/president-obama-with-little-perspective.html
At the risk of losing some Valuable Less Wrong Points for being offtopic, I really would like to know the answer to this: How do you feel about the various accusations of communism and association with Satan, in the post you’re citing?
Even in context, I don’t understand the example of crocodile humor that he gives. His claim that Obama is a communist is completely confusing.
What is going on?
The crocodile humor is DeLong’s post, specifically the run-like-the-wind-Skittles bit. DeLong is being sarcastic and mocking the belief of folks like Pinkerton or those discussing Obama’s less savory connections that publicizing it to any degree could hope to make a difference. It’s the laughter of the powerful (the liberal side of the continuum who know that nothing short of assassination could stop Obama - ‘the strong horse’ - from winning at that point) at the powerless (the reactionaries).
So I tracked down the original DeLong post, and it still makes absolutely no sense. Mr. Skittles is a hamster?
I am so confused.