A Little Black Humor

July 25, 2006 - 11:15 AM by Allison

Everyone has their own way of coping with difficult situations. Israelis favor humor — the blacker the better. Lisa was riding in a cab and caught part of a satirical program. She observes:

In an exaggerated Tel Aviv clubbers’ drawl, participants were issuing mock instructions to the city’s residents in case the hundreds of missiles currently landing daily all over the north of the country reach the centre, as Nasrallah keeps promising. “If you’re told to take shelter, that means immediately. Do not stop for an espresso at Aroma or an almond croissant at Arcaffe. Immediately.” Or, “In case of an attack, you must prepare yourselves for the worst possible scenario – the cancellation of the Depeche Mode concert.” And, “If a missile falls on your neighbour’s car, run fast and maybe you’ll get his parking spot.” Mwahaha.

We do have a tendency to make dark jokes and satire when we’re under stress. Just before the coalition forces invaded Iraq in 2003, when there were concerns that chemical warheads might be launched by Saddam Hussein at Israel, I heard a couple of gas chamber jokes (all these Jews gathered in one place). And yes, we are under stress. Basically, we don’t really expect to be attacked – but then again, you never know. We never thought that Haifa would be attacked, either – until it happened. On the one hand I’ve noticed that strangers are gentler with one another in face-to-face interactions, but on the other hand the drivers are even more maniacal and aggressive than ever: today I saw two drivers executing death-defying U-turns on North Dizengoff during peak rush hour traffic, and there seems to be a lot more overtaking and honking than usual.

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