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12. The Function and Legacy of Occupation Humor
- University of Wisconsin Press
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12 The Function and Legacy of Occupation Humor By the end of the occupation, resistance had become a wellestablished and powerful force, easily overshadowing the earlier period, when "few were actually as brave as they think they were today" (E. Ringnes 1950, 351). Now things looked quite different than they had in the wake of Norway's crushing military defeat when the Allies had proven inept, Germany seemed unbeatable, and no organization existed to help individual citizens understand the unfamiliar experience of their nation's being occupied. Most had forgotten that in those early months, many assumed that once the armed resistance ended, a modus vivendi would be sought with the victors, as the usual postwar practice had been throughout history (Furre 1992, 177). Fanning the flames of doubt, NS propaganda had-as we have seen-blamed the former government for the catastrophic 9 April invasion, for Norway's military unpreparedness, and for the country 's inability to assert her neutrality in the war. With the king and the government having "deserted" their country, only the Nazi party would be able to make peace with Germany and establish a Norwegian government in Norway (Furre 1992, 179; Senja 1973, 11). Many had seen the wisdom in these arguments at a time when a British victory seemed highly unlikely. The Nazi party had attracted adherents for other reasons as well. Presenting itself as the continuation of Norway's ancient agrarian tradition, the repository of pride in country and family, it drew its symbolism from Nordic mythology and its members saluted each other with a traditional Old Norse greeting.) The party instituted a Hird to guard their mighty fOrer, who promised not only to bring the country out of the war but to establish an even greater, morally healthier Norway, and-through the Fiihrerprinzip (government by the elite)-to put an end to the "party squabbling" and "parliamentary confusion" of the past. In short, the Nazis claimed to 205 206 FOLKLORE FIGHTS THE NAZIS stand for order and discipline, tradition and morality-irresistible features to many during the initial, chaotic, and confused phase of the occupation. As the Allies had gone from defeat to defeat during the first months and years of the war, moreover, NS propaganda seemed accurate in its prediction that the old system would soon be eradicated . Against these powerful odds, anti-Nazi jokes began raising consciousness and changing minds.2 Circulating already during the first two months after the invasion (April-June 1940),3 occupation humor played a vital role by being among the first voices to establish and nurture the fledgling attitude of resistance.4 Though postwar descriptions of the occupation period would make the jokes seem to be mere manifestations of an already-existing resistance mentality, wartime evidence documents no spontaneous rise in the spirit of resistance. Instead we see that resistance had to be "implanted and cultivated in the great majority of the population" (Bennett 1969,203), as the following statement from the 18 November 1940 issue of the underground newspaper Bulletinen also suggests: More and more it is occurring to people that it is possible and worthwhile to resist. Even as late as 1941-1942, says Ulateig, a Norwegian Nazi who fought at the German front, no concerted cold shoulder treatment could be discerned in his community, and the Nazi meetings had good attendance (1987, 98). Backed by no organization, the initial resistance came entirely from individuals. People thought and acted for themselves; while their actions might have come in response to a clandestine message or a neighbor's example , the ultimate success of the resistance depended entirely on individual decisions. [Haakon Holmboe quoted in Sharp ca. 1958] Therefore the means used to persuade people to resist also had to operate on an individual basis. Humor, I would argue, fit the bill precisely. Its essential attributes -the ability to declare principle, educate, encourage solidarity , break down isolation, and raise morale-appealed to individuals and answered the potential resisters' felt need to be informed and involved. It is my contention that the combination of humor's intrinsic traits and the specific historical circumstances [44.222.249.19] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 14:37 GMT) 12: THE FUNCTION AND LEGACY OF OCCUPATION HUMOR 207 made humor a particularly effective means of developing, promoting , and imparting the nascent spirit of resistance in occupied Norway. If we consider each of humor's attributes individually, we will see the extent to which these traits specifically responded to Norway's...