Seriously Funny: Mexican Political Jokes as Social Resistance

Acknowledgments

241 Acknowledgments First, I must thank all those whose ingenuity creates jokes for the benefit of humanity and who keep jokes alive by the magic of telling them. Since I became interested in political humor as a subject for research, many people—including my colleagues—have gone to the trouble and pleasure of telling me jokes. This is not an altruistic act, because an interchange was established, in which I’ve ended up being a sort of jokedistribution warehouse. Though there are many out there like me, I must recognize that it has been the most beneficial scholarly interchange that I’ve experienced. I most sincerely acknowledge all those who have exchanged jokes with me. I must thank Roberto Moreno de Los Arcos (R.I.P.) for giving me one of the books I’ve most enjoyed. On a certain occasion, while discussing my project on political humor, he told me that I’d never understand the Mexican without first reading the first Mexican police novel. Immediately, he gave me El complot mongol (The Mongolian Conspiracy) by Rafael Bernal, and I realize that Roberto was right. Now, I give copies of this marvelous novel to my friends. The story is about a federal policeman who collaborates with the CIA and the KGB to resolve a Mongolian conspiracy with Chinese Mexicans who want to assassinate the president of the United States during his visit to Mexico. The plot develops in Mexico City’s Chinatown on Dolores Street. I recommend this book to those interested in Mexican literature and folklore. As I wrote this book, I gained from several conversations I had with James W. Wilkie, who urged me to collect and translate jokes after having used them to explain the conflict between Echeverría and business owners in my book that was published by the University of Arizona Press, The Deterioration of the Mexican Presidency. Wilkie has consistently sent me articles about humor, especially articles published in Los Angeles, and he made different commentaries on several previous versions of this book. I thank Gustavo V. Segade from San Diego State University because he helped clarify several ideas. 242 • Acknowledgments Several colleagues read parts or all of the manuscript, among them James Platter, Brian Loveman, Alexandro Segade, Ricardo León, Antonio Hermosa, and Carlos Spector. I am tempted to blame them and other colleagues for helping me build this book, but I would rather assume individual responsibility for possible mistakes or poor translations. Maybe there is some truth to the idea that humor runs in the Jewish people. I come from a typical and large Jewish family (five brothers and one sister) and the house was full of mischievous behavior and jokes. I must mention my children Noa and Adam, who have assumed the very important responsibility of reminding me that jokes weren’t made for the sole purpose of being studied. And Rosie, who was always there enjoying my laughter even though at some point she didn’t believe I was writing a book. And last, many thanks to the two anonymous readers for their valuable comments, and to the staff of the University of Arizona Press, who helped with the task of making clear a complex bicultural translation. Special thanks to Kristen Buckles for her interest in extending the knowledge on Mexico, and to Amanda Piell for her editorial help. ...