Fighting satire is ridiculous

Offended by a caricature published in the liberal daily Sme that accuses him of being spineless, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico now plans to sue the paper. Writing for Sme Czech media expert Miloš Čermák criticises this step: "We can control politicians, criticise them and make jokes about them. … However it's another matter that not everyone has to agree with the humour. … Kind humour doesn't exist. Such a genre produces only sentimental kitsch. To make you laugh humour must be targeted at someone. When someone slips on a banana skin people around him can't stop laughing. But this doesn't mean that they wouldn't help the person in question if he had broken a leg. Good taste forbids us from making fun of the weak or defenceless. But it's okay to make fun of someone powerful. Politicians have a special status in this constellation. When they fight against satire they look ridiculous."

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