Whisper joke


In the history of German humour, whisper jokes were jokes that could not be told in public because they address taboo subjects, e.g., criticize authorities.

Whisper jokes in Nazi Germany

Whisper jokes spread in Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler, and served different purposes. Inside Germany, the jokes voiced criticism against the totalitarian regime, which would otherwise have been subject to persecution. They could thus be seen as a form of resistance. In the occupied areas, and especially in the Nazi ghettos, whisper jokes can be interpreted as a means of a survival mechanism.
The following is an example of a whisper joke in Nazi Germany, parodied from the children's prayer: "Dear God, make me good / so I can go to heaven", rephrased as "Dear God, make me dumb / so I don't come to Dachau".
There have been quite a few whisper jokes about Adolf Hitler: Hitler is visiting an asylum. The patients lined up by their beds greet him with "Heil Hitler!". Only one man stands aside and does not greet. Hitler gets angry and asks him why. He answers: "I'm not crazy, I am the head of the ward." In 1944 a person was executed for the following one: Hitler and Göring are standing on the Berlin Radio Tower. Hitler tells Göring he wants to do something to cheer up the people of Berlin. “Why don’t you just jump?” Göring suggests.

The ''Sportpalast'' speech

' Sportpalast speech lead to the spread of a late-war whisper joke, popular in the western part of Germany, especially the Ruhr:

Whisper jokes in the GDR

In the GDR, whisper jokes ridiculed the Communist party and the state-run elections, or the appalling living conditions in the Communist state. Below is the example of a joke featuring the General Secretary Erich Honecker:

Early in the morning, Erich Honecker arrives at his office and opens his window. He greets the Sun, saying: "Good morning, dear Sun!", and the sun replies: "Good morning, dear Erich!" At noon Honecker heads to the window and says: "Good day, dear Sun!" — "Good day, dear Erich!" In the evening, Erich heads once more to the window, and says: "Good evening, dear Sun!" Hearing nothing, Honecker says again: "Good evening, dear Sun! What's the matter?" The sun retorts: "Kiss my arse. I'm in the West now!"