Fighting, Negotiating, Laughing: The Use of Humor in the Vietnam War

The participants at peace talks between the US and North Vietnam tailored the content of their jokes to mirror diplomatic and military realities on the ground in Vietnam and the gathering maelstrom in US domestic politics. Mehta constructs a new narrative showing the innovative and reflexive ways in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Historian (Kingston) 2012-12, Vol.74 (4), p.743-788
Main Author: Mehta, Harish C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Cartoons
Communism
Diplomatic negotiations in international disputes
History
Humor
Humour
International agreements
International relations-US
Jokes
Laughter
Military diplomacy
Pacific settlement of international disputes
Peace negotiations
Peace treaties
Peacetime
Presidents
Vietnam War
War
Wit and humor
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Summary:The participants at peace talks between the US and North Vietnam tailored the content of their jokes to mirror diplomatic and military realities on the ground in Vietnam and the gathering maelstrom in US domestic politics. Mehta constructs a new narrative showing the innovative and reflexive ways in which the North Vietnamese used humor as a tool to resist US power, as well as boost morale and break the ice at peace talks. The fact that they could laugh at all was surprising to US officials, because communists were not supposed to have a sense of humor, certainly not under bombardment and adversity.
ISSN:0018-2370
1540-6563
DOI:10.1111/j.1540-6563.2012.00332.x