Humor As Enlightenment and Entertainment (Review of the Book Hello, Garci? Hello Ma’am: Political Humor in the Cellphone Age)

Arao, Danilo Araña

Humor As Enlightenment and Entertainment (Review of the Book Hello, Garci? Hello Ma’am: Political Humor in the Cellphone Age)

Arao, D. A. (2006, August). Humor as enlightenment and entertainment (Review of the book Hello, Garci? Hello Ma'am: Political humor in the cellphone age). Plaridel (A Philippine Journal of Communication, Media, and Society), 3(2), 145-150.

6 Pages Posted: 2 Dec 2020

See all articles by Danilo Araña Arao

Danilo Araña Arao

University of the Philippines Diliman

Date Written: August 15, 2006

Abstract

In October 2005, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) published a compendium of selected political jokes that had been circulating through the short messaging system (SMS) and the Internet. The volume is aptly titled Hello, Garci? Hello, Ma’am: Political Humor in the Cellphone Age. Though primarily meant to “raise funds” (xi) for the PCIJ’s investigative reports, the 90-page collection apparently aims to provide light entertainment and creative enlightenment regarding the political situation, particularly on allegations of massive cheating in the 2004 elections and corruption under the Macapagal-Arroyo administration.

Keywords: humor, mobile phone, politics, elections

JEL Classification: Z10

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Arao, Danilo, Humor As Enlightenment and Entertainment (Review of the Book Hello, Garci? Hello Ma’am: Political Humor in the Cellphone Age) (August 15, 2006). Arao, D. A. (2006, August). Humor as enlightenment and entertainment (Review of the book Hello, Garci? Hello Ma'am: Political humor in the cellphone age). Plaridel (A Philippine Journal of Communication, Media, and Society), 3(2), 145-150., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3708085