Humor in German media coverage of Poland and Poles

Abstract

Media play a significant role in perceiving the world and constructing our conception of reality since the samples of social discourses exposed in the media have a strong influence on the shaping of the image of nations, opinions, attitudes, and hierarchies of values. The present article discusses humorous content in German press, television, and Internet coverage from recent years, which has reinforced a negative image of Poland and Poles in German minds. In the introductory part, the attention is focused on presenting the essence and functions of humor in the light of contemporary humor research, with a special emphasis placed on the interdependencies between humor, language, and discourse on the one hand, and ethnic cultures on the other, which differ in terms of preferred norms and values.