Carnival, Karneval, Fasching, Fastnacht

With Carnival approaching I think it is useful to remember that the Narrenzeit was used to make fun of those in power. Peasants were on one level with bureaucrats, women with men, regular people with priests (but, of course, only for this very limited time). While it certainly was political, it was not primarily used to reinforce power structures through jokes. The thing is: those in power were often the minority, so yes you joked about a minority. However, that changed quite a bit in recent times with jokes, not rarely at official events and aired on TV, that are only funny if you believe that trans people will take over the world, women belong into the kitchen, and immigrants are inherently unable to work. To voluntarily make fun about minorities not in power misses the point of the festivities. It was never about joking about minorities, it was about joking about those in power. Carnival is not supposed to make you feel comfortable in your middle class life, it was and is supposed to make you feel uncomfortable about your privileges.