In the history of German humour, whisper jokes (German: Flüsterwitze) were jokes that could not be told in public, because they addressed taboo subjects, for instance criticizing authorities.
Whisper jokes spread in Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler,[1] 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 survival mechanism.[2]
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" (Lieber Gott, mach mich fromm / Daß ich in den Himmel komm), rephrased as "Dear God, make me dumb[3] / so I don't come to Dachau" (Lieber Gott, mach mich stumm / Daß ich nicht nach Dachau kumm).[4]
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."[5] In 1944 a person was executed[citation needed] 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.[6]
Joseph Goebbels' Sportpalast speech led to the spread of a late-war whisper joke, popular in the western part of Germany, especially the Ruhr:
Lieber Tommy fliege weiter, |
Dear Tommy, fly further |
During the war, there were a number of jokes related to the war, eg.:
Late in the war the following whisper jokes circulated: [8]