It's a modern luxury, though, to be able to laugh at kings. Once upon a time, not that long ago, laughing at the king would not just get you killed, but get you killed in an exquisitely agonizing way (for public edification and, more importantly, entertainment).
Steven Pinker talks about such things in his latest, _The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined_ http://www.amazon.com/Better-Angels-Our-Nature-Violence/dp/0670022950
> "Laugh at the Kings or they'll make you cry."
ReplyDeleteIt's a modern luxury, though, to be able to laugh at kings. Once upon a time, not that long ago, laughing at the king would not just get you killed, but get you killed in an exquisitely agonizing way (for public edification and, more importantly, entertainment).
Steven Pinker talks about such things in his latest, _The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined_
http://www.amazon.com/Better-Angels-Our-Nature-Violence/dp/0670022950