Language divide: When humour fails to tickle

Tongue-in-cheek as a phrase is a classic feint of the English language, alluding to something that has nothing to do with those anatomical elements. Unless the reader — or, indeed, any recipient of an action facilitated by the above-mentioned conjunction of orificial organs — understands its tangential and usually satirical nature, she is quite likely to be entirely misled. It is not surprising, therefore, that a Chinese newspaper took the words of a humorous online journal quite literally and faithfully reported the crowning of the North Korean ‘new’ leader Kim Jong Un as 2012’s Sexiest Man Alive.

The Chinese clearly saw nothing amiss in a western publication’s characterisation of that podgy political scion as “devastatingly handsome” and “completely adorable and completely macho at the same time” even though he did not fit the template set by real winners of the title — including 2012’s awardee Channing Tatum — which is conferred by another magazine altogether. It is difficult to say whether this was a case of cultural disconnect or plain wishful thinking, but a bit of research on previous recipients of this award by the online journal could have saved the “Pyongyangbred heartthrob” a considerable amount of heartburn. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff are among the notorious worthies similarly honoured.

The Chinese also probably did not pay heed to the main characteristic of the pungent vegetable after which the online journal is named. When peeled, the layers fall away to reveal no kernel, or anything of any substance at all. That is evidently the philosophy of its online avatar as well. The Chinese can take heart though, that many other venerable institutions worldwide have fallen for the journal’s gags before.