Mocking power: A pragmatic study of black humor as a tool in Bassem Youssef's political interview with Pires Morgan

Section: Research Paper
Published
Sep 1, 2025
Pages
109-116

Abstract

The research includes introducing the personality of Prince Hisham bin Abdul Rahman and his moral qualities, how he was able to reach the Emirate of Andalusia after the death of his father, his confrontation with the revolutions that arose against him on the internal and external levels, and the conflict over the Emirate that occurred with his brothers due to the failure to appoint a guardian for the Emirate after Abdul Rahman Al Dakhel, so he was able Hisham, with his intelligence, political acumen, and good conduct among the people, overcame his brother Suleiman, who considered himself the legitimate heir to the emirate because he was the eldest, and was able to overcome him after his monopoly in the rule of Toledo, and he was exiled with his brother Abdullah to Morocco after he gave them their share of the money, Hisham bin Abdul Rahman was also able to eliminate the revolution of Said bin Al-Hussein, the revolution of Matruh bin Suleiman, and the Berber revolution, and the great role of the Sawaifs and Shawati in protecting the emirate, leading military campaigns against the Spanish and Frankish kingdoms, and his foreign relations with the Maghreb and the Abbasid state. The impact of dark humor, a type of comedy, comes from contrasting humor with the gravity of some subjects, like death, war, or political corruption. It regularly employs irony, cynicism, and sarcasm to draw attention to the absurdity of certain situations or to push the boundaries of social acceptance to elicit ideas. Paul Grice's conversational principles were applied as a framework in the research, such as the dark humor analysis method and the implied concept. Therefore, the goal of the current study is to pragmatically explore how dark humor functions as a strategic tool to critique authority and to achieve communicative objectives in interpersonal interactions, specifically in TV talk shows. This is exemplified by examining Bassem Youssefs interview with Piers Morgan, which showcases black humor for mocking power and engaging audiences.

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How to Cite

Kanaan Wali, S., & AL-rassam, E. (2025). Mocking power: A pragmatic study of black humor as a tool in Bassem Youssef’s political interview with Pires Morgan. Adab Al-Rafidayn, 55(102), 109–116. https://doi.org/10.33899/radab.2025.156296.2293