Artiklen tager afsæt i hypotesen, at forfatterne bag sit-com’en “Klovn“ har været inspirerede af pointer hos Goffman, Žižek og Sloterdijk. Den viser gennem analyser af udvalgte afsnit af “Klovn“, hvordan den aktuelle socialitet synes gennemsyret af et særligt sæt “kønnede scripts“, som i markant grad styrer den sociale mikro-interaktion. Ikke mindst er de to mandlige hovedfigurer stærkt orienteret imod en særlig “kvindemoral“. Artiklen argumenterer videre for, at serien kritisk fremstiller et særligt træk ved vores kultur, nemlig hvad Sloterdijk har betegnet som “kynisk fornuft“. Desuden drøfter artiklen forholdet mellem populærkultur, herunder satiren, og kritisk socialanalytik, samt diskuterer, hvorvidt “Klovn“ kan siges at være ideologi-kritisk. “Klovn“ læses som portræt af en radikal postmoderne tilstand, kendetegnet dels ved agenternes porøse konstruktion af identitet gennem fragmenterede sociale spil, dels ved seriens opløsning af realitets-referencer, hvor distinktioner mellem sandt/falsk, godt/ondt, maskulin/feminin er afløst af en refleksion over tegnenes æstetiske forførelsesvirkning.
“Klovn“ fremviser disse elementer i det postmoderne med en satirisk, ironisk distance. Spørgsmålet er imidlertid, om den kritisk overskrider eller snarere reproducerer de ideologiske elementer, som den så illustrativt behandler.
ENGELSK ABSTRACT:
Mads Peter Karlsen & Kaspar Villadsen:
Have Danish Television Authors Read Goffman?
This article hypothesizes that the authors of the Danish sit-com “Klovn“ [Clown] found inspiration in key points advanced by Goffman, Žižek, and Sloterdijk. Through analysis of selected episodes, it shows how our present sociality seems pervaded by particular “gendered“ scripts, which govern social micro-interactions to a considerable extent. The two male main characters are particularly oriented toward a kind of “female morality“. The article also argues that the sit-com critically exposes a specific characteristic of our culture, what Sloterdijk termed “cynical reason“. The article also reflects upon the relationship between popular culture, satire in particular, and critical social analysis, and discusses whether “Klovn“ can be called a critique of ideology. “Klovn“ is seen as a portrait of a radicalized postmodern condition, in which agents construct their fragile identities through fragmented social games, and where distinctions between truth/false, good/evil, masculine/feminine has been dissolved and supplanted by considerations about the pure efficacy of seduction of signs. “Klovn“ demonstrates these characteristics of the post-modern with an ironic distance. The question is, however, if it critically transgresses or rather merely reproduces the ideological elements that it treats so vividly.
Key words: Popular culture, interactionism, gender roles, cynical reason, Goffman, Žižek.
