Eurocrats against Entropa
Posted by Waldo Vanderhaeghen on January 19, 2009
The European Association for Eurocrats (EAE) proposes that the EU should form a High Level Expert Group to oversee the work of a Committee for the regulation of the registration, evaluation and authorization of Art & Jokes (HAHA), thereby allowing the EU to limit mockery to approved and standardized jokes.
The move comes in response to David Cerny’s notorious “Entropa” statue, which has been in the European Council since the 12th of January. The European Association for Eurocrats (EAE) strongly condemned the process by which David Cerny’s “Entropa” had been selected. Divad Ynrec, spokesman of the EAE today stated that, ‘Entropa is a dangerous violation of the requirements laid out by the European Commission against Humor and Intolerance (ECHI), regarding European invitations to tender to third parties for artful purposes’.
‘We cannot laugh at this piece of art’, Mr Ynrec went further, supported by the nodding and modest cheering of the colleagues present. ‘Although we protested in small numbers on Sunday, our French colleagues have threatened to go on strike as long as Entropa stays where it is’. Meanwhile the rumors are that the British are busy lobbying to ‘keep the thing there in order to keep the French out’.
The EAE views the sculpture as a direct assault on the Eurocrat-profession by typifying and mocking certain Eurocrat nationalities. Bulgaria’s Eurocrats are especially insulted by being compared to a toilet. A local Bulgarian explains the situation: ‘Although nobody knows it, David is a regular here in Brussels and everybody knows him. But after he told some particularly bad jokes, we started giving him the cold shoulder, and this is way of getting back at us”. Even the local Belgian lady that he had an affaire with isn’t spared. Their relationship broke down over diet problems and it is particularly hard for her to now be stereotyped by a box of chocolates.
The EAE believes that a High Level Expert Group overseeing the work of a Committee could prevent this from happening again. Divad Ynrec concluded by saying “We must limit mockery to approved and standardized jokes!If we don’t protect this basic ideal, what will Europe have?”
