Laughed Quote by Aleksandar Hemon
““This took place just before the war, in the relatively rosz times, when we were euphoric with the imminence of disaster – we drank and laughed and experimented with poetic forms into the late hours. We tried to keep the war away from the Table, but now and the na budding Serbian patriot would start ranting about the suppression of his people’s culture, whereupon Dedo, with his newly acquired elder status, would indeed suppress him with a sequence of carefully arranged insults and curses. Inevitably, the nationalist would declare Dedo an Islamofascist and storm off, never to return, while we, the fools, laughed uproariously. We knew – but we didn’t want to know – what was going to happen, the sky descending upon our heads like the shadow of a falling piano in a cartoon.””
About This Quote
Source Short story: “The Table” in The New Yorker, 2005
Describes pre‑war revelry and denial of looming conflict, using dark humor
In simple terms: People ignore warning signs and indulge in distraction before disaster
Key Takeaway
Recognize denial and confront reality early
Themes
war
denial
humor
politics
Mood
somber
ironic
Type
literary
reflective
When to use this quote
- political gatherings
- friend groups
- pre‑conflict periods
Key Concepts
cognitive dissonance
historical hindsight
Questions to Reflect On
- How does humor affect our perception of impending danger?
- What signs are we ignoring today?
A Different Perspective
Denial can lead to catastrophic surprise
