Proverbs in an LSD Cult
Journal of American Folklore July 1, 1970 Richard Bauman, Neil Mccabe 10 citations
Folk parodies of proverbs—altered in wording or context while retaining a recognizable resemblance to the original—offer insight into how people understand the original genre. The most parodied folklore form is the proverb, whose conventionality makes its parody especially incongruous and humorous. A newly discovered, esoteric type of proverb parody appears in the initiation rite of a small LSD cult in Dallas, Texas, organized about five years before the 1968–1969 collection. These epigrammatic sayings draw subtly on traditional proverb form and wisdom, serving a religious function within the cult rather than popular humor.