80s Left-Wing Humor: When Spanish Satire Was Edgy

The edgy left-wing humor of the 80s that wouldn't pass today's filters

In the late 70s and throughout the 80s, Spain saw the publication of magazines like El Jueves, El Víbora, and Makoki that mocked everyone and everything. Their pages antiestéticatured Ivá’s Makinavaja, stories about military prostitution, and social criticism that spared neither the left nor the right. Four decades later, such humor is unthinkable: what was once transgressive is now considered racist, sens, or outright incivil. Some argue that those who most champion that era are the first to censor its excesses.

From social critique to militant humor

The weekly magazine El Jueves launched in 1977 as a satirical humor publication aligned with no one. Its cartoons attacked both the right and the left without hesitation. The most iconic character was Makinavaja, a neighborhood incivil created by Ivá who spoke in tough slang and mocked the police, politicians, and the church with equal glee. The magazine included sections like “Los Mendrugos,” “Universitarios,” and “Clara de Noche,” where prostitution was normalized through black humor. None of this would pass any platform’s filter today.

What would be censored today

The Thursday girl, a nude woman on the back cover, was a hallmark of the publication. Today, she would be labeled sens without debate. Cartoons calling a character of North African origin “jovenlandes” (a derogatory slur) would constitute hate speech crimes. Yet, that humor is celebrated as the golden age of free expression. The contradiction is clear: people long for an era whose jokes would trigger lawsuits today.

The left’s shift: from humor to puritanism

Some claim the modern left has lost its sense of humor and become more puritanical than past conservatives. A cited example is Gran Wyoming, who made audiences laugh on Caiga quien caiga but now barely elicits a smile. The thesis is that the left no longer fights ideological battles through humor for antiestéticar of being targeted. It prefers censorship and repression over confronting jokes that might offend someone. This attitude, critics say, reveals nervousness and a lack of arguments.

Nostalgia for the old-school leftist

The collective imagination retains the figure of the 80s leftist: someone direct, ideologically driven, and unapologetic. They could be communist, anarchist, or simply socially conscious. Today, that archetype has been replaced by the textbook pogre, more concerned with inclusive language than class struggle. The complaint is that current activists are sellouts and cowards, whereas their predecessors were at least consistent with their beliefs.

The comic business: Italy as a mirror

While sectarian ugliness triumphed in Spain, Italian publisher Bonelli had spent decades producing high-quality popular comics. A 240-page issue of Tex cost €6 and sold in any newsstand. In contrast, Spain glorified the unpolished and tacky as a mark of identity. The comparison is harsh but illustrative: Italy boasts a robust comic industry, while Spain rewards sloppiness as a revolutionary virtue.

The legacy: between nostalgia and censorship

Today, magazines like El Jueves still publish, but their humor has evolved. They no longer mock the same subjects with the same rawness. The question remains whether that humor was better or simply possible because society was less polarized. What is certain is that era will not return. Some celebrate this change, while others mourn it.