A recurring theme in the literary, theatrical and film tradition of comedy is the of stock characters representing authority figures, designed to poke fun at officialdom by showing that its members are not immune to entanglement in the ridiculous. This is an old tradition, well illustrated in works such as Voltaire's Candide. A stock character is a fictional character that relies heavily on cultural types or stereotypes for its personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics. ... In politics, authority generally refers to the ability to make laws, independent of the power to enforce them, or the ability to permit something. ... The tone of this article is inappropriate for an encyclopedia. ... Note: For the operetta based on the book, please see Candide (operetta). ...

Examples include:

• Police officers, as seen in Keystone Kops, Inspector Clouseau, Reno 911,Police Academy, The Thin Blue Line and Carry On Constable. See also the List of comedy police and detective characters
• Soldiers, as seen in Sgt. Bilko, Carry on Sergeant, Stripes, Blackadder Goes Forth and Il Capitano in the Commedia del Arte.
• Civil servants, as seen in Yes Minister, Carlton Brown of the F.O. [1], The Ministry of Silly Walks and Spin City.
• Priests, as seen in All Gas and Gaiters, Father Ted and The Guru (movie).
• Teachers, principals, and deans, as seen in The Simpsons, Animal House, and High School High.

Examples can also be found in the art of the Russian joke. For the band, see The Police. ... The Keystone Kops was a series of silent film comedies featuring an incompetent group of policemen produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Film Company between 1912 and 1917. ... Inspector Jacques Clouseau is a bumbling fictional French detective who was a character in the Blake Edwardss Pink Panther series. ... Reno911! title card Reno 911! is a comedy television show on Comedy Central. ... Police Academy was a series of comedy films made in the 1980s and early 1990s. ... There are three things named The Thin Blue Line The Thin Blue Line (television) is a British sitcom set in a police station in London. ... The Carry On films were a long-running series of British popular low-budget comedy films, directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. ... Charlie Chaplin once said, // Comic police/detectives in films Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Ask A Policeman (movie) Bad Boys and Bad Boys II The Bank Dick Beverly Hills Cop The Big Job (movie) Big Mommas House Blue Streak Carry On Constable City Heat Clean Slate (movie) Dead Men Don... A Norwegian soldier (a Corporal, armed with an MP-5) A soldier is a person who has enlisted with, or has been conscripted into, the armed forces of a sovereign country and has undergone training and received equipment to defend that country or its interests. ... The Phil Silvers Show (also known as Youll Never Get Rich and Sergeant Bilko) was a comedy television series which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959. ... The Carry On films were a long-running series of British popular low-budget comedy films, directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. ... Stripes poster Stripes is a comedy film starring Bill Murray and Harold Ramis as two guys who decide to join the army thinking it would be a good way to pick up chicks. ... The second series of Blackadder was set in Elizabethan England, starring (left to right) Tony Robinson as Baldrick, Rowan Atkinson as Edmund, Lord Blackadder, and Tim McInnerny as Lord Percy Percy. ... Il Capitano (the Captain) is a masked character from the Commedia dellArte. ... Introduction Antoine Watteaus commedia dellarte player of Pierrot, ca 1718-19, traditionally identified as Gilles (Louvre) Commedia dellarte, (Italian, meaning comedy of professional artists) was a form of improvisational theater which began in the 16th century and was popular until the 18th century, although it is still... A civil servant or public servant is a civilian career public_sector employee working for a government department or agency. ... Yes, (prime) minister: Sir Humphrey Appleby, James Jim Hacker, Bernard Woolley Yes, Minister and its sequel Yes, Prime Minister are British sitcoms about the struggle between (Dr) James Jim Hacker (played by Paul Eddington), the government minister of the (fictional) Department of Administrative Affairs (and later as Prime Minister) and... John Cleese as the Minister of Silly Walks The Ministry of Silly Walks is a sketch from Monty Pythons Flying Circus, episode 14 entitled Face the Press, first aired in 1970. ... Cast of Spin City (as of 1997-2000) Spin City was a TV series that ran from 1996 to 2002, based on a fictional local government running New York City, originally starring Michael J. Fox as Deputy Mayor Mike Flaherty. ... Roman Catholic priest A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... All Gas and Gaiters was a popular British sitcom which ran on BBC from 1966 to 1971. ... Father Ted is a 1990s television situation comedy set on the extremely remote fictional Craggy Island off the west coast of Ireland. ... Categories: Movie stubs | 2002 films | Comedy films ... Look up Teacher in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A principal is: The head of an educational institution. ... In an educational setting, a dean is a person with significant authority . ... Homer, a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, is a generally well-meaning buffoon whose short attention span often draws him into outrageous schemes and adventures. ... The Deltas in front of their house Movie poster of Animal House National Lampoons Animal House (also called Animal House) is a 1978 comedy film in which a misfit group of Delta fraternity boys takes on the system at their college. ... High School High is a 1996 comedy about an inner-city high school in the Los Angeles, California, area, starring Jon Lovitz. ... Russian jokes or anekdoty (Russian: анекдо́ты), the most popular form of Russian humour, are short fictional stories or dialogues with a punch line. ...