Now we have terrible mayhem on Portland streets, at least according to the leader who once posted a meme describing misstatements and outright lies as an “alternate truth.” Alternate reality is more like it. Portland streets have small groups of demonstrators, some opposing immigration policies and some supporting them. Then there’s the man in the chicken suit.
If you haven’t seen the video, posted on Kristi Noem’s official website. Looking out from a rooftop with a soldier as guard against the “war ravaged city,” is Noem looking at a man in a chicken suit. One man next to about a dozen persons holding signs in a chicken suit. Beyond that, you see traffic on a highway. Really war ravaged.
Autocrats hate humor because it goes against their ego of being all-powerful. In many countries, political comedians have been imprisoned: Egyptian comic Shady Abu Zaid served two years for a joke; Khasha Zwan was murdered by the Taliban. Political comedians strike at the heart of autocracy because they point out how ridiculous autocrats are. The problem is that autocrats have the guns.
Prayer for the Day
Given to us even in the worst of times,
We thank you, O God, for the gift of laughter;
Disarming us in the turmoil of our times,
Humor can cut to the heart of the prideful.
Give us our ability to see through false claims,
For clarity of vision is what we need.
In the name of the One who disarmed with words,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
While the idea that humour can be an effective weapon for battling repression may seem counterintuitive, it turns out that this tactic has been used effectively in countries as diverse as Serbia and Thailand. When people laugh at an oppressive regime, this erodes its authority.
Sophia McClennen and Srdja Popovic, in Laughing in the Face of Oppression
Humor is brave. It shows fearlessness. Anger shows they have gotten to you. Humor shows they have not. There is no quicker way to break down fear than laughter.
Benjamin Wittes, American legal journalist
The Lord who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision.
Psalm 2: 4