Liberals seek to ‘arrest’ humor

In 1998, a tiny group of pro-democracy activists in Serbia, known as Otpor, limited to a budget of only $50, looked for a way to focus on how best to initiate an anti-government movement to overthrow their dictator, Slobodan Milosevic. Consequently, they set upon a plan to determine just how much Milosevic was hated by his people.

Finding an empty oil barrel, Otpor members attached a picture of Milosevic to it and set it up in the middle of Belgrade’s largest shopping district. Next to the barrel they placed a baseball bat. They then took seats in an outdoor cafe from where they could observe what happened.

Dozens of Serbians lined up to take their turn at bat, ultimately resulting in the arrival of police. However, unable to determine who was responsible for the prank, the police did the only thing they could – they “arrested” the barrel – placing it in the back of a police car and drove it away. Two years later, Otpor’s non-violent activist efforts helped end Milosevic’s reign.

But with the barrel incident, Otpor – as well as other pro-democracy activists around the globe – made a subtle but vital discovery. It made them realize they had another weapon to put into their pro-democracy quivers: humor. Interestingly, while some of history’s most brutal dictators – like Germany’s Adolf Hitler and the Soviet Union’s Josef Stalin – surprisingly were known to enjoy humor, those around them knew better than to ever target their masters with it. True to form, Milosevic, like all dictators, did not appreciate jokes made at his expense.

This explains too why we never hear a good joke coming out of North Korea or Iran about their leadership. “Humor is one of the most powerful weapons in the fight against authoritarianism” and no dictator wants to see its seed planted in their own soil. As a critic of such leaders notes, “The elites are never amused when the commoners laugh at their folly.”

We are discovering now that the humor weapon is also not one appreciated by Democratic liberal leaders in the U.S.

Recently, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, apparently triggered by political AI-generated ads critical of Vice President Kamala Harris, signed three bills targeting them or other materials, known as “deepfakes,” that, while not real, can be perceived as such. In doing so he said, “Safeguarding the integrity of elections is essential to democracy, and it’s critical that we ensure AI is not deployed to undermine the public’s trust through disinformation.”

But, in a threat to free speech, Newsom also attacks the use of parody. An example of such that triggered Newsom’s ire is a short video of a fake Harris voiceover declaring, “I was selected because I am the ultimate diversity hire. I’m both a woman and a person of color. So if you criticize anything I say, you’re both sexist and racist.”

As one critic points out, at a time California is being overrun by illegals, is experiencing an epidemic of homelessness and is bearing the burden of billions of dollars in debt, Newsom focuses on legislation against memes!

Other Democrats seeking to undermine free speech include Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. In 2022, he claimed, “There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation.”

And, in a most hypocritical claim by former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton – who can well be called the “Mother of Misinformation” basedon the 2017 Steele dossier she financed, falsely claiming Russian collusion with Donald Trump – she says those involved in propaganda “should be civilly or even in some cases criminally charged.”

Joining this chorus too is Harris herself who wants those on social media who “act as a megaphone for misinformation” to be held “accountable.” This demand comes from a woman who has not only consistently put out misinformation about her presidential political opponent but who also refuses to be held accountable for her failures as border czar and for the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. While we are told “charity begins at home,” for Harris, accountability does not.

Perhaps the support of the above politicians for infringing on free speech is why none has stepped forward to criticize the Cuban government for its recent arrest, prosecution and two-year sentencing of barber Barreiro Rouco, 52. What dastardly crime did Rouco commit? He had dared to share anti-government memes with others. But what had made the conviction most egregious was that the memes were not posted publicly but had only been shared privately with family members.

If Newsom and his fellow Democratic leaders truly are concerned about misinformation misleading the public, they may want to stop one source from putting out such information about a liberal program they all support. As Democrats promote gender transition procedures performed on children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) claims such procedures are reversible. However, a coalition of 20 state attorney generals disagrees, recently sending the AAP a letter demanding it retract such claims as “It is beyond medical debate that puberty blockers are not fully reversible but instead come with serious long-term consequences.”

Dave Chappelle is a comedian whose parody is committed to targeting today’s liberals. He is being attacked for doing so. Critics resent what he does, which is basically holding a mirror up to liberals to show how ridiculous wokeism has become. Fortunately, no liberal politician has yet to try and ban such humor as Chappelle performs an important role in educating the public to open its eyes to the woke sickness to which it is sadly blind.

Humor is as old as time. While the Romans were not busy expanding their empire, they appreciated humor as evidencedby their having created the first joke book – titled “Philogelos,” which means “The Laughter Lover” – in the third or fourth centuries.

In 2022, even the liberal New York Times, recognizing the value of humor, explained how “beyond making tough moments a little easier, cultivating levity is good for your health.” Mark Twain promoted humor as “all our irritations, and resentments flit away, and a sunny spirit takes their place.” Mental health experts tell us a good sense of humor is “an essential life skill” that can improve our leadership prowess.

Is it for these reasons Democrats seek to arrest parody, or is it more because the truth hurts?