"Pessimists say I may fail – that dictators aren’t funny any more, that the evil is too serious. That is wrong. If there is one thing I know it is that power can always be made ridiculous. The bigger that fellow gets the harder my laughter will hit him." Charlie Chaplin, 1940 interview. - ThreadSky

jenmercieca.bsky.social • 60 days ago

"Pessimists say I may fail – that dictators aren’t funny any more, that the evil is too serious. That is wrong. If there is one thing I know it is that power can always be made ridiculous. The bigger that fellow gets the harder my laughter will hit him." Charlie Chaplin, 1940 interview.

Comments

danceswfliez.bsky.social•60 days ago

right now a lot of us are talking about our tricksters and other helpers. that man is not allowed to destroy the water and air and earth because he's upset his dad laughed at him and 30% of a country voted for him. we need to call on our helpers including our tricksters.

dctoedt.bsky.social•60 days ago

Chaplin's ridicule didn't rescue Europe: It took millions of armed Russians, Brits, Americans, etc., supported by their civilian populations and a ramped-up American war economy, who had to largely obliterate Germany — and that happened too late to save six million Jews, Roma, etc.

jenmercieca.bsky.social•60 days ago

But I think we can agree that we don't want that to happen again, yes? The only way to take power away from the autocrats is to make them look ridiculous and refuse to comply with their power grabs and warfare.

cstarks.bsky.social•60 days ago

Well, you can’t satirize Trump because his shtick is that he’s the comedian—a harmless fuzzball, as his mentor Rush Limbaugh called himself. That said, Democrats and liberal comedians should be going after his superserious foot soldiers Homan, Miller, RFK Jr etc relentlessly and mercilessly.

mlorette.bsky.social•60 days ago

Good spell from Harry Potter! Ridiculous!

jenmercieca.bsky.social•60 days ago

This is your goal, this is the only way forward. Make power ridiculous. Have fun mocking fascists. It's the way!

i41m.bsky.social•60 days ago

You might like Blueprint for Revolution by a Serbian activist which emphasizes the role of humor in overturning Milosevic

leftcoasteroc.bsky.social•60 days ago

I’ve been laughing since 2015. Unfortunately, too many treat him like he’s a cross between George Washington and Winston Churchill.

houmanreporter.bsky.social•60 days ago

ICYMI - A scholarly piece on Saul Alinsky and his use of satire and ridicule in organizing
http://www.asjournal.org/66-2019/the-comic-vision-of-saul-alinskys-community-organizing-tradition/

jenmercieca.bsky.social•60 days ago

TY! Will read. I teach part of Rules for Radicals in my social movements class.

houmanreporter.bsky.social•59 days ago

A social movements class within Communications? 👍

Your A&M colleague (Dr Harlow?) who used to be at UH hosted an eye-opening summer conference i attended on Public Interest Communications. i need more of that. Majority of my career I’ve been doing Comms & PR more than old school community org.

jenmercieca.bsky.social•59 days ago

oh, yeah! I've been teaching social movements/activism at A&M since 2003! (and others teach it too!)

juliebays.bsky.social•60 days ago

Yep. I agree.

jwrobertshaw.bsky.social•60 days ago

Oceans rise, empires fall
We have seen each other through it all
And when push comes to shove
I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love!

capt-chris.bsky.social•60 days ago

💯

readeradrift.bsky.social•60 days ago

yes but Hitler prevailed

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply