A day before the October 18 No❌Kings demonstration, Indivisible’s co-founder Ezra Levin said something that set me thinking: “Make it fun. Let’s have some fun! They want us to be scared.” Fear and anger don’t have to be the heartbeat of the opposition. Levin favors demonstrating with “funny costumes, and with funny signs, and with ridicule, and dancing and laughing, and cheering.”

With that in mind, I headed to the huge Boston demonstration, aiming to speak with folks wearing funny costumes and carrying funny signs. Here’s what a few of them had to say.

Demonstrator carrying a Trump caricature balloon: “I think one of the best ways to fight tyranny is with humor, because they rely on fear and aggression and they want people to be scared and small. And humor is a way to poke fun, to be nonviolent, and to allow people to regain their voice and their confidence.” 

Man wearing horse costume: “You know, you gotta have whimsy, you gotta have fun. We're peaceful. loving protesters here. We love America. We love free speech. There's no hate. There's no animosity or violence. … You don't defeat hate and violence with hate and violence. You defeat it with love. … And yeah, neigh to kings, neigh to tyranny.” And he adds a very convincing whinny!

Activist with sign proclaiming I Love America and I Want it Back: “When the situation is bad, it's easy to give up and give in because it leads you to despair, which saps your energy. … The best way to fight is to be creative, to be joyful.” 

Protester dressed as Lady Liberty: ”I think joy is really crucial. The future isn't written yet and any of us can contribute to changing this trajectory. And we have to believe that. … I just think that there's enough negativity and it's part of the movement to be optimistic and give people hope. And we need to remind them of the potential of the United States.” 

Smiling woman holding cartoon toilet sign with caption The Only Throne for Trump: “Mockery of Trump is very important. He's obviously got such a thin skin, so it's a way to get to him. And also if you read experts on autocracy, they actually recommend that you do that. Fight autocracy through humor and mockery. And I'm here and I'm doing it!” She follows this with a gleeful laugh!

None of us know the most effective tactics to defeat the Administration’s inhumanity and climate sabotage. But if we’re to be in it for the long haul, we sure need to keep up our spirits. Anger is a tool to be used sparingly. Humor, mockery, dancing and singing have a long history of being effective in undermining autocracies.  

Ron Blau, Newton Node

(not a photo of Ron)