Life
In the aftermath of the white supremacist march in Charlottesville that ended in one death and 19 injuries, and with news that similar groups are planning to demonstrate in other U.S. cities, America has started to ask: how can you fight white supremacy in a way that works? Responses have been rapid and often contradictory. Some have advocated meeting fire with fire, while others have talked about empathy, peaceful demonstrations, and a refusal to be drawn into shouting matches. It's the same argument that's held every time terrorist or extremist elements infiltrate the news cycle. But recently, some people have suggested that a truly effective way to fight white supremacy is through humor.
The power of humor in politics isn't new. Witty politicians ensure a legacy; The Wit & Wisdom Of Winston Churchill, a compendium of the British Prime Minister's famous one-liners, remains hugely popular in the U.K. years after its release. And everybody from Benjamin Franklin (sometimes called "America's first humorist") to Barack Obama has used a well-placed quip to score a point off their opponents. But the phenomenon of laughing at fascism has come galloping back into the public consciousness this week, with everybody from the New York Times to HuffPost devoting lengthy think pieces to the idea. To look at whether it's a good idea, though, you need to look at the history of humor's combative relationship with white supremacists — and what it reveals is more complex than a New Yorker illustration about white sheets.
But Today, Humor Isn't Enough
Making fun of the imagery of extremism is, to be frank, easy. Everything from Hitler's strut to Mussolini's height is effortless fodder for comedians, as is the image of white dudes wandering around shouting "Help, help, I'm being repressed." And yet when you look at what humor has to offer America's current cultural landscape, it may not be enough.
Humor's power decreases relative to the power of its opposing political forces. P.G. Wodehouse didn't stop fascism, and was in fact later criticized for collaborating with the Germans on wartime broadcasts in WWII. The Superman episodes may have embarrassed the KKK temporarily, but the rise of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 60s brought many more men and women into the fold, with hugely violent results. And ISIS simply keeps producing people willing to drive into crowds in European cities, as with the terror attack Barcelona this week. Meanwhile, American white supremacists have their "architect" in the White House. It is a deadly serious situation.
That doesn't mean that white supremacists shouldn't be targets of jokes: the humiliating power of humor can still be useful. But it can only be one part of an arsenal of action. Tina Fey, with her "sheet-caking" movement on Weekend Update, (humorously) encouraged viewers to stay home, eat cake and stay out of trouble. Though the bit offered comic relief for weary watchers, the truth is that it's not possible for engaged citizens who believe in a progressive America to sit still and watch as people advocating open hatred come to town. The big risk of humor is that it creates complacency. In repressive regimes like Stalin's Russia, where subversive humor was one of the only option available for resistance, it took on great weight. America right now has many other options, too, and neglecting them isn't good enough.
It's important to note that the approach of the citizens of Wunsiedel, the German town that has become a Nazi pilgrimage site, doesn't just make fun of the marching extremists in its midst; it also actively works to give resources to the other side. If you want to fight white supremacy in America, you can do much more than share funny memes: you can advocate for better teaching of American history in schools, give your money and support to businesses owned by people of color, donate to or volunteer for organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center, call your local representatives to ask for bans on hate speech in marches, run for office, and go out and protest peacefully (yes, it does change things). Poke fun, and then go out and back it up with action.