Geoffrey Grammer posted a video recently in his YouTube channel in which he comments that the wearing of inflatable frog suits by anti-ICE protestors in Portland is an effective way of rejecting the Trumpist attempts to portray them as dangerous terrorists, through absurd humour. I’m not convinced of the psychological framework that he tries to put round it (“projective identification”), but the violent military style of Trump’s campaign against immigrants certainly is a piece of political theatre, and deserves an (absurdly) theatrical response.
Humour and resistance
2 responses to “Humour and resistance”
-
It’s very good that Grammer uses the video to highlight the problem of Trump’s right wing policies. They are dangerous and threaten all people generally. We must have the greatest concern as Trump is forming early structures for a fascist state.
Humour, as the video points out, is a safer way of opposition. It gives room for reflection. Trump is using the police and military apparatus to deal with those he wishes to eliminate.
Like the flower in the Russian tank barrel in the Prague invasion, flowers were put in the US reserve army rifles herding Vietnam protesters, the Bread and Puppet Theatre absurdist productions, and like the many great comedians who satirised right wing ideas, this is part of actions that are necessary at the start of this resistance.
-
Although I agree with Mark and Clare comments on humour and resistance, I wonder if we can really just joke around with the dangers that Trump, Farage, Le Pen, Weidel and others of the re-emerging right.
Search
Latest Posts
Latest Comments
Categories
Archives
- December 2025 (1)
- November 2025 (3)
- October 2025 (7)
- September 2025 (4)
- August 2025 (4)
- July 2025 (4)
Leave a Reply to Clare Payne Cancel reply