Democracy Is No Joke

I often ask myself why I take our democracy so seriously. Was it because my grandmother, who was just barely a generation out from the system of slavery in the US was so fond of Abraham Lincoln that she raised me to be a Republican or was it that Democrat, Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that showed me that no party has a historic monopoly on doing what is right. Or maybe it is the fact that I know that my vote wasn't just handed to me. People bled and died so I could have the right to exercise this act of civic participation. Heck, I was born in 75 and I remember marching with my mom for Voters Rights Acts Amendments in 1982. So, yeah, I take it seriously and want to see it live up to its highest potential. That's why I often get saddened by its current state.

In the late June episode of the "What's So Funny About...?" podcast, I spoke with Alan Jenkins and Gan Golan, creators of the graphic novel, 1/6, that imagines what America would look like if the events of January 6th went according to plan. Although this type of conversation was a departure from the typical ones I have on the podcast, I really thought it was important to talk about that critical moment with compassionate creatives who were willing to push their imaginations in the way that they did in order to give their readers some insight into what is at stake in our country right now.

It so happened that this episode released on the same day as the Supreme Court immunity ruling that favors the former President, Donald Trump, in his efforts to not be held accountable for the very events the graphic novel chronicles. And, when the ruling dropped, I have to be honest, I could only imagine that the dystopian world that Jenkins and Golan depicted is coming closer. And I don't like it.

Immediately, my mind started to polarize. My brain did what brains do when they perceive threats and all I wanted to do was roast the six jurors who handed down this decision. I wanted to joke and put down all of the people who would be celebrating like they scored the Super Bowl touchdown. I wanted to stop being friends with folks who I know are supporters of these initiatives and I wanted to distance myself from family and in-laws and...and...and. To put it lightly, my inner bastard wanted to come out swinging.

If you don't know this about me, let me tell you that blatant hypocrisy is the thorn in my flesh. And I have a difficult time being around it and am no respecter of persons who try to play me as we said in my neighborhood growing up. I don't care if it is my mother, my wife, my pastor, or my own kids, I will not cosign a loan for someone who I know has demonstrated no capacity to pay their bills. And yet, the catch 22 for me is that when I was 6 years old, I decided that I wanted to commit my life to the teachings of Jesus and he said of those who killed him and celebrated his death, "Forgive them for they know not what they do." And so in my efforts to not be a hypocrite myself, I am always trying to figure out how to not hold what I experience as a person's lesser self totally against them. Even if they might not be able to do that for me.

Humorous Restraint

One of the tough things about trying to be funny and not hypocritical while using comedy in a way that brings folks together, is that sometimes I have to make a concentrated effort to not go for the low hanging fruit. And when it comes to decisions like the Supreme Court made, there's a lot of fruit so low that it's pretty much touching the ground. Another thing that makes it challenging is that I used to be a conservative too. So, seeing some of these coming decisions down the pike that I have been hearing about since the 80s is very disconcerting.

In many cases when a friend or family member is trying to convince me of their position, I know their arguments before they make them. And, I also know that the level of justification that many of the folks I know can make for doing whatever it takes to be in power, is unparalleled. But, I am also mindful that many of them are sincere and genuinely believe they are doing the right things by doing whatever it takes to make sure that they are in power, because in their minds, God is on their side and only they can be trusted with earthly authority. Knowing all of this, I try not to punch down as they say and make light of their sincere convictions. All the while realizing that many of them would likely never do the same for me or other folks that they don't agree with.

They Can't Help Themselves

When I was in seminary, I read a life changing book called Moral Man and Immoral Society by Rienhold Niebuhr. Once I read it, I finally had words to articulate what I had witnessed among so many people--their tendency to be one way in private and a completely other person when they are in groups. What I call a conditional hypocrite. It didn't matter what context I was in, I consistently witnessed people functioning at the lowest common denominator when in societies of every size and dimension. It's like the group draws power from the individuals and they become something else. Something that feeds off of perceived power and they will do anything they can to get it and keep it. As Niebuhr said:

Men will not cease to be dishonest, merely because their dishonesties have been revealed or because they have discovered their own deceptions. Wherever men hold unequal power in society, they will strive to maintain it.

I think this perfectly describes what I see as happening to our democracy and in countries around the world and it is no joke.

A question I usually ask comedians who come on my podcast is, "Is there anything off limits when it comes to comedy?" They all say, "no but with conditions". The number one condition is to not punch down and the second is to be mindful of the formula comedy is tragedy plus time. So if you make a joke of something when not enough time has passed, it can worsen the tragedy. This was something I tried to be mindful of when I was thinking about this ruling.

Likewise, I think it's fair to ask the question of whether there is anything off limits when it comes to bridging. And I would also say, "no but with conditions". There's a reason why there's the saying, "a bridge too far". And for me, turning the democratic republic of the USA into a watered down monarchy is too far. I am serious about bridging work and I am committed to trying to use comedy in a fruitful way. But, it is all in the context of trying to strengthen the democracy. Without the democracy, there is nothing to laugh about.

Recently I had the opportunity to participate in an event called, What's Making Us Laugh? What Role Does Comedy Play in Pulling Us Together or Driving Us Apart? The gathering, put on by Bridge Entertainment Labs, brought together a variety people in entertainment, academia, and different areas of comedy together to look at the socio-relational landscape in America to explore what role comedy plays in fostering or fighting against greater social cohesion. You can watch the entire gathering below.

One of the things I most enjoyed about doing this event was that I got to be on a panel with two of my friends who have both been on my Liberation Comedy podcast, Karith Foster and Blake Pickens. Both of them are hilarious. But more than that, they both have unique and expanded views on how comedy impacts our society and how laughter has a place in our politics and democracy in particular. I encourage you to check them out as well on Linkedin.

• Karith Foster
• Blake Pickens

What's So Funny About A Floundering Democracy?

One of the last questions I ask folks on the podcast is, "What's So Funny About __________?" And I fill in the __________ with something that isn't usually considered funny such as "What's so funny about racism?" The guest then tries to answer the question on the spot with something hilarious. So now, I want to treat you like a guest and ask you, "What's So Funny About A Floundering Democracy?"

Were you able to come up with an answer? Or, is it too soon because we're still in this liminal space where we don't know what's going to happen? I kind of think so. But, I do know that whatever the outcome of this coming election, some people are going to feel like it was unfair. Some probably more than other. But, there definitely will not be a unified celebration. So the question for me is how am I going to deal with the every day people I encounter? How are you? How long must I wait until either outcome is ready to be laughed at? Because at the end of the day, the strength of our democracy will not be determined by the outcome of this one election, but by how "We, the People..." treat each other in our everyday lives. Our democracy reflects our collective values. If our values are a joke, then our democracy will be also. But, if we ever get to a place when each of us takes our participation in this democracy seriously, no one will be laughing. At least not at us.

If you would like to connect, reach out to me here on Linkedin.

This post was originally published on The Liberation Comedy Project.