Laughtivism

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Laughtivism (a portmanteau of laughter+ activism) is strategic use of humor and mocking by social nonviolent movements in order to undermine the authority of an opponent, build credibility, break fear and apathy and reach target audiences.[1][2] It has been defined, and predominantly practiced independently by two activist groups - The Center for Applied Nonviolent Actions and Strategies (CANVAS) based in Belgrade, Serbia (Executive Director Srđa Popović) as well as the New York-based team the Yes Men[3] Some recent examples of Laughtivism include: The Yes Men creating a false movie production company comparing the Midwestern Tar Sands area to Mordor,[4] and Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef's satirical television show The B+ which made fun of events during the Egyptian Revolution in 2011.

For more examples of Laughtivism see "Why Dictators Don't Like Jokes",[5] by Srdja Popovic and Mladen Joksic. For a critical view of Laughtivism see "Two Cheers for Laughtivism",[6] by Kei Hiruta.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Srdja Popovic. "Laughtivism : The New Activists Will Spread Democracy - With A Cheeky Smiule On THeir Faces" (PDF). Princeton.edu. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  2. ^ "The Power of Laughtivism: Srdja Popovic at TEDxBG". YouTube. 2013-02-14. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  3. ^ "The greatest moments in "laughtivism"". Waging Nonviolence. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  4. ^ ""The Hobbit" saves money shooting Mordor in Tar Sands". The Yes Men. 2011-06-19. Archived from the original on 2013-09-02. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  5. ^ "Why Dictators Don't Like Jokes - By Srdja Popovic and Mladen Joksic". Foreign Policy. 2013-04-05. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  6. ^ "Two Cheers for Laughtivism | Practical Ethics". Blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk. 2013-04-16. Retrieved 2013-09-16.

External links[]


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