# The Clown Show is coming to town **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 16, 2017, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785 "2017-08-16T12:11:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/41 "2017-08-17T04:49:12Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Would we be talking about playing tubas and kazoos if this were ISIS organizing in American cities, with ethnic cleansing on their lips, driving cars into crowds of people, chanting '“Christians won’t replace us,” talking about how caucasians are pigs that have destroyed this country? > > If you’re a black person, a Jewish person, a Muslim person, a gay person, a Latino, a white person with a soul, etc.-- how are these Nazi/KKK/white supremacist terrorists any less of a direct threat than ISIS? They’re actually here, in our cities; organized; armed, willing to fight, die, and kill; and becoming more bold with every passing day under a Trump presidency. > > Oh, I get it, we’re Americans, these people are American citizens, we and they have rights and freedoms and we’re supposed to be polite. But just what if there were American-born ISIS activists organizing in cities around the country right now-- saying the exact same things these Nazi fucks are saying, but about whites and Christians? At what point does physically stopping these shitbird terrorists from acting and growing become acceptable? > > What happens when the president of the United States emboldens domestic terrorists who are currently organizing _against American citizens?_ Do you think that a strategy of mocking literally means that people don’t take the “Nazi/KKK/white supremacist terrorist” threat seriously? I take it VERY seriously and would be happy to do anything non-violent to fight it. If jeering and ridiculing works (and that wonderful tuba video suggests that it can indeed be an effective strategy), than I say, go for it. If it doesn’t work or is misunderstood, well then. On to the next (non-violent) strategy. Anyway, I’d suggest a contingent of kazoo-players who gleefully follow along with the hideous Nazis, not that 100% of counter-protestors should adopt that strategy. It’s just one line of non-violent pushback. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/42 "2017-08-17T06:04:58Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > If it doesn’t work or is misunderstood, well then. On to the next (non-violent) strategy… If only these nazis were Blue Meanies, we could just [sing](http://www.cornel1801.com/1/y/YELLOW-SUBMARINE/All_You_Need_Is_Love/song.html) at them. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/43 "2017-08-17T06:22:58Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Excellent. > > May I propose a costume and supplies for the peaceful protesters: > > [ul] > [li]Camera for doxing[/li][li]T-shirt with “UNARMED PROTESTOR” and/or “NON-VIOLENT PROTESTOR” written in large letters, front and back[/li][li]Propeller beanie hat[/li][li] **No** clown shoes, though: too hard to get your group equipped with shoes that fit, and could be hazardous if you have to run away from violent Nazis and their ilk[/li][li]Kazoo (practice Ride of the Valkries in advance)[/li][/ul] > > Seriously, if I were in a city that was facing protests, I would get together a bunch of my friends and would fund purchase of the above supplies. I’d think “Yakity Sax” over “Flight of the Valkries” Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/44 "2017-08-17T06:28:27Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > I’d think “Yakity Sax” over “Flight of the Valkries” > > Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk As it’s going to take a while, several songs, to be performed in rotation, are in order. “Yakity Sax” is good. So is Entrance of the Gladiators, as suggested by **Apollyon**. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/45 "2017-08-17T06:30:12Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > If only these nazis were Blue Meanies, we could just [sing](http://www.cornel1801.com/1/y/YELLOW-SUBMARINE/All_You_Need_Is_Love/song.html) at them. Get our best singers to do this, without kazoos. It’s another pillar in an overall strategy. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/46 "2017-08-17T06:50:39Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > Get our best singers to do this, without kazoos. It’s another pillar in an overall strategy. Or they could play “AYNIL” _with_ kazoos? Every part? I’m trying to harken back to the early 70s and there was shit like nerf footballs, soccer boppers, wiffle balls, spit balls that if both sides agreed on restricting themselves to just that crap, then blow a little steam… Certain [jokes](https://youtu.be/WwbnvkMRPKM?t=350) could come in handy. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/47 "2017-08-17T10:36:51Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > I’d think “Yakity Sax” over “Flight of the Valkries” > > Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk > [@CairoCarol](#): > > As it’s going to take a while, several songs, to be performed in rotation, are in order. “Yakity Sax” is good. So is Entrance of the Gladiators, as suggested by **Apollyon**. “Der Fuerher’s Face” would be a fitting choice. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/48 "2017-08-17T11:10:32Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > “Der Fuerher’s Face” would be a fitting choice. What, is it springtime for Hitler again? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/49 "2017-08-17T11:34:00Z")
[Josh Marshall](https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/896224361249742848): > [@](#): > > On the subject of mockery, I believe it is a deeply moral stance. Mocking bad people is a way of depriving them of power, the power of fear and intimidation. Marching around with torches in the night is performative menace. That’s the point. One can fight that in many ways but not accepting it on its own terms, valorizing it through condemnation, as it were, is a key, necessary way. Does it work? Well, we can judge that in many ways. In directly and immediately affecting the targets, sometimes yes and sometimes no. But I believe it always buoys those who do the mocking, gives them moral nourishment and strength. We shld never cower. And losing the ability to laugh at the laughable can sometimes amount to cowering. Don’t cower. Don’t give anyone power or strength who does not deserve it. (This was originally a tweetstorm. I’ve taken out the transitions from one tweet to the next.) ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/50 "2017-08-17T12:24:09Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > > [@Steve\_MB](#): > > > > “Der Fuerher’s Face” would be a fitting choice. > > What, is it springtime for Hitler again? Not sure how well it works with kazoos, but [The Cuckoo Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snnCKVFzjHE) (the Laurel & Hardy theme) should be considered for inclusion in the rotation. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/51 "2017-08-17T17:41:39Z")
I thought this thread was going to be about this story. Be there on September 16 if you want to see the show. [http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/7905213/pro-trump-rally-now-scheduled-at-same-time-place-as-juggalo-march-on-washington](http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/7905213/pro-trump-rally-now-scheduled-at-same-time-place-as-juggalo-march-on-washington) ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/52 "2017-08-17T18:01:41Z")
A recommendation for [Hut Sut Song](https://youtu.be/7kKU1S0lWxo). ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/53 "2017-08-18T06:32:01Z")
> [@HelenGawn](#): > > In the nineties, before the KKK rebirth, their march in Austin was met with the much larger “Moon The Klan” rally lining Congress Avenue. Good times. No way! Ha ha, I considered that too. Because all those poor Britons planning to moon Trump on his abortive – er, postphoned trip there, lost out on their chance at all the fun, and a great idea like that shouldn’t go to waste. However, should it escalate in a reciprocal manner, some things are hard to un-see. > [@SteveG1](#): > > What if everyone got a cheap suit and giant moustache, like Groucho Marx? 😃 Oh yeah! That is gold. They may not be culturally-aware enough to get it, though. **Eddie The Horrible:** “Max! Send me my Glove!” **Lemur866:** Uh-oh. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Crossing my fingers for the Juggalos to stay out of harm’s way. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/54 "2017-08-18T15:19:19Z")
You guys are k-k-krazy! ---
**Author:** ![RadioWave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RadioWave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadioWave)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/55 "2017-08-18T22:01:22Z")
Well Kumbaya, looks like there’s an alt-right protest going on five miles from here on Sunday night. What’s _really_ interesting about this one is the location… Laguna Beach, California. There’s no southern heritage here, no ties to the confederacy, no links to the KKK or white power or anything. The protest site (the main beach on a Sunday afternoon) is incredibly difficult to reach. There’s more traffic than Oregon in an eclipse and once you do get there, you find that the nearest parking is in Idaho. So why would the organizers pick this place to demonstrate? Clearly it’s not for convenience. It’s not for cultural reasons and it’s certainly not because they expect to meet like minded folks and convince them to join their cause. Why pick this place over several other more obvious choices within a short distance? Could it be because Laguna Beach is a famous gay town and these people are really just trouble makers looking to mix it up with the liberals? Kind of hard for them to bat their eyelashes and pretend they’re here for any legitimate purpose. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/56 "2017-08-18T23:14:28Z")
> [@RadioWave](#): > > Well Kumbaya, looks like there’s an alt-right protest going on five miles from here on Sunday night. What’s _really_ interesting about this one is the location… Laguna Beach, California. > > There’s no southern heritage here, no ties to the confederacy, no links to the KKK or white power or anything. The protest site (the main beach on a Sunday afternoon) is incredibly difficult to reach. There’s more traffic than Oregon in an eclipse and once you do get there, you find that the nearest parking is in Idaho. > > So why would the organizers pick this place to demonstrate? Clearly it’s not for convenience. It’s not for cultural reasons and it’s certainly not because they expect to meet like minded folks and convince them to join their cause. Why pick this place over several other more obvious choices within a short distance? > > Could it be because Laguna Beach is a famous gay town and these people are really just trouble makers looking to mix it up with the liberals? Kind of hard for them to bat their eyelashes and pretend they’re here for any legitimate purpose. Would it be bad form to pray for MORE SHARKS ? They better be advised, local law enforcement HERE will not let them brandish guns or attack anyone. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/57 "2017-08-19T06:24:15Z")
Apologies if this has been posted already (I don’t see it here, but I don’t always hit the sweet spot between skimming and perusing each thread), but this seems incredibly relevant, and I think it makes a devastatingly good case for the effectiveness of using both humor and peacefulness to deflect, denigrate, and ultimately overcome nazis and evil, in whatever form the evil takes: [How to make fun of Nazis](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/17/opinion/how-to-make-fun-of-nazis.html?emc=eta1) > [@](#): > > For decades, Wunsiedel, a German town near the Czech border, has struggled with a parade of unwanted visitors. It was the original burial place of one of Adolf Hitler’s deputies, a man named Rudolf Hess. And every year, to residents’ chagrin, neo-Nazis marched to his grave site. The town had staged counterdemonstrations to dissuade these pilgrims. In 2011 it had exhumed Hess’s body and even removed his grave stone. But undeterred, the neo-Nazis returned. So in 2014, the town tried a different tactic: humorous subversion. > > The campaign, called Rechts Gegen Rechts — the Right Against the Right — turned the march into Germany’s “most involuntary walkathon.” For every meter the neo-Nazis marched, local residents and businesses pledged to donate 10 euros (then equivalent to about $12.50) to a program that helps people leave right-wing extremist groups, called EXIT Deutschland. > > They turned the march into a mock sporting event. Someone stenciled onto the street “start,” a halfway mark and a finish line, as if it were a race. Colorful signs with silly slogans festooned the route. “If only the Führer knew!” read one. “Mein Mampf!” (my munch) read another that hung over a table of bananas. A sign at the end of the route thanked the marchers for their contribution to the anti-Nazi cause — €10,000 (close to $12,000). And someone showered the marchers with rainbow confetti at the finish line. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/58 "2017-08-19T14:52:30Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Alright now, clowning the Nazi would actually work. Ridicule not violence. But, let’s get real. People don’t want to clown they want to fight. It’s more exciting. Well, and the counter-protesters in my area are so bloody EARNEST about it. There’s not a prankster in the bunch. No one wants to hold signs saying “WHITE FLOUR!” or “WIFE POWER!”. I hate Nazis as much as the next person, but there is \*\*\*huge \*\*\*power in laughter, and they just don’t see it. ---
**Author:** ![Tee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Tee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tee)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2017, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785/59 "2017-08-19T15:38:19Z")
Some livestreaming links in Boston for the 12-3pm Free Speech Rally: Ruptly TV (counterprotest): [- YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhcs86W_NJg&app=desktop) Right Side News: [- YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTxRr-UtVU8) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-clown-show-is-coming-to-town/793785.md?page=2)