In response to the cheap shots at President Zelenskyy for being a comedian before he was elected…
Life is a joke. People without any tact would likely dismiss this assertion as being nothing more than the rumblings of a nihilist with existential anxiety, but just stop for a moment and think about what a joke actually is. Telling a well-structured joke requires a strong sense of rhythm and impeccable timing. To put it simply, it is quite difficult to awe your audience if you put the punch line before the joke itself, unless you are Dave Chappelle.
To make progress is to move forward, which is predicated on one's sense of rhythm. And to know when to make your next leap forward, one needs the fastidiousness of a Swiss watch. In other words, human progress and endeavour can simply be portrayed as a good comedy or the ability to make people move with vigour.
Indeed, a well-structured joke can mean the difference between progress and degradation to the point of marred mediocrity. And who better to make the judgement calls necessary to induce the former and avoid the latter than a comedian? For make no mistake, laughter in its most intrepid form - satire - has been a driving force of the liberal ideal ever since its infancy in Europe.
It is a commonly-held belief that the French revolution, which gave rise to the nation-state and modern liberal ideals, was prompted by myriad reasons ranging from the discontent with high taxes to the burgeoning desire for freedom from the tyranny of monarchy. The truth of the matter is that before Parisians took to the streets and stormed the Bastille, it was in taverns, clubs and cafés where their frustration with monarchy started to manifest itself. Before people could find the resolve to march against the king, they had to learn how to laugh at him. And it was precisely in such social gatherings where people's frustration vented itself through satire and comedy.
And it is for that reason why people need once again to learn the difference between intentional satire and unintentional buffoonery, for to learn how to laugh at tyrannical oppression is to know how to emancipate yourself from fear of its reach. In today's political zeitgeist, especially in the west, a cultural war is being waged for what we can laugh at and what we cannot. The unfortunate victim of this war has been our shared sense of right and wrong. Dissent and rancour flourish where right is wrong and wrong is right, which is why we again need satire to shine through the veil of obscurity and guide us forward.
Не вірте фейкам. pic.twitter.com/wiLqmCuz1p
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 26, 2022
What is the making of a good comedian? A good comedian knows how to captivate their audience with jokes that are rooted in reality but are massively exaggerated, oftentimes to the point of absurdity. This particular ability of the comedian to embellish the false while clinging on to the true makes comedy and satire such an indispensable tool in the struggle against all mendacity and deception.
Above all, a comedian jokes with reality, but he does not make reality a joke. By having one leg firmly grounded in 'what is' and the other in 'what could be', the comedian, with his sense of rhythm and timing, is best-suited to move his audience, to spark an idea in them, to make progress. But what sets apart a comedian from a clown? Plainly speaking, the latter is detached from reality and his audience.
Talks with President of France Emmanuel Macron https://t.co/kP4bXUKPgl pic.twitter.com/BwoGCIlLIs
— President of Russia (@KremlinRussia_E) February 7, 2022
Where the former would exaggerate reality, the latter abolishes it. A clown loses his grip on the real and creates a completely imagined world for himself where he can make his audience laugh not at the inadequacies of reality but at the weirdness of his illusion. A clown does not embellish reality, he detests it. Whereas a comedian would always keep one leg in the real world, a clown would embrace the fantastical one.
But most significantly, a comedian would invite his audience to laugh with him, whereas a clown would inadvertently incite laughter at him. A clown, therefore, has no use of rhythm or comedic timing because he does not need to operate in accordance with reality. And while a comedian can certainly make a good leader, a clown with power would make for a recipe for disaster.
I would like to finish with a poignant quote by Thomas Paine, one of the insurmountable humanists from the early days of the birth of the liberal ideal, inviting you all to refine our taste for comedy:
" The difference between a republican and a courtier with respect to monarchy is that the one opposes monarchy believing it to be something, and the other laughs at it knowing it to be nothing."
Over the past few weeks, the USD has lost nearly 800 pips against the JPY, driven by Japan's shift away from decades of negative interest rates. With the Bank of Japan raising rates for the second time in a row, investors are adjusting their positions to [...]
Despite its volatility, Silver remains in an uptrend. While not as dynamic as Gold, XAG often mirrors XAU’s movements. A Multiple Top has formed around $32.50, and history shows that the more a level is tested, the weaker it becomes, increasing the likelihood of a [...]
A combination of factors, including Trump-era tariffs, the emergence of DeepSeek, and a slowdown in GDP growth, has contributed to the recent pullback in the US30 from its record highs. From a technical standpoint, a Double Top pattern has formed around the [...]
Over the past month, Silver has experienced an impressive 13% surge, marking a strong bullish trend. Despite notable volatility and multiple pullbacks, the overall momentum remains firmly to the upside. This strength is further validated by the Golden Cross, a historically reliable [...]
The Swiss Stock Market has been on a remarkable rally, surging over 15% between December and January. At times, the price action resembled a near-vertical ascent. However, following the announcement of Trump’s tariffs over the weekend, Monday’s trading session opened with a [...]
Between October and January, GBPUSD experienced a significant decline, dropping by approximately 1300 pips. However, we now observe signs of a potential trend reversal. Over the past few weeks, the pair has rebounded by more than 400 pips, shifting momentum toward a [...]
For the past 1 month, the UK100 saw a fantastic 600 point rally! The occasional corrections only attracted more buyers, which is healthy for the current up trend and the RSI currently exhibits elevated demand. A 130 point correction started last week on Friday, dipped below the [...]
Over the past two weeks, Japan’s leading stock index surged 2,000 points, reflecting strong bullish momentum. However, this week saw a sharp sell-off, erasing nearly all gains since mid-January. Despite this drop, the decline stalled at the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement, a key [...]
There is a clear shift in the momentum in the Oil market, with the commodity dropping with nearly 10% for the past 2 weeks. The Death Cross, a classic sell signal, is indicating that sellers are indeed in control and we are lookin now at a strong [...]
The 350 pip rally for the past 2 weeks seems like a trend reversal for EURUSD, with buyers back in control. The strong bullish momentum is also confirmed by the Golden Cross, a historic buy signal. Corrections are healthy for the trend and we currently looking at [...]
For the past 2 weeks GBPUSD went up with 400 pips and this is why we believe we might be looking at a trend reversal. The strong bullish momentum is confirmed by the Golden Cross, a classic buy signal, which supports the hypothesis that [...]
The Death Cross formation in USDJPY signals a robust downward momentum, with the USD depreciating by 300 pips over recent weeks. Further declines exceeding 300 pips are anticipated, potentially reaching the 152.00 level. Despite several corrective pullbacks, the price has been unable to surpass the [...]
Following the formation of a Double Top pattern at the 21,930 level last Friday, the NASDAQ has experienced a significant decline, plummeting by nearly 800 points. This downturn has been primarily driven by unfavorable manufacturing data emerging from China, alongside the Bank of Japan's interest rate hike on Friday. The market reaction closely resembles the [...]
GOLD's uptrend has regained strength, with several factors supporting further gains. The RSI bounced from oversold levels and now stands at 65, signaling growing demand and increasing buying volume. Additionally, the appearance of a [...]
For the past few months, USDJPY gained 2100 pips! Then, about 10 days ago the USD started dropping and so far corrected with 300 pips, dropping down to 155.00. A local Double Bottom got formed and this level also aligns with the important [...]
For the past week, the US100 has surged by over 1,000 points, signaling strong bullish momentum. The RSI stands at 69, indicating high demand and buyer dominance. A bullish Golden Cross pattern has emerged, confirming the upward trend. Despite a brief correction yesterday, with the index dipping to [...]
The Descending Triangle on the 4-hour chart, typically a bearish signal, failed to materialize this time. Instead, the Triple Bottom support at 92,000 held strong, driving significant buying volume. A Golden Cross—a classic bullish indicator—confirms strong [...]
After a 300-point correction from its December highs, the SP500 appears to be rebounding as bulls regain control. This recovery is supported by positive economic data, including strong NFP numbers, low unemployment, and CPI readings meeting expectations—all favorable for stocks. Additionally, the earnings season began yesterday with [...]
For several months, the EUR has been trending downward, losing hundreds of pips. While occasional corrections to the upside occur, bears remain in control. The strong downward momentum is highlighted by the Death Cross pattern, a classic sell signal. Yesterday, we observed another [...]
The Dollar remains strong, with buyers firmly in control since the Fed's December comments hinting at fewer 2025 rate cuts. This drove a 400-pip rally in USDCAD, now facing resistance near 1.4450 as early buyers take profit. Corrections are part of healthy trends, and the pair is testing support at [...]
