Baron, Baron! Where is Your Jester?

And why delegated systems of government degrade without a court jester.

It's 2015, and the people in the town of Conwy can't take it anymore! They have lived the last 700 or so years without their town jester, and they had to get him back!

After 700 years, the people want their Jesters back. In 2015, the town of Conwy in North Wales appointed Russel Erwood (aka Erwyd le Fol) as the official resident jester of the town and its people, a post that had been vacant since 1295. (source)

The Jester Cuts Through The King's Bull$$it

The purpose of a court jester is to present, in a humorous way, truths that are painful for the ego of the king and court.

When the intended audience has thin skin and lacks nobility, the jesters do too, and you get unfunny lies or the targeting of people with no power to defend themselves.

But we are talking now about the well-respected institution that had the legal right to mock even the king. This is a respected tradition found in Ancient China, Greece, Rome, and popularized in Medieval Europe.

A court jester's power is directly proportional to the truthfulness of their words. They show other points of view that the king and court may not know or understand, or take seriously. And a jester's need for humour, subtlety, or even absurdity is directly proportional to the king's pettiness and lack of nobility.

Because humor directed at others' expense, when used for a noble purpose, is the last resort. It is the signal that all other methods have failed to correct the mocked action or behavior. All consultants and wise men have failed in their arguments. And so, humor appeals to the inner workings of both ego and mind. It tries to penetrate them, find the crack that allows the idea to seed.

Jesters and Media/Press

The Press targets the general public. It often transmits news from the state institutions and officials to the public.

The Jester covers the opposite role. It brings the public's perspectives and complaints to the institutions and officials. It not only "brings" them, but it forces the officials to listen, with witnesses. And the officials must prove they are thankful for the Jester's service, if they are to be considered noble.

In "When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows", Steven Pinker explores how epistemic layering (not just knowing, but knowing that others know you know) drives people to construct plausible deniability through social rituals that manage or deflect common knowledge.

Today, corruption works because corrupt practices are not talked about in detail. In Romania, everybody has been put in the position to give a bribe, at least once in their life (realistically, more than once). And still, we never talk about it with each other. We rarely see it punished in our justice system (compared to how often it happens). We think that maybe others have not experienced it because they do not talk about it. We get mad about bribes in general when it is about others. But we accept it in our lives as something we have to do sometimes, and we do not even question it.

The Jester destroys the bubble. There is no more plausible deniability - neither on the side of the high officials, nor on the side of the population.

Role Reversal and Saturnalia

The court jester is allowed by law to defy general norms and role hierarchy. In the same vein, Saturnalia celebrations reversed roles, mocked hierarchy, placed peasants and slaves in the role of kings (Lord of Misrule) who gave commands that other people must obey. The humor came with the seriousness that Saturn is known for. The purpose was to experience a new role, understand a new point of view, destroy regulations that made no sense, and give the people a valve for their frustrations to dissipate.

Romania preserved one of the most vivid Saturnalia celebrations. Groups, often young men, go “cu ursul” (play the bear) or “cu capra” (play the goat), wearing animal costumes, bells, and masks. They visit wealthier households, dancing and chanting custom verses — sometimes blessings, other times veiled social critique disguised with humour. These carols could praise or mock the host’s generosity, morality, or reputation. This was accompanied by drumming or rhythmic stamping of feet. So, in this case, the critique was more personal, but still, directed mainly at community/village leaders, who were then asked for the best food and drink and were cursed if they had none to give. The harsher the critique, the better the food and drink should be!

Because this custom was usually in rural communities where people knew each other, they used masks to preserve anonymity and protect against later retaliation.

This custom has survived to this day, and verses have been changed to reflect the modern context and the critique of rural communities against government and politicians. From young to old:

The original text in Romanian and a translation in English are provided at the end of this article.

But even in Romania, this type of caroling is being censored now, after 35 years of democracy. And mind you, even during communism, this type of carolling was not banned completely - it was respected as a pressure relief, and you could say things that you would not say normally. For example, in this accurate representation of the tradition, the performers were made to leave before finishing their act, because what they were saying went against state interests, even though there is a significant part of the population that shares their views.

The entire point is for authority to be challenged. For subversive points of view to be shoved in your face, so you cannot deny their existence. And of course, you can have a battle of the jesters, presenting different viewpoints, rather than censoring. But remember, the jester's audience is not the public, it is the authorities! So, censoring will only inflate that viewpoint more.

Similarly, Germany had Fastnacht - an opportunity for the people to criticise authorities and also the church.

Fête des Fous, in France, was celebrated in cathedrals (!). Clergy roles were inverted, and even peasants could dress as bishops or popes. It was a licensed day of heresy, with mock sermons, burlesque parodies, and lewd songs. The critique was made in the institution that was criticised, in front of the authorities. Even in "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame", Quasimodo was crowned King of Fools for a day.

Spain had Fiesta del Obispillo.

Many of these customs have been banned, censored, brought back, and manipulated into becoming entertainment without critique.

But Western and Central Europe brought this custom to the institutional level for very good reasons.

When There Are No Jesters

Knowing that high officials hear all your complaints against them, seeing their reaction, measuring their nobility in how they handle and respond to the attack, the humor and mockery, is a safety valve. It relieves the pressure that accumulates through bad governance.

When there are no jesters, you get violent revolutions. Or, in other words, when jesters are not allowed to fulfill their purpose, you know where things are headed.

Before the 1989 Romanian revolution, which ended with the killing of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu (the dictator couple), jesters were not allowed. Comedians developed a subtle form of humor, which was an art form in itself. Their texts were read and verified, and they would be imprisoned if they were harsh on the state apparatus and monoparty. On the bright side, the comedic art was never as good after the revolution, in my opinion, as somebody who did not experience pre-1989. The texts are full of hints that are hard to understand now.

And then, a revolution. You did not even see it coming. The only reason the revolution was halted was that a group of well-positioned people reached consensus fast.

Modern comics are not jesters. They do not go face-to-face with officials to roast them to their face. And when they do - e.g., the White House Correspondents' Dinner has brought comedians in the past to roast the president and White House -, they are mild and feckless.

The institution of the Court Jester does not exist now.

A Note To Current Governments

If you do not close the feedback loop and make an institution for direct feedback from the population to your eyes and ears, even if it contains ridicule, you are heading for disaster.

Yearly, all high-level government roles should have one day (at the very least) when they listen to all the court jester have to say about their activity. Face-to-face, live recording, seen by all citizens. The court jester can be one or more people, but they must present complaints sourced from and voted on by citizens. Otherwise, you risk a violent revolution.

What do you think this was? (Mind you, it was on January 6th, within the period of time allocated for such masked rituals)

In any unbalanced society, there are deep echoes of resentment of authority. If you do not offer them a seat at a table, for them to stand in the light of day, they will crash your celebration and curse you. But this is another myth, for another day.