For decades, political activist groups have used humor for ridiculing their opponents and attracting media attention. This study analyzed the online presence of the Loldiers of Odin, a clown-disguised activist group created as a parody of the anti-immigration group Soldiers of Odin. By analyzing the rhetorical strategies of Loldiers’ performance, we show how absurd and naïve parody stunts were used to criticize anti-immigration street patrolling, distort radical right-wing discourses, and mobilize like-minded progressives. Furthermore, by analyzing Facebook commentary of the performance, we trace its communicative outcomes: support and legitimization, but also problematization and delegitimization. Our results highlight the unpredictable and ambivalent nature of humor in facilitating a political protest. We argue that while humor offers a compelling way for citizens to discursively engage with political issues such as the immigration question, the polysemic nature of parody paradoxically works to amplify and support existing polarized positions in online discussions.

几十年来，政治激进组织利用幽默来嘲笑对手并引起媒体关注。这项研究分析了Odin的Loldiers在网上的存在，该组织是伪装成小丑的激进组织，是反移民组织Odin的模仿者的模仿。通过分析Loldiers表演的修辞策略，我们展示了荒谬和朴素的模仿模仿被用来批评反移民街头巡逻，歪曲激进的右翼言论并动员志趣相投的进步人士。此外，通过分析Facebook对绩效的评论，我们可以追溯其沟通成果：支持和合法化，以及问题化和合法化。我们的研究结果突显了在促进政治抗议中幽默的不可预测性和矛盾性。