Laughing at your leaders

When I think about which virtues I consider the best not just for me but for society at large, "skepticism" usually tops the list. A healthy sense of doubt and questioning is generally an unbeatable prescription. To me, skepticism is a largely secular humanist virtue (and therefore good to me!) because it takes a source of authority and reduces it to its human components; human beings who are essentially similar to you and me, and not representatives of the voice of "God," or of "Reason," or of "Truth" or what have you.

Therefore I'm pleased when I read articles like this one and this one, about citizens who are willing to be skeptical, critical, even joking towards their leaders. Obviously, there are plenty of Palestinians and Iranians who do not regard their thuggish leaders as messengers of God. But if many people find Hamas and Ahmadinejad ridiculous, where are they on voting day? Of course, the obvious question to ask is whether Americans' own willingness to ridicule Bush has gotten us anywhere. Is our own criticism and joking constructive, or is it a largely useless right that will reveal itself powerless when push comes to shove? Also, one cannot bring up Middle Eastern skepticism and joking without acknowledging its limits.