“It also helps perpetuate their own narrative about victimization and persecution —‘Look, we can’t even have a free speech rally without being attacked.’ ”

For the same reasons that violence by counter-protesters helps the far right, mockery hurts. “Ridicule makes the far right look less attractive to the type of people they want to attract,” said Cas Mudde, an associate professor in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia. “There’s a sizable portion who are there for the thrill. It doesn’t mean they don’t believe in the broader ideology, but they really enjoy the potential violence. They want to feel dangerous and important. They don’t want to feel like part of a sketch.” He thinks that’s true for the Antifa as well.

After all, which plan is more attractive to young macho men? “We’ll face a small group of masked tough guys” or “We’ll face a large number of men, women and children wearing silly hats and big red noses”?

Humor and mockery are also good strategies for classic political protest — whether against politicians who enable white supremacists, or policies like tax cuts for the rich. A good joke creates a memorable, clear message, allowing the protesters to reframe the issue and attract supporters. Humor engages people on an emotional level and — if it is not meanspirited — it can open them to your message. And it can expose absurdity. A social-change strategist, John Jackson, calls it “making the invisible visible.”

Here’s a famous example:

In 1992, Mattel released a Teen Talk Barbie. Her conversation was predictable: “Party dresses are fun!” “Do you have a crush on anyone?” But there was also this gem: “Math class is tough!”

This made some people mad. The American Association of University Women called on Mattel to retire that utterance, and Mattel complied — a small victory. What was really needed, however, was a national conversation on gender stereotyping. Mattel’s critics on this issue wanted people to talk about the damaging messages sent to little girls by Barbie’s entire conversational repertoire (not to mention her waist-to-hip ratio).