Then there is the long tradition of the court jester with license to criticize the despot by sweetening his barbs with jokes. The annual Gridiron Club Dinner in Washington, where the president is lampooned by the press, is a relic of this custom.
当然，政治滑稽剧并非始于现代。尼禄就是一名深谙取悦大众赢得广泛支持之道的杀人犯。御用宫廷弄臣用玩笑的方式婉转批评暴君统治的历史同样源远流长。每年在华盛顿举行的嘲讽总统的烤架俱乐部年度晚宴便是这一传统的遗存。