Laughtivism (a portmanteau of laughter+ activism) is strategic use of humor and mocking by social nonviolent movements in order to undermine the authority of an opponent, build credibility, break fear and apathy and reach target audiences.[1] [2] It has been defined, and predominantly practiced independently by two activist groups - The Center for Applied Nonviolent Actions and Strategies (CANVAS) based in Belgrade, Serbia (Executive Director Srđa Popović) as well as the New York-based team the Yes Men[3] Some recent examples of Laughtivism include: The Yes Men creating a false movie production company comparing the Midwestern Tar Sands area to Mordor,[4] and Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef's satirical television show The B+ which made fun of events during the Egyptian Revolution in 2011.
For more examples of Laughtivism see "Why Dictators Don't Like Jokes",[5] by Srdja Popovic and Mladen Joksic. For a critical view of Laughtivism see "Two Cheers for Laughtivism",[6] by Kei Hiruta.