Dangerous Laughter

Telling jokes about the king has always come with risks. Court jesters in medieval times performed in front of the king and other royalty, sometimes delivering news wrapped in entertainment. Of course if the king thought you went too far, you might end up in a dungeon or worse.

We’ve seen a modern version of what happens when you displease the royal court, but fortunately Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air. (Today there is a corporate layer between the ruler and the entertainer, which may or may not offer protection to today’s jesters.)

Here’s hoping we stick with rule of the people and don’t continue the current slide back to the days of a royal court.