Jesters, A Much-Needed Branch of Government

I've always had a fascination with jesters. A jester was a professional entertainer, an invited member of court, who had the power to tell a monarch anything, unlike the sycophants at court. In a world, where appearance and reputation were everything, jesters behaved in the exact opposite of courtly conventions. Instead of trying to appear important, their distinctive hat reminds us of the jackass.

Every culture has some form of clown. But I really can't think of any worldwide analog to jesters, which I think have a political aspect. The only candidate I can think of is the heyoka of the Lakota. The heyoka consciously behaved opposite to reality and convention. In other words, the heyoka would laugh at tragic news, ride their horses backwards, and pretend to be freezing during heat waves. In the film, Little Big Man, one of the first of a bunch of movies where White Honkys save indigenous people, (eg. Dances With Wolves, Avatar), I always liked the ridiculous heyoka behavior.

I once read, in an obscure and dusty library book, that Jesters would paint their faces white, to remind the King of his own mortality. Memento Mori. Alas, Poor Yorick, Hamlet's old beloved jester, is known more for the death anxiety that his skull elicits than any jokes he told.

I think society, particularly politics and the religion of celebrity worship, could benefit from official and unofficial jesters. We have unofficial Jesters who are greatly rewarded. On the Left Wing, there is Jon Stewart and the Daily Show. On the Libertarian Right, there is South Park. Politically opposite, both are unrepentant truth tellers whose job it is to remind us the Emperor Wears No Clothes. Some extreme political camps have no Jesters, only naive buffoons.

I think it would be good thing, especially if we continue to have a Two Party System, to have a First Jester, who would have his or her own staff of Merry Andrews and Merry Andreas (Andrewlinas? What is the feminine version of Andrew?). This position would be elected, but not by popular vote. The losing Party would be able to appoint their own Jester. I could see situations where political partys, might take a fall, just so they could get their Jester in to mouth off wise cracks during press conferences.