I didn’t make it to the protest (had a conflicting conference), so realistically I have no right to complain, but I’m not sure this is the right framing.

The problem with people going to protests in Halloweenesque costumes, holding funny signs with puns about the protest topic, etc, isn’t that it’s cringe, exactly. It’s that…

…suppose that the situation were much worse. Trump had suspended elections and declared himself dictator-for-life. People were already being sent to gas chambers. And suppose that the opposition was still brave enough to protest. Would you go to that protest in a dinosaur costume? Would you go with a funny sign saying something like “You Sucked In Home Alone 2” or “Small Dick (Tator) Energy”? (both real protest signs I saw in the No Kings photos)

Maybe some people would. I have no objective argument that you shouldn’t. Totally as a matter of feels, it seems inappropriate to me. And if it’s inappropriate for a really bad, serious situation, then doing it now sends the message that this situation isn’t really bad or serious. Which seems like the opposite of the message that a protest is suppose to send.

Again, I didn’t attend, no right to complain, anything that polices the people who did attend or makes them feel bad about attending is counterproductive. Still, I think it’s worth asking whether there is some level of badness at which you personally would stop wearing dinosaur costumes to protests.