I always love to learn new things, but this one was delightful.

Heyoka - The Sacred Clown
(Not scary circus clown {shudder})
An American Indian term


The Heyoka helps define and the social norms of a society by violating them in a ridiculous manner, making that which is taken for granted, vividly apparent.

The Heyoka show us things from a different point of view than the norm, sometimes making us confront the hypocrisy of our actions or beliefs.

I would argue that John Stewart is a modern manifestation of The Heyoka tradition.