Let no one mistake it for comedy, farcical though it may be in all its details. It serves notice on the country that Neanderthal man is organizing in these forlorn backwaters of the land, led by a fanatic, rid of sense and devoid of conscience.
Interpretation
The quote warns against underestimating serious issues presented under the guise of humor.
H. L. Mencken's quote conveys a grave concern that what may appear to be comedic or trivial on the surface is actually indicative of deeper societal issues, such as the rise of primitive and irrational elements in society, led by individuals lacking moral conscience and rationality. The juxtaposition of comedy and serious warning serves to highlight the urgency of addressing these dangers, even if they manifest in unexpected ways.
In practice
In a speech addressing political extremism, one might reference this quote to emphasize the serious underlying issues in seemingly comedic rhetoric.
I know a good many men of great learning-that is, men born with an extraordinary eagerness and capacity to acquire knowledge. One and all, they tell me that they can't recall learning anything of any value in school. All that schoolmasters managed to accomplish with them was to test and determine the amount of knowledge that they had already acquired independently-and not infrequently the determination was made clumsily and inaccurately.
It takes a long while for a naturally trustful person to reconcile himself to the idea that after all God will not help him
It is the theory of all modern civilized governments that they protect and foster the liberty of the citizen; it is the practice of all of them to limit its exercise, and sometimes very narrowly.
The central belief of every moron is that he is the victim of a mysterious conspiracy against his common rights and true deserts.
The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy.
It is my conviction that no normal man ever fell in love, within the ordinary meaning of the term, after the age of thirty.
The church is only the church when it exists for others. To make a start, it should give away all its property to those in need. The clergy must live solely on the free-will offerings of their congregations, or possibly engage in some secular calling. The church must share in the secular problems of ordinary human life, not dominating, but helping and serving. It must tell men of every calling what it means to live in Christ, to exist for others.
I hold that while man exists, it is his duty to improve not only his own condition, but to assist in ameliorating mankind.
It is the same woman, I know, for she is always creeping, and most women do not creep by daylight.
Having totality means being capable of following "what is," because "what is" is constantly moving and constantly changing. If one is anchored to a particular view, one will not be able to follow the swift movement of "what is.
The simplest and most satisfactory view is that thought is simply behavior - verbal or nonverbal, covert or overt. It is not some mysterious process responsible for behavior but the very behavior itself in all the complexity of its controlling relations.
The principle of democracy is a recognition of the sovereign, inalienable rights of man as a gift from God, the Source of law.
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