Turning those people into living jokes is far more detrimental to their position of power than taking a gun and shooting at them, which only reinforces their "nazi-terrorists are coming!" narrative btw, and justifies all sorts of repressive measures as a result A dictator needs to be scary for instance, charismatic, and beyond that any random politician needs to be seen as credible, serious, reliable, likable. Take those away from them by destroying their image, reputation, and their power over the masses becomes vastly diminished as a result It's cheap and easy, anyone can do it, and it's funny