EDITORIAL - Leadership needs a little humor

Reports coming out of China have it that censors in that country have clamped down on all references to Winnie the Pooh, whether in pictures or in text, and whether in Chinese or in English, owing to that loveable character’s supposed resemblance to Chinese president Xi Jinping. The explanation is that Chinese leaders are not to be made fun of, whether in actuality or just in intent, hence the ban.

The ban gives a rather chilling impression of just how stifled freedom still must be in China even now when that country is bent on making appearances of being truly global in character. Winnie the Pooh is one of the world’s most loved cartoon characters. Surely, it is not lost to Chinese authorities how difficult it must be to make fun of something or someone so adorable.

Therefore, any references to President Xi vis-a-vis Winnie the Pooh can only be flattering, at the very least good-natured. Any attempt at an unflattering or malicious reference or suggestion involving the golden bear can only fall flat on its face. It is a proposition that has no negative, so that Xi himself ought to be flattered instead of being mortified or humiliated.

In contrast, other world leaders have had to make do with far worse comparisons and references. Take Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose misfortune it probably is to have such a striking resemblance to the Harry Potter character Dobby. Or Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, whose looks must have inspired the characterization of the High Sparrow in the hugely successful Game of Thrones series.

And yet neither Putin nor Pope Francis took offense to the thousands of references and side-by-side comparisons made all over the Internet and elsewhere to these two characters. In fact, it is entirely possible that both world leaders are taking the comparisons good-naturedly and are probably relishing the attention such facial similarities are getting them.

Sometimes leadership does and ought to entail a little humor, even in China where, interestingly, some of the most humor-filled people in the world live or come from. Even the Philippines’ own Rodrigo Duterte, for all the toughness and roughness he projects, is pretty quick with humor, even self-deprecating ones. Since Duterte and Xi seem to have warmed to each other, maybe Duterte can joke to Xi about Winnie. But then maybe he should not. Xi might call him Cresencio. Or go to war.