Raised in a humble farm in the American heartland and weighing in at 145 pounds, this individual stood for those marginalized and exploited by an unfair status quo. This hero was eventually butchered and gutted by the slaughterhouse of the American political system. This is the story of Pigasus, the pig.
The Rise
It was 1968, one of those years when the deep social unrest and counter-cultural spirit hit the fan. In late January, the Viet Cong launched the Tet Offensive, furthering the unpopularity of the war. In April, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in an act that set off riots across the country. And to make everything infinitely worse, it was a presidential election year.
History remembers three presidential candidates in the 1968 U.S. election. There was Richard “Tricky Dick” Nixon for the Republicans, Hubert “Happy Warrior” Humphrey for the Democrats and George “Asshole” Wallace (Note: “Asshole” was not actually his nickname) for the pro-segregation South. And then there was Pigasus for the Youth International Party (the Yippies), a Vietnam War-protesting, pot-smoking, free lovemaking anarchist group.
His nomination ceremony was on Aug. 23 that year in Chicago, right before the opening of the Democratic National Convention, which also happened in Chicago. Yippies gathered, carrying placards bearing slogans such as “Pig Power” and “Live High on the Hog.”
Pigasus’s Yippie followers demanded that he, as a candidate for president, be guaranteed Secret Service protection and access to White House foreign policy briefings. Unfortunately these demands were not met, in another instance proving that the system is rigged against outside political figures.
The Fall
Pigasus began his acceptance speech by having his chosen spokesperson, Jerry Rubin say, “I, Pigasus, hereby announce my candidacy for the Presidency of the United States.”
Unfortunately, the rest of the speech was lost to history because Chicago Police cracked down on the ceremony and arrested Pigasus along with seven other Yippie members. These individuals became known as the Chicago Seven.
The Seven were formally charged with disorderly conduct, crossing state lines to incite a riot, disturbing the peace and breaking an old local ordinance that banned bringing a pig into Chicago. The Seven then charged the Democratic Party of doing the exact same thing by planning on nominating Humphrey for president.
The Trial
Then came a six month long trial where the Chicago Seven, Pigasus and the right to mock the American political system were put on the stand.
One day during the trial, defendants Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin appeared in court dressed in judge’s robes. When asked to remove these robes by the judge, they obeyed and revealed Chicago Police uniforms underneath.
On another day of the trial, defense attorney Theodore Kunstler put the Vietnam War itself on trial by placing a Viet Cong flag on the defense table and asking folk singer Judy Collins to sing the anti-war song, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” from the witness stand.
Over the course of the trial, charges of being in contempt of court flew amok against the Seven and Kunstler. Yet, after some appeals, all convictions against the Seven were overturned.
The Seven then went their separate ways and caused political ruckuses of varying degrees throughout the country over the next few decades.
The Aftermath
But wait. What happened to Pigasus, the real hero of this story? The sources on this matter vary. Some sources cite that he was donated to the Chicago Anti-Cruelty Society and where he lived happily ever after with a Mrs. Pigasus. Other sources claim that he was eaten by the Chicago Police.
Many news pundits and commentators have likened this year’s election to the election of 1968. And it’s easy to see similarities. There are rising racial tensions. There’s extraordinary dissatisfaction towards the political system and a restructuring of a major political party. Some even argue that there’s currently a pig (or two) running for president.
This is not a fun story about some kids who decided to have a pig run for president as a political prank. This is a story where the right to criticize politicians came under attack.
Much has been left out of this week’s column. I omitted the part of the trial where Black Panther activist Bobby Seale was gagged, chained to a chair in court and denied his constitutional right to legal counsel.
This year, that right to criticize has been expressed in many ways from questioning President Obama’s birth certificate to calling for Donald Trump to release his tax returns. But no matter how stupid, outrageous or false, these criticisms may be, we must recognize that the fundamental right to criticize must be preserved as a way for all voices to be heard in this representative government we are supposed to have.
This concludes Irreverent History. Don’t expect to see any American political history anytime soon.
