#GreenShirtGuy: Why the internet star of a Tucson City Council meeting couldn’t stop laughing

In general, the whole scene at Tuesday night’s gathering had a very dark timeline “Parks and Recreation” vibe. The meeting was called to discuss an initiative to make Tucson a sanctuary city, but it went off the rails when a woman in a Make America Great Again hat started yelling about how the idea of sanctuary cities is unconstitutional. Speaking over a chorus of boos and exhausted “shut ups,” the woman raised a sign saying “Respect Our Laws or We Will Deport You.”

#GreenShirtGuy’s name is Alex Kack, and he told CNN affiliate KVOA that there was a simple, almost primal reason for his mirth: Things are ridiculous and scary. In the moment, what else are you gonna do?

“People really took time out of their day to go interrupt a City Council meeting to just yell crazy, ignorant, racist, hate-filled stuff in the most absurd manner they could possibly do it,” he said.

Kack said that while he may have been laughing on the outside, it was more of an existential scream on the inside.

“It’s an incredibly dark time, and there is a lot of hateful rhetoric that’s happening nationwide right now, but ultimately, the majority of this country — regardless of their political affiliation — understands that the loudest voices happening right now are kinda ridiculous. And I think the laughter is resonating because that’s how people feel right now.”

So there you have it. Laughter, in its most basic form, is really just a socially acceptable cry for help. LOL.