Some activists have found a new way to protest: humor.

Several recent counterprotests have used sarcasm, irony and mockery to undercut their opponents and draw attention to their own cause.

This "mocktivism," as it were, has proven especially popular against groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and the Westboro Baptist Church.

Last summer, activists dressed up as clowns to counter a Klan march in Knoxville, Tenn. For each cry of "white power" from the Klan rally, the clowns had a carefully prepared response.

"White flour?" the clowns shouted at first, throwing fistfuls of flour into the air.

Later, they shouted "white flowers?" while waving flowers.

Finally they yelled, "wife power" and began jumping around in wedding gowns.

The counter-protest proved popular in Knoxville and online, helping undercut the otherwise ugly imagery projected by the Klan rally.

Recently, a group of counter-protesters in San Franciso used a simlar tactic against the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church, which is known for protesting military funerals with signs that read "God hates fags."

When the church announced it would protest  outside the offices of online social networking site Twitter, organizers such as E.D.W. Lynch and an "informal community of pranksters" met them with signs that said things like "God hates kittens" and "I have a sign."

"If you can get people to laugh at them, then they're harmless," said Lynch. "We were able to point out the absurdity of what the Westboro Baptist Church is about."

He said the counter-protest drew laughs from onlookers and flustered the Westboro protesters.

"That's my ultimate goal: to allow people to laugh at them and just ignore them," he said.

Other groups have mounted even more dedicated campaigns.

Billionaires for Bush  is a group of demonstrators who pretend to be wealthy bankers and CEOs arguing that people should vote for Republicans.

The ruse draws attention to the role money plays in politics, the activists say.

Wearing black suits and the occasional top hat, members of Billionaires for Bush have held signs like "Wealth care, not health care" at legitimate rallies and Tea Party events.

"We want to confuse people long enough that we can engage with them behind party lines," said Marco Ceglie, a "Billionaire" based in New York.

Ceglie said the problem with traditional protests is that people stop listening once they know you are from the other side. His group, though many of their stances are liberal, aims to be nonpartisan.

"We want to tap that populist anger and put it towards the real culprit," he said.

More creative counter-protests have another benefit: They draw the attention of reporters.

"Mainstream media usually goes to the craziest people," said David S. Meyer, a professor at the University of California at Irvine who studies activism.

Still, he warned that there are limits to the tactic. Some people may not get the joke, or worse, be offended by it. He noted that many Vietnam War protesters resented colleagues who made light of the issue.

Billionaires for Bush encountered a similar problem at recent health care protests, Ceglie said.

Union and health care workers who have long been advocating for changes to the system misunderstood the wealth care joke.

"They wanted to punch us in the face," Ceglie said.

Whether it's wealthy bankers or hate groups, mocktivists agreed that it's easier to mock a rival that is not favored by the mainstream, but Ceglie insists that there is a place for humor in all protests.

"You can better engage people with positive energy than with a negative message or an attack," he said.

Ambreen Ali writes for Congress.org.