Politics seems to appeal to those addicted to the drama. How else can you explain two years of agony over a rebellion that never happened? Or the recent election disaster and the struggle over which side is the real fascist? Those flames were fanned by those who didn’t want the drama to end.
The political drama turned a new cold virus into a dramatic global collapse, undermining trust in medicine and related scientific fields. This is a goldmine of drama. Can lost trust be regained? Unless science and medicine can be separated from politics.
In fact, you can point to anything that’s going on in the political sphere and see how dramatic it is for politics lovers. Like an addict’s drug.
People love drama — at least, most of them do. This is okay within limits and where appropriate, such as in fiction. A fictional story without any drama would be boring and pointless. Many people bring this desire for drama into the real world, which makes things worse for everyone in the long run. People who crave drama prefer politics to collaboration.
I’ve seen people start unnecessary fights. They could walk away anytime and no one would think about it. They chose to fight. They choose to fight because they want drama.
Politics is the act of starting a fight in a socially acceptable way, by those who feel they are powerless to fight. Accepted by some; not by me.
If you want thrills and drama, don’t fight, learn to skydive instead. As long as you’re not in love with someone, your desire for excitement won’t hurt anyone else.
The wrong way to get more drama in your life is to impose your will on others. Taking hostages or using political power is exciting but harmful to society because individuals are harmed. Politics is antisocial.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re chasing drama in a democratic way or taking control through a coup. In retrospect, coups seem more dramatic, but that could change if elections continue to lose credibility among those who believe elections matter.
Oh, and the fight over who are the real fascists? Who a fascist is is clear when you remember that fascism is authoritarian government control of business through taxes, regulations, and special “public-private partnerships.” This is why fascists want to redefine “fascism” as something else.
Farwell’s Kent McManigal stands for freedom. contact him:
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