In towns across the US, our political discourse has emerged from its absurd chrysalis a metamorphosed but wretched lampoon of itself. From empty-chairs to effigies, to present but clearly confused as to the purpose of the event, town halls have been more performance art than civic participation. When the elected officials do show up, they seem, as I mentioned, to be confused about what a town hall is for: they arrive with slide shows and speeches, prepared to give a lecture and let the people know what’s-what. The seem to think this is a presentation where they dispense their version of reality, rather than what it is: their performance review.
The grand canyon level gap between these points of view is why they all fundamentally feel absurd; like a skit or scene from a movie. Absurdity is my trade, and I’ve plied it, literally, across the globe multiple times over. An elected official standing before their constituents and speaking with a point of view that is blindly detached from reality is, and I’m going to use this word again, absurd. As in, it is an absurdity, one of the foundational blocks of comedy. If it were a joke, the punchline would be what resolved the absurdity, but as it stands this is all “horse walked into a bar” and no “why the long face.”
It’s baffling, really, to think that you could dismiss the people who loaned you the office that has the authority to, on their behalf, enact rules and laws and regulations that affect their lives. Maybe they’ve forgotten it’s a loan, or that it’s the office that has that authority and not them.
In any event the present moment is far more Mel Brooks than Brookings, and - outside of the obvious gravity - my issue with this is that absurdity with a lack of commitment to the bit is more awkward than funny. If elected officials are going to insist on being parodies of themselves; are going to make a mockery of the very system and people that put them where they are; they could at least commit to the farce.
If they won’t do it, (and considering so many can’t be bothered to appear at all, I presume they won’t), someone should. Someone (us) should take this all the way over the edge. If they won’t be all the lampooning parody that they can be, perhaps we should show them what it looks like. Show them the conclusion to the trajectory they’ve begun, the spectacle of their crap-saccharine behavior. They want to act like nothing is the matter, but we say, “no, too weak: everything is great!”
Everything is great, and there might even be prizes! Stage, and lights, and loud fun music, and moderator giving out prizes of dark money contributions to contestants who say the right thing! Contestants, yes, because if it’s all going to be a show, let’s really make it one. And if we have to hear flimflam answers, lets at least give them have a little razzmatazz.
I’m going to write this. A live stage / game show version of a town hall. Something between 90s daytime tv and, well, a different part of 90s day time tv, I guess. Animal Farm the play, but a game show. But still a real town hall. Real issues and questions, from the audience, and then the performers have to wrangle answers to match that everything is great. Boos and jeers, as needed. If they insist on putting a lampoon in every pot (town), the least we can do is season it.
Anyway that’s the message (edited and updated here to remove gratuitous profanity and bring it closer to current events) that began back in January. It’s evolved into an actual new show, with several people coming on to work this out. First one is April 30th. In Alabama. “Everything Is Great: A town hall for the people”