Prophets, Playwrights, and Politicians and the Absurdity of the Present
“You spoke your words as though you denied the very existence of the shadows or of evil. Think, now: where would your good be if there were no evil and what would the world look like without shadow? Shadows are thrown by people and things. There’s the shadow of my sword, for instance. But shadows are also cast by trees and living things. Do you want to strip the whole globe by removing every tree and every creature to satisfy your fantasy of a bare world? You’re stupid.”
Mikhail Bulgakov — Master and Margarita
The absurdity of American politics propels us deeper and deeper into partisan echo chambers. Corrupt hucksters profit while rigid ideology blinds us to the pain all around us. Presidential debates degenerate into street fights. The civilized world frays as apocalyptic fears metastasize.
“You hate God!”
“You are a Fascist!”
“At least I’m not a communist baby killer.”
“Yeah, well you are a racist, white supremacist, agent of cruelty and hatred.”
Maybe the debate commission will negotiate a kill switch for the candidates’ microphones, in the meantime cutting the power to our televisions and social media accounts may be the safest option.
