Today I'm wearing my media commentator hat. Don't let that stop you. The post is germane to our topic, I promise.
I'm not a great fan of television, but I do enjoy good acting and effective drama. In those categories the medium has come a long way from the "vast wasteland" that Newton Minow called it.
The debate whether art imitates life or the other way around has entertained philosophers for more than a century. I've been asking the question a lot lately while watching a couple of Netflix political dramas.
"House of Cards" (2013-2018) stars Kevin Spacey in a brilliant portrayal of Frank Underwood, a narcissistic politician who, when denied a Cabinet post, vows revenge on everyone. With lies, double crosses, and various crimes, he selects and removes his victims one by one, clawing his way to the presidency over their broken careers.
Underwood is aided and abetted by his wife Claire (Robin Wright), who is no less ruthless than he. She uses guile when she can and sex when she must. Her only allegiance is to Frank and their partnership, and even that is tenuous. Claire is hard as granite.
The series is based on a BBC miniseries that debuted shortly after the Thatcher era. It was always intended as a close look at political intrigue and dirty tricks. The advent of the Trump presidency struck the cast and producers as an eerie déjà vu. Several episodes have Trumpesque story lines, and Robin Wright has complained that Trump pre-empted much of their sixth season material. Who's imitating whom?
It's impossible to watch the last two seasons and not be struck by the similarity to reality. It's not that any character resembles a specific person, but the spirit of corruption, vindictiveness, betrayal and disdain for the public that pervades every episode, that brings the series into accord with the World of Trump.
The final seasons, which include a sabotaged election, should be required viewing material for the Biden-Warren campaign and the Democratic National Committee as a cautionary tale.
I've mentioned "Madam Secretary" (2014-2018) a few times here. Basically a family drama in a political setting, the series follows the life of the Secretary of State, with Téa Leoni in the title role.
The series wouldn't have held my interest past the second season if not for the election of DJTrump. Starting with season 3 the series began presenting stories that indirectly criticized White House policies, e.g. the plight of immigrant children, climate change denial, and Russian mischief. The series usually pulls its punches, but Season 5 Episode 1 featured Madeleine Albright, Hillary Clinton, and Colin Powell in cameo roles discussing the threat of white nationalists in a clear reference to a part of Trump's base.
There are other similar series. These just happen to be the two I've followed. "House of Cards" is a distinctly noir view of what goes on at the top, but we've seen so many examples of the same kind of behavior actually taking place in the White House that it might provide some insights into the underlying psychology of the Trump administration.
"Madam Secretary" is light by comparison, but it is important for the instructive way it presents and explains legal, constitutional and statecraft processes, including a forced invocation of the 15th Amendment. These are things the public should know.
Newton Minow would be pleased to see the wasteland blooming.
--- Diogenes, 9/12/2020
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