Democracy in action

Democracy works in many ways, some of them sillier than others. Today my friend Cynthia sent me the following link to a musical comedy written and performed by Jack Black, John C. Reilly and friends, a little bit of protest theatre called:


Prop 8: The Musical

 

Whatever your views on this issue, you might appreciate the sheer nuttiness of the venture. Rather than march in the streets, hurl accusations, shout angry slogans or call for boycotts of their cultural opposites, these people have chosen to put on funny costumes, find a willing orchestra, and do a little song and dance.

Imagine if the world worked this day. If rather than brutally mowing down innocent civilians with semi-automatic weapons in the streets of Mumbai, Muslim terrorists had to form a kickline and sing their protests along the street, while dodging motorcycle rickshaws. Or if American soldiers in Iraq and their Shia insurgent enemy were required to reenact the Sharks/Jets song-and-dance from “West Side Story”.

Call me crazy, but I think Jack Black and his friends might just be on to something here.

2 thoughts on “Democracy in action”

  1. Funny. I tried to attach this to one of my comments a few days ago, but, for some reason, the comment didn’t submit and I didn’t think it was worth a retry…

    I do love a little shrimp cocktail now and again…

  2. Okay Ken, your crazy.

    But seriously, I love and share your sense of whimsy.

    Unfortunately, the last eight years of the Democratic Senate and Congressional leadership shows what can happen when the political strategy of “the nutty kickline” is deployed asymmetrically.

    While the Constitution has been getting the semi-automatics-in-the-street treatment by the likes of Rumsfeld, Cheney, Addington, Yoo, et al., Democrats have been kick-ball-changing the can of accountability down the road with weakly wiggling jazz hands of outrage stretched akimbo. Sadly, “Democracy In Action” is too uncomfortably close to what has been Democratic inaction.

    So long as the Grand Guignol strategy of the right is focused on remaking the world in its own macabre self-image at any cost, something a little more direct than the the character shoes and grease paint approach of the last 8 years is needed.

    When it comes to legal fairness and governmental accountability and It would be nice to have the opposite of satire for a change.

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