The Democratic Party put on an extraordinary show at the convention in Chicago. There was everything: big music stars, rousing speeches, religious devotions, lots of tears, awakenings of hope, moments of joy, exhilarating patriotism, Oprah Winfrey, and lots and lots of balloons. Television commentators were impressed by the way Vice President Kamala Harris "presented herself": her smile, her body language, her voice - even her choice of wardrobe.
Politics in both democracies and dictatorships always implies showmanship of one kind or another. But in the United States, it has long been impossible to separate politics from entertainment. The caustic American journalist HL Menken, who despised politicians and considered the majority of Americans to be dumb slobs, was an extraordinarily astute observer of party conventions. "It seems to me that the United States, without competition, is the greatest show in the world," he wrote in 1927.
Pomp from Britain
But why on earth do the candidates have to make such a show about how much they love their families? What does all that hugging and kissing have to do with politics? Is a demonstration of that commitment really necessary to win over voters? It will be like that in America.
In most democracies, people vote for political parties and the interests they represent. Charisma plays a certain role - even in countries like Japan, where it is conspicuously lacking in most politicians. But on the whole, Asian and European politicians are not nearly as willing or ready to recommend themselves to the public as warm and welcoming people in the way that their American counterparts are. This is something that people traditionally expect from kings and queens, not from the politicians they elect in elections. Ever since King George III in the 18th century, British monarchs wanted their subjects to perceive them as good and exemplary family men. Queen Elizabeth II has allowed the BBC to document her daily life, from garden barbecues to drinking tea with her children; she believed that she needed to act like a regular person in order to maintain popularity.
Americans broke free from the British monarchy in 1776 (George III was their last king.) Since then, the White House has taken on much of the pomp and customs of court, to a degree that far exceeds that of any other democracy—except perhaps France, where the republic is still shrouded into royalist grandiosity.
In order to rise to the position of American president, with all the quasi-monarchical trappings that go with that position, each candidate - like a member of the British royal family - has to make a big show of being a regular guy or a regular girl, a person like us, someone with whom you would drink a beer on the veranda. But of course, people who aspire to be president are not like us, they just have to pretend they are.
In order to succeed in a highly competitive society such as the American one, it is necessary to have a sales talent. This is especially true for those who have to sell themselves to the public, whether they are actors or politicians. Their performances are performances
Drowning in sentimentality at American party conventions - hugging, kissing, and other expressions of love for family members - is ubiquitous in America on other ceremonial occasions as well. Foreign Oscar winners, for example, usually give short, witty speeches after the presentation of the award. But not the American stars who, teary-eyed, have to thank everyone - from their elementary school teachers to their pets - and express their deep commitment to the human race.
Ruthless business
Sentimentality is an emotion that has no place; the public expression of love, sadness, hope and joy as a substitute for the real thing - that which is not normally shown in front of others. Politics, like the Hollywood film industry, is actually a ruthless business in which personal feelings - both one's own and those of others - often have to be ignored or suppressed in order to move forward.
The demands placed on people by ambition often destroy everything else, and in that fire, beloved spouses and children are easily burned. But feelings have to go somewhere, they have to be expressed somehow. Hence so much swagger on the stage - in Hollywood and at party conventions.
At the Democratic National Convention, there was much talk about Americans who "reach out to each other," "love their neighbors," and "help the poor and marginalized." Many Americans may fit that description. But the US is by far the most ruthlessly competitive society - with hardly any social safety nets - compared to most other democracies. In order to succeed in that society, it is necessary to have commercial talent. This is especially true for those who have to sell themselves to the public, whether they are actors or politicians. Their performances are performances.
Role-playing, by definition, means creating something that is not real. And yet, the public demands that actors and politicians leave the impression of authentic persons. This is why we crave rumors about their private lives so much - and the darker the rumours, the better. And this, viewed from a more generous perspective, is the reason why we want to be shown how much someone who is engaged in politics loves his or her husband or wife. In a word, we want them to be "authentic".
Therefore, what we see at party conventions and Oscar awards, in television interviews and magazine articles, is a performance of authenticity. When performed by real connoisseurs, as was the case in Chicago, that performance can really become the greatest show in the world.
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