You often hear the term “Punch and Judy” politics. For those unfamiliar with the term, Punch and Judy is a singularly nasty and violent puppet show which became popular in England during the Puritan era of the 17th century when most other forms of entertainment were outlawed.
From OldWoodToys.com: It’s easy to see the appeal for children of the Punch and Judy shows – characters of all stripes, silly, nonsensical plots and dialogues, quaint, decorated, little stages. Often a live dog, Toby, sat in front of the stage with a ruff around his neck and a hat on. furthermore, could commit the most heinous of acts and get away with it! Throw the baby out of the window, whack his wife with a big stick, kill off the authorities that come to take him to jail, chase the ghost away, and, his greatest triumph, vanquish the devil himself, all with a merry grin. Pleased as Punch. There was very little in the way of plot that the street watchers had to follow – Punch must contend with a shrewish wife and a screaming baby so he murders them both and is then forced to defend himself from the law officials and do-gooders who try to get him to the gallows. Whether he succeeds in overcoming them is the suspense of the drama, though the fun is in watching how Punch dispatches them all.
Some might argue that we are now in another kind of puritanical era where the only entertainment we want to watch is reality television and political puppet shows. Nothing but arch characters and predictable Survivor Island tactics. The media is now Toby the dog with the ruff and hat, watching the action and barking nonsensically.
Some say this is the way it has to be. This is what people want, what they expect. But I reject that narrative. Why can’t politicians talk like human beings? Imagine if you and everyone in your life talked to each other the way politicians in Ottawa do, the way reality show participants do? What kind of life would that be? Maybe we should be asking why politicians can’t be more like real people. Or at least the people who have an agenda to be sane and reasonable and work together for the greater good. I think if a politician or a political party dropped the puppet show for real, not just for show, well, that could be a true game changer.
