The Circus

(Ring Masters and Clowns)

The old fashioned circus that came to towns across America through- out the twentieth century was housed under a huge tent.  What took place under that tent was a display of different dramas that engaged the audience.  There were two different individuals that stood in background to the entire event – the clown who popped up at unexpected moments and the ring master.  The purpose of the clown was to provoke laughter with some activity of the absurd – to provide entertainment.  The purpose of the ring master was to keep the venue of entertainment on track toward its ultimate goal – to provide leadership.

Consider this a metaphor of global political interaction.  The circus is the world stage of all the nations competing for attention and seeking to acquire center stage focus.  Some will have greater capacity to do so than others depending on their power and importance in the drama of activities.  At any given historical moment, one of these nations will be the ring master giving basic direction to this drama.  There will also be another nation that competes with the ring master for attention by clowning.  The clown will syphon off attention from the main act by focusing on itself as the real drama.  The clown’s act is some form of delusion or destruction that is recognized as entertainment but is without positive contribution to the goal of the main acts.  It is a distraction for attention.

Translation: Since World War II, America has served as the ring master in the world drama circus.  The acclaimed goal of this leadership was to open the global community to the possible blessings of democracy and keep it from dissolving into despotic chaos. There is noble purpose in this goal beyond America’s private concerns and foibles.

The presidents of the nation have provided this symbolic leadership.  And to more or less degree they have kept to this goal. Donald Trump has totally deviated from this game-plan.  He has pretended the role of ring master while only being the clown that draws attention to him-self.  As a result, the world is without that leadership that preserves from despotic chaos.  While the world laughs at the clown the global community fragments into private competing dominions. The end result will be the rise of some despotic ring master.

We citizens transformed the role of the presidency into the role of a clown by our voter power.  If we wish for America to again become the global ring master the clown must go and democratic leadership step into the nation’s highest office.  Only the voters can restore what they reduced to frivolity.

Robert