MY JAW dropped so low, it dislocated when I saw President-elect Donald Trump’s latest press conference. It reminded me of a professional wrestling event. Why does everything on American news seem as though it was scripted by the World Wrestling Entertainment?
They still have people who believe that the fights they watch in the WWE are real. Professional wrestling matches are called “Works.” A Work is a well-planned mock-fight with a predetermined outcome. A Work only works if it looks like it could be real.
Despite the fact that most fans of Pro-Wrestling now know that they are being worked over, they continue to watch. I remember back in the day having arguments of Wrestlemania proportions with friends and family members over whether Andre the Giant could defeat Hulk Hogan.
Then I grew up.
The nature of the arguments shifted. It became a battle to convince friends and family that what they were watching was a soap opera for men. In time, most of those who were convinced that Stone Cold Steve Austin was the modern day equivalent of Spartacus came to realise that he was the night-time equivalent of Ridge Forrester from the daytime soap The Bold and Beautiful.
But they still watch. The drama is addictive.
In the drama of Pro-Wrestling, villainous characters are called Heels and heroes are called Faces. There used to be a time when it was clear who were the Faces and the Heels. Now everybody is a kind of anti-hero. There are no plain-ole good-guys. Popularity depends more on relatability and charisma than morality and ability.
And so the world turns. We are no longer so naive and young to accept purely one-dimensional characters. We accept that people are complex. We are, however, restless and will change the channel if a character bores us. To be popular today, you don’t have to be good. But you do have to be entertaining. These are the days of our lives.
Generally, President Barack Obama is seen as a good guy. The way some people speak, it is as if he is even more: a messiah. He had to appear that way to win. There is a large segment of the American population who will never relate to him, or who will relate to him only if they perceive him as having a magical, pure quality. He could not rely on charisma and ability alone to become and stay president. To become a Face he had to be on point in always presenting his best face. Such is the burden of having a darker face.
This is the magical appeal of Obama. It’s not his domestic record. He had too much opposition to achieve much of what he said he wanted to do. Obamacare is actually an adaptation of a plan conceptualised by his former opponent, Republican nominee Mitt Romney. His foreign policy hasn’t resulted in a better world. Yet much of the world loves him.
His magic has been his performance skills. If Obama were a wrestler, he would be The Rock. He has charisma, political athleticism, poise, public relations savvy and has managed to retain an image of wholesomeness. When he was first elected, the world believed it could smell what Obama had cooking. So much so that eight months into office he was awarded the Nobel peace prize in anticipation of what he would accomplish.
The rest is history: no peace in Israel and Palestine, unrest between blacks and police officers, increased battles with Islamic extremist, stepped up use of drone bombers, and so on. But I ain’t vex. Obama inherited the presidency when America was in such a state that to keep the sky from falling would seem to some like a success. To maintain his status as a Face with a dark-face in a country that prefers its Faces to be no darker than suntanned, was a job in itself.
Those who idolise Obama are possibly caught up in the cult of personality. What really impressed you besides his press, which, to be honest, is very impressive? Those who are disappointed in him may have been a little naive. He did not come out of the sky in a chariot. Those who are downright hostile may need to consider that politics can be somewhat of a work. Getting emotional about it may be like getting emotional about the Royal Rumble.
A “Shoot” is when a wrestler goes off script or does something unplanned. If President-elect Trump was a wrestler he would be a Shooter. God only knows what move he is going to make next. Whatever he does, his performance task will be easier than Obama’s. He has the right face to be a Face, without the burden of having to appear pure. And he sure doesn’t try. Despite fears that he will usher in the apocalypse, the American system is probably stable enough to ensure that the show will go on and we will keep watching.
Can Barbados endure a farcical political? Our current political faces show little of the presentation skills of an Obama. The disdain for anyone who dares to criticise is Trumpesque. Ministers of Government seem intent on performing the role of Heels. An inability to make change is compounded by an inability to communicate the difficulties of making change.
The Prime Minister’s recent statements, mocking the pothole pain of the Barbadian have us wondering which audience he is really preforming for. A third party is promising to present new but so far masked characters. And Minister Donville Inniss continues to Shoot. It all seems like a Work. But the consequences are real.
Hopefully, we are stable enough to endure the reign of whomever the powers behind the curtain decide should be the heavyweight champion. Or maybe we will wake up and stop buying the pay-per-view.
Adrian Green is a creative communications specialist. Email Adriangreen14@gmail.com
