I find it ironic that the historical separation between government and entertainment has, over recent years, blurred into a near-merger of celebrity professions where politicians are now performers, and performers are increasingly hyping politics.
I suppose Reagan was the prime cross-over with Arnold Schwartzenegger following, but all the former politicians now being televised as regular news commentators on major networks like CNN illustrate that the same acting skill set works both ways.
But the biggest showboat to evolve from the featured protagonist/antagonist on The Apprentice reality television is now President of The USA and still in the limelight. He is still drawn to the cameras, stages and audiences with or without a script, and with narcissism, makeup and hair, costumes and craving for attention and drama.
He reached the pinnacle of power because the audience electorate voted him in, with the same adulation and fawning as star-struck fans worship movie stars.
Essentially, voters fell for his “image”, his publicity and self-promotion – just like professional talent agents and publicists promote the image of their clients. It didn’t matter that his real-life actual age, appearance, conduct and business track record demonstrated all the flaws and failures that would disqualify in any other audition.
I’ve concluded that recent generations raised with mass media entertainment no longer distinguish well between reality and make believe, actuality and acting, productivity and performing. We have all been mesmerized by Hollywood hype. And this fairy tale is doomed to have a very unhappy ending, and deservedly so.
