Political Theater as Propaganda

The idea of "political theater" is a concept I observed in action many years ago during the university campus anti-war protests of the late 1960's and early 1970's. Over the years it has become much more sophisticated and today is used by all sides of the political spectrum, right as well as left. I see it constantly in the news. I see it on Youtube. I see it in the blogosphere. I see it on Facebook.

It is both amusing and also scary to see how political theater is accepted at face value and without critical scrutiny. (And this observation has nothing at all to do with your agreeing with me about this or that or anything at all.) The unfortunate thing is that political theater has a habit of fogging truth and reality. It encourages a rush to judgement that condemns and executes without regard to waiting for all the facts so the full truth and genuine justice can prevail.

What drives political theater is the agenda of the group or parties directing and producing the carefully calculated acts of the play orchestrated as opportunity gives occasion, to move that agenda forward..

By the way, another way of spelling "political theater" is

"p-r-o-p-a-g-a-n-d-a".