I’m Ready For My Close-Up, Mr. Obama
Quote:
Barack Obama has gone from “You didn’t build that” to full-blown entrepreneurship. In the New York Post, Isabel Vincent has a story detailing the book deals, production deals, merchandising agreements, and speaking fees that are now bringing in millions for Obama and his wife, Michelle. One detail about Obama Inc. stands out among the rest: the deal the former first family has signed with Netflix. Vincent writes: “The $50 million, multi-year deal calls on the Obamas ‘to produce a diverse mix of content, including the potential for scripted series, unscripted series, docuseries, documentaries, and features.’”
The current occupant of the White House went from television mogul to president of the United States. The previous occupant of the White House is going from president of the United States to television mogul. The circle is closed. In America, the melding of politics and entertainment is now seamless, reciprocal, and altogether frightening.
The ugly symmetries run deep. While Hollywood has infused our entertainment with the schlock moralizing of cheap politics, Donald Trump has infused our politics with the bombast of lowbrow entertainment. As a result, it can be hard to say where entertainment ends and politics begins. Our inability to tell the difference between the two has given way to our accepting their unification. What’s most frightening about the fusing of politics and entertainment is that so many Americans probably don’t see it as frightening at all. And an audience that doesn’t think it’s being taken is most susceptible to propaganda. This goes for Netflix subscribers and Trump-rally attendees alike. So while this union means bad things for our entertainment (a scripted Obama show?), it means terrible things for our politics.
The left has long been adept at using show business to build its brand, but the Obamas are trailblazers. In 2013, Michelle Obama appeared on the Oscar broadcast (courtesy of Harvey Weinstein) to present the award for best picture. And both Obamas have, of course, danced with Ellen DeGeneres. In the last few months of his presidency, Obama went on the Tonight Show to “slow jam the news.” Over comically oozy R&B music, he relayed the news of his many “accomplishments” as president, including Obamacare and the Iran Nuclear deal. All to rock-concert cheers.
Trump had a huge mainstream hit with his reality series The Apprentice, true, but he’s long been adored by pro-wrestling and NASCAR audiences. He’s imported his ringside sensibility to Washington and turned the business of the president into a game of mock rivalries, inflated declarations, and bloodless trash-talking.
This theater—this entertainment—is taken by fans and detractors alike as the stuff of politics.
Trump will undoubtedly fold his brand of populism into his post-presidency ventures. And you can be certain that he, like Obama, will have a presence somewhere in our television universe. For him, that’s home. But by then perhaps we’ll already be talking about Oprah’s presidency—or Kanye’s, or Marianne Williamson’s.
With a taste for politics in our entertainment and entertainment in our politics, we’ve put everything where it doesn’t belong. Elected officials have routines and performers have campaigns. And when the future ratings war between Trump and Obama kicks off, we’ll still be complaining about our lack of serious leadership
It has become in vogue to mock the “slippery slope” argument as paranoia. After all despite the domino theory trotted out during Vietnam the United States is not a province of the Soviet Union or Red China, despite Trump’s election gays and immigrants are not being summarily eliminated. But it comes partially or totally true enough of the time that it should not be dismissed. Such is the case with the fusing of entertaiment and politics. This can be seen in the article. While nothing in it is false in the article what the article fails to mention is this type of thing has be going on for a half century in some form or another. Maybe it is now so normalized that the author fails to realize examples from the past.
JFK hobnobbed with the Rat Pack, later in the decade at a former actor Ronald Reagan was starting a political career that would lead to the White House. A whole succesful campaign was organized to mask Richard Nixon's social discomfort and ineptness in ‘68. He briefly appeared on the popular TV comedy Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In to say “Sock it to me”. Elvis visited his White House and he hobnobbed with conservative Hollywood types such as John Wayne and Bob Hope. Southern Rockers held lucrative concert fundraisers for Jimmy Carter. Clinton’s lunches with Hollywood progressives such as George Clooney and Hollywood was a great source of money and publicity. They were a match made in heaven or hell depending on your outlook. They were extraverted to narcissistic, smart and "liberal". Clinton would star in his own soap opera “Me, the intern and impeachment” which improved his ratings. On the other side of the political spectrum Rush Limbaugh and Fox News were perfecting infotainment. Our fate was sealed.
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“Self Acceptance is a process not a performance”
“You are autistic enough. And you always have been”
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity.
Last edited by ASPartOfMe on 26 Nov 2018, 12:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
26 Nov 2018, 8:17 am
