Jay Doubleyou: politics as theatre

Politics has often been put on the stage.

With an example from Australia here:

Jay Doubleyou: what is a 'native speaker' of english? the issue of race...

Politics has always had an element of theatre about it.

Germany:

Triumph of the Will - Wikipedia

Triumph of the Will (1935) - (Documentary, History, War, Foreign) - video Dailymotion

1935: Triumph of the Will - The Power of Propaganda - YouTube

There's a lot of theatricality happening today:

behaviour that is extreme and not sincere, and that is intended to attract attention

THEATRICALITY | meaning, definition in Cambridge English Dictionary

Especially in today's 'culture wars':

>> Germany’s increasingly bold nationalists spark a new culture war | Financial Times

Jay Doubleyou: culture wars

Russia:

Putin propaganda just took an exceptionally strange turn

In recent days, the phrase “winter is coming” haunts. That’s partly because I, like millions of others, started watching House of the Dragonthe prequel to Game of Throneswho had these ominous words as a slogan.

But there is a second reason. I recently watched a video on YouTube that aims to convince English-speaking viewers to move to Putin’s Russia because, well, “winter is coming”. The 53-second film makes its pitch by highlighting the alleged allure of Putin’s country. “Delicious cuisine, beautiful women, cheap gas, rich history, fertile land, cheap electricity, ballet, cheap taxi,” a voice remarks solemnly as images, including some of beautiful women, flash past.

Putin propaganda just took an exceptionally strange turn | UK NEWS TO DAY

>> THIS IS RUSSIA WINTER IS COMING - YouTube

Rusia en España on Twitter: "Time to move to Russia 🤍💙❤️ https://t.co/4CZL1Nt4Gi" / Twitter

Russia is pretty good at this theatrical showmanship.

But, then, so are their American apologists:

Kremlin memos urged Russian media to use Tucker Carlson clips – report | Fox News | The Guardian

Peter Pomerantsev says the West should be doing the same:

Despite his defeats, Putin still shapes our perceptions. Let’s fight him at his own game

Strengthen sanctions and support the Ukraine military, of course. But the west needs to get its own messages across with an ideological offensive

Despite his defeats, Putin still shapes our perceptions. Let’s fight him at his own game | Peter Pomerantsev | The Guardian

With lots more here:

Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible by Peter Pomerantsev review – Putinism and the oil-boom years | Books | The Guardian (Feb 2015)
Peter Pomerantsev: Why We’re Post-Fact (July 2016)
Wolves in nationalist clothing – POLITICO (feb 2017)
Radio Prague - It’s not Russia vs. the US any more, the big threat is a Trump-Putin alliance, says writer Peter Pomerantsev (Feb 2017)