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Politicians thrive on the people's dance of temporary beliefs and shifting attitudes in a way that's quite similar to the entertainment industry. To illustrate the point, consider 'kayfabe'. In pro wrestling, kayfabe means the suspension of disbelief. It is the magic that hypnotizes fans into believing - if only temporarily - that what they are seeing is real, meaningful and that the money they paid for the entertainment is well spent. However fragile, Kayfabe is what keeps food on the table for thousands of families.
Political kayfabe, on the other hand, keeps billions safe and sound from all the worries of tomorrow, it avoids wars and boycotts. Kayfabe is how many political groupings in Kuwait's parliament survive, depending on others to ignore factual truths for the sake of appearance and legitimacy.
So what happens when kayfabe fails or is destroyed? What happens when it becomes a tool - both its use and then its destruction - of an entire government?
To exemplify, US President Donald Trump employs kayfabe regularly. Many people bought into his anti-establishment rhetoric and inflammatory tweets about Hilary Clinton only to then be shocked when he began appointing top 'establishment' figures to his Cabinet.
Many people believed his professions of faith even as he tweeted racist, sexist and misogynistic diatribes.
This is the result of another kayfabe - where the American middle and lower socioeconomic classes have too much debt on their backs and prefer to vote for any ruthless voice that can channel all their bottled frustration. Trump tapped into their rage and their fears, with the knowledge that the louder he is, the higher his popularity will be.
The securing of political kayfabe is redundant in history. Nazi kindergarten teachers taught it. Gadhafi's Republic persevered it for the sake of face after demolishing their previous regime, the Egyptian pharaohs employed it to the point of deification.
The timeless lessons of all kayfabe stories are that it always works best for whom ever feeds on others' ignorance, fear and greed. The one who cashes it in earlier will gain a ridiculous amount of "push" regardless of how contradictory his attitude to the agenda of his supporters' ideology.
Kayfabe will forever spontaneously respawn its vice on the masses' psyche via the drama that everyone will play along with, subconsciously. The more tenacious it gets the more "liberating" it feels to oppose it "by any means necessary."
By Jeri Al-Jeri
