Shakespeare 2016

Watching the first 20 min of the second US presidential debate made me wonder how the presidential candidates of the world's most powerful country had stooped so low just exposing each other's dirty linen. It was worse than a cat fight. Increasingly it becomes harder and harder for me to comprehend the happenings in this world.

Todays ST carried an article "Shakespeare explains the 2016 US election". In the play Richard III, Shakespeare  through his characters portrayed 5 types of people that collectively enabled a loathsome villain to attain the crown. As with many of his plays, his observation about human truths are still applicable in this modern world.

The 5 types are as follow:
- Those who trust that everything will continue in a normal way
- Those who can not focus and have a penchant for forgetting, always trying to normalise the abnormal
-Those that are frightened or helpless in the face of bullying
-Those who felt they could gain from the situation and hence assisting the process
-Those who take pleasure in the madness and outrage and as the writer puts it "enjoying every minute of his ascent to power"

I was just thinking that the same traits are present in our people too though we had never put outrageous candidates into parliament. I am not ashamed to admit I can be included in type 1 and 2. The trust that everything will work as before leads to indifference and apathy; relying on the structure to resolve whatever problems that arise. Even if something does seem evidently wrong it is easier to forget and not remembering the problem whilst trying to normalise it (type 2).

Way back when I was very young I voted for the ruling party because I was working for the government and feared my career prospect might be jeopardised if the vote was not really secret as was claimed. As I became more matured I was angry when their strategies to gain vote tilted towards blackmailing. Hence I don't belong to type 3 nor 4.

Though I followed the US presidential debates just to enjoy the drama, I do not for a moment wish an irrational and unkind person to be the US president. I am no sadist, and

I should reread my Shakespeare literature books.