The Politics of Performing

'All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players',

This week, my father surprised me by suggesting we go to the LSE, where I was a student, to see Professor Richard Sennett of Columbia University's talk on his latest book 'The Great Fear: The Politics of Performing.' 

I didn't take notes, and my insights here are more my impression of the topic and then some of my further discussions with other friends, particularly Damien Seaman, whom I've worked closely with over the last seven years, on content strategy.

Why is it that demagogues like Donald Trump and Boris Johnson have such incredible success when often their arguments are weak or even irrelevant? How can poor people in the Midwest genuinely believe that a multi-billionaire who's lived a life of privilege cares about them? Joe Biden or Hilary Clinton, who are both closer to them in terms of life experience (middle class or even lower middle class), doesn't connect with them similarly? What is going on here?

Professor Sennett is uniquely qualified to understand the politics of performance since he is a Julliard-trained cellist who, due to a hand injury, had to abandon his career and retrained via degrees and a PhD at Harvard to become a sociology professor. 

Talking about our Prime Minster Boris Johnson, who won a landslide election in 2019, he said that he was certain that Boris had perfected his persona, with the unkempt hair, and slightly clownish appearance. Every time Boris speaks, it is a highly staged 'performance'. 

He contrasted this to Rishi Sunak, who, whilst seemingly far more competent, organised and business-like, comes across like a man with a 'tin ear'. And he will undoubtedly preside over a landslide, in the other direction, against him (though you probably can't blame that all on Rishi Sunak).

Professor Sennett mentioned Donald Trump's appeal many times as well. What did he think the results of the US election would be? Would 'Sleepy Joe' prevail? Or would Trump's bluster, seeming youthfulness (only compared to Biden, since they are close in age, Donald 77 to Joe's 81), and greater energy tip the polls in his favour? I would also have liked to ask Professor Sennett what practical applications of his ideas could President Biden apply to ensure his win. 

This lecture led to a varied and funny discussion with my father, Sir Kenneth Parker, at the Delaunay, where we had dinner afterwards. Coincidentally, Professor Sennett and his entourage were at the same restaurant! 

Dad mentioned a book he had just read, written by one of Donald Trump's advisors, about some of Trump's more radical/crazy ideas. One absolute corker was to build a trench across the US border with Mexico and fill it with alligators! But then again, I mentioned that Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan, had just been interviewed about Trump, and Dimon highlighted all Trump's successes:

1. Growing the Economy
2. Possibly now being right about the Covid virus coming out of the Chinese Wuhan virus laboratory.
3. Certainly, being correct about Germany putting itself in strategic danger with its over-reliance on Russian gas.

I hope this doesn't make it sound like I'm a Trump fan? Because I am not. But I do believe that we are losing nuance in our debates. It's too easy to dismiss Trump as an idiot. Hilary Clinton did that and learnt the hard way.

The following day, I had lunch with my friend and colleague Damien Seaman in Chinatown in Soho. We discussed this topic again. We were in complete agreement about the performance aspect of life. 

We have been working together for some time on projects in the Human Resources Sector. So much of HR is performance. How your colleagues perceive you to some extent, certainly how you present yourself to senior management. Even how you settle disputes. And certainly, how any employee interactions are recorded officially often ends up as highly performative. After all, these 'performances' could profoundly affect your career and financial wellbeing! 

Human resources departments of companies are on a mission to 'level up' the differences of race, sexuality and sex right now.  I am fully behind these efforts, which are long past due. However, many argue that inequality has become an even more serious problem in the last 40 years. Inequality has been rising precipitously in the developed world. Perhaps levelling up financial inequality is a bigger challenge?

The Economist Thomas Piketty writes in his book 'Capital' that we are heading back in the direction of the early 19th century - where capital will become everything, and there will be almost no chance for a person to rise above their circumstances through hard work (unless the government takes serious measures to stop it). Can you see why corporations may be far less keen on tackling this topic than some others?

Right now, the 'mot du jour' is 'authenticity': Everyone wants to achieve this. Damien and I laughed at how even 'authenticity' has become a performance. How people even try to one-up each other on how authentic they are. This scenario is the opposite of true authenticity. When someone says one person is 'fake' whilst they are 'real', is it simply that they are a better performer?

Professor Sennett said that The word 'person', is derived from the Latin word 'persona' ("mask used by actor; role, part, character"). Isn't it interesting that we are now continually asked not to refer to men or women but to a 'person'? 

I didn't get to ask Professor Sennett my question, since so many people were asking questions during a relatively short Q&A. The question that stood out for me during the Q&A was from an LSE graduate student. He wondered if the trend of social media, and video, alongside people shortening attention spans, condemned us to be ruled by these demagogues, who master style over content. 

Professor Sennett answered that yes this was disturbing. He referenced how the UK had made one of its most significant policy changes in history, based on just such performance. Indeed the mastermind of Brexit, was Dominic Cummings, an expert at leveraging social media and digital advertising. 

Finally, another one of Professor Sennett's stories resonated with me. When Niccolo Machiavelli was writing 'The Prince', his career was over. He had been imprisoned earlier, was almost penniless and was living in a Tuscan Farmhouse far from Florence. But each night, he would don the robes he had worn as a respected and prestigious advisor to kings and dukes, to write; 

'When evening has come, I put on my regal and courtly garments, and decently reclothed, I enter the ancient courts of ancient men, where, received by them lovingly. There, I am not ashamed to speak with them and to ask them the reason for their actions, and they, in their humanity, reply to me.'