Aside: this is one reason a long-running theme of my writing since the 2009 Gervais Principle is simply pointing out “err... this is theater.” And Anglo-native people are surprised every time and act like a veil has been lifted and red pill enlightenment achieved.
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This is anecdotal, but non-Anglo people tend to be generally less surprised by my “X is theater” shtick. Because their suspension of theater awareness is less complete.
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Another way to think of it. If you strip away the front end theater elements of Anglo life, there is no there there culturally to backstage life. Just an industrial backend with functional activities. This is not true of most cultures.
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In most cultures it makes sense to say “real life happens at home” (== “life as visibly performed is theater and everybody gets that”). It doesn’t in the US. The tiniest aspects of domestic life turn into theater fodder.
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Like take cuisine. In the US “home made” versions of classic dishes (chili, barbecue, apple pie) are first-class members of public identity theater. If you have a great chili recipe you’ll likely enter contests or otherwise become known for it.
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In India, sure every family tends to have a recipe for say sambar or garam masala and part of invisible life is passing these around etc backstage. There is a clear distinction between “restaurant” versions of recipes and home-made ones. And the latter are not “on stage” as much.
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Okay, but long-winded point of this. Covid is a weirdly hard challenge for such kayfabe cultures because the logic of tackling them lies backstage and doesn’t lend itself to on-stage performance scripting. I mean the best Trump could Do was weakly aim for “masks are patriotic”
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OTOH you can’t tackle them backstage either because
a) you won’t admit there IS a backstage
b) the backstage is a barren cultural desert, with everything making it lovable culturally strip-mined for theatrical use
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And here’s the funny thing. The US tends to solve it’s “backstage” problems that require human culture by filling roles with non-anglo immigrants. But the moment these immigrants get acculturated they want to get on-stage too. Because they recognize that’s where the power is.
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Replying to
Heh the Victorian inventor archetype turned into Edison and eventually Musk. One if the most public theaters ever.

