Never Gonna Give You Up: Value in the age of Memes

When I think of great legislators, I think of Pericles, Seneca, Stephen Douglas, and Lyndon Johnson.  Now I can add to  my mental list, Jefferson Smith, a freshmen congressman from Oregon.  He used all of his political capital to mastermind the rick-rolling of the Oregon House of Representatives.

For the uninitiated rick-rolling is the practice of sending someone a link that purports to be about something of interest but takes them to this video of the 1987 Rick Astley hit "Never Gonna Give You Up." You can learn more about the tradition and history of rick rolling here.

This is all hilarious stuff, but it brings up a couple of questions.  In an age of insoluble debt, budget crises on state and local levels, and partisanship so deep that many state governments are grinding to a halt, Why can legislators be bi-partisan when it comes to internet memes and not on substantial issues.

The voting public watches the video of the Oregon House and thinks this is funny, and they are working together for once.  However, in the last series of elections the voting public has punished those most willing to work together to accomplish something of real import, moderates (see here).  No wonder the House of Representatives was unable to agree on a budget proposal until the eleventh hour.

The fact that this video went viral tells us something about our political selves.  I think it tells us that we have mis-ordered values, and a misunderstanding concerning the way a pluralistic democracy functions.

We value political theater, particularly humorous political theater over actual political engagement.  We look to politics not as a means of ordering society and bringing about change but as another form of entertainment to be engaged in with the same seriousness as an episode of American Idol (well maybe not that seriously).

Coupled with our love of political theater is our belief that democracy can exist without compromise.  We claim that we want bi-partisan decision making, and yet we punish lawmakers who compromise.

We are truly a culture filled with paradox.