Five all-too-familiar political power plays, as seen in Wicked

By Shaughnessy Speirs Tue., Apr. 17 2012 at 7:53 AM

Categories: Theater

Continued from page 1

Joan Marcus

2. Popularity-Seeking
"Think of celebrated heads of state or especially great communicators; did they have brains or knowledge? Don't make me laugh. They were popular! Please. It's all about popular. It's not about aptitude, it's the way you're viewed -- so it's very shrewd to be very, very popular, like me." -- Glinda the "Good"

Glinda's ambition and endless pursuit of popularity is Machiavellian. Where her perceived "goodness" is concerned, Glinda has a head start in being fair, blonde and beautiful -- all things that society subconsciously associates with goodness, if Disney movies are any indication. There is no doubt that she uses these, along with other charms, as a way to ingratiate herself with people and move ahead, eventually becoming "Glinda the Good." Why is this a bad thing? Well, many a dictator has created a following by being charismatic. In fact, a lot of people consider that to be one of the defining characteristics of fascist dictators.

1. Propaganda and Rumor
"Citizens of Oz: There is an enemy that must be found and captured. Believe nothing she says. She is evil..."--Madame Morrible

Madame Morrible, press secretary for the Wizard -- a manipulative dictator seeking to strip animals of their rights and oppress Ozians -- leads the campaign labeling Elphaba a "Wicked Witch," systematically feeding the residents of Oz an ongoing stream of lies and misinformation to keep them hating her. Sound familiar?

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