Et tu Brute?

Frankly, politics hasn't progressed far past the bloody knife laden plots of Rome. Surely, I jest, you say, we've civilized democracy in the western world. Are you quite sure? Seems like plenty of people are feeling the sharp pains of betrayal these days . . . 

Julius Caesar, the play penned by William Shakespeare is my guide to politics. If you haven't had the pleasure to view it on the stage somewhere, I highly recommend it as possibly the most accessible and still culturally relevant play in Shakespeare's folio. I know Shakespeare isn't really everyone's native language, but luckily I speak fluent Shakespearean. So, I'll translate.

The plot is as follows; power incites fear from the loyal, creating political struggle, political struggle begets action, action spurs a public reaction, public reaction evolves to public unrest, public unrest is resolved by political rhetoric, political rhetoric sways public opinion, public opinion is used to amass power. Repeat. 

The political wheels of our dear modern age turn in very similar ways, I've noticed. Granted the modern version generally has less knives and murder involved, which is a definite plus for us. I would like to bring the focus to the political rhetoric spokes of these wheels and its' effect on inciting, resolving and swaying the public (that's us). Brutus was lost as Anthony spoke his first line "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears." Brutus had swayed the public, incited them to action,  but he hadn't learned that having the right words is just as valuable as having the last ones. 

This is what I like to keep in mind when we, the public, are incited, swayed, enraged, to display our unrest with the political leanings of the time. These are old wheels, that have been turning for thousands of years, on the cart of democracy; and we, the public, are neither the horses that power it nor the road on which it treads, remember we sit in atop that cart holding the reins.