Pretending

I’ve been following the GOP re-branding effort with amusement. This sloppy propaganda campaign is an attempt to portray the party as a big-tent that genuinely cares about women, minorities, and gays. It’s been a rough ride — the Train Of Illusion chugs along for a bit, picking up speed, but then flies off the rails whenever something like this happens:

A Nevada assemblyman came under fire Monday after a YouTube video surfaced in which he told a Republican gathering he would vote to allow slavery if that is what his constituents wanted him to do.

In a flash, “Less Filling, Tastes Great” turns into “Less Fulfilling, Guaranteed To Grate.”

But it’s not just the GOP that has a hard time pretending it cares. The Chinese Communist Party recently tried to show its deep concern for senior citizens. So it took a photograph of an elderly woman with four deeply-compassionate party members. They placed a caption on the photo reading: “Love and consideration for the elderly is a cherished Chinese tradition. They should feel the warmth of the party and the government.”

But they had to shrink the woman to make everyone fit into the frame. Here’s the final product:

Yup, you need to fake the compassion when control and domination are your real objectives. It’s almost impossible to pull off. But it’s funny to watch people try.