When I saw the news of France’s third lockdown, my immediate reaction was, “Wow! That’s some strong commitment to the bit.”
Here’s what I mean:
The term “bit” typically refers to a comic routine, AKA “bit”. A bit is essentially a reality that comics use to paint a picture for their audiences to elicit a certain reaction. In the case of comedy, the desired reaction is laughter.
Comedians who are committed to their bit will follow the reality they’ve created to its conclusion because that’s the decision they initially decided to go with. Good, bad or indifferent, it’s the decision they made so they need to follow it through.
For example, if a comic starts a routine using a silly voice, but the audience doesn’t think it’s funny, he can’t stop using that voice because the audience will realize he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Once he’s made a decision, he’s forced to continue going down that path all the way to the end of the bit. Once that bit is behind him, he can start on the next one.
The comic needs you to believe in his reality. If he changes horses in mid-stream, the reality he created falls apart, and the audience will turn on him. And, once he’s lost the audience, there’s no getting it back. If he fails bad enough, he’s likely to be heckled and booed off the stage.
So, a comic will stay committed to even a really bad bit, because if he doesn’t, the next one is also sure to fail. Once he reaches a certain point, the goal isn’t to save this bit, it’s to make sure there’s a next one.
So, back to France. Why is the President of France ordering a third national lockdown? Because he has no choice. He has to stay committed to the bit.
Actually, I don’t have to pick on France because, with a few notable exceptions, this applies to every person in a position of power.
The President of France, and most world leaders, created a farce that purposely confused “exposed” with “infected” and then used that confusion to justify taking rights away from their citizens. Their ridiculous policies have ruined economies, separated families and destroyed lives. They created a reality of fear to elicit a certain reaction. In this case, the reaction is obedience.
We’ve learned a lot in the past year. One of the things we learned is that the results of the tests used to justify all the crazy things they’ve asked us to believe are woefully inaccurate and misleading. But the politicians can’t admit that. No, the only thing they can do is more of what they’ve been doing all along.
Because the test results haven’t changed, only our understanding of what the results mean. If they do anything other than what they’ve already been doing, people will start to question every decision and action based on the results of those tests. That would be bad for the politicians. When people start to think for themselves, the reality they’ve been believing will quickly unravel. And, everyone is going to realize that those in power have never had any idea what they’re doing.
The President of France has no choice. He needs to stay committed to the bit with a third lockdown. The data hasn’t changed so he needs to have the same reaction to the data that he’s had all along. More lockdowns and more mandates.
Because if there isn’t a third lockdown, then people are going to start to wonder why there was a first and second lockdown. Once they start to see what’s really happening, the reality will shatter, and President Macron will lose control. And, once he loses control, there’s no getting it back. He’s reached the point where it’s no longer about this bit, it’s about staying in power so there’s a next one.
We’ve long passed the point where mandates and lockdowns are about saving people from a disease. Continued lockdowns, restrictions and mandates isn’t about saving lives, it’s about saving face. So, the politicians remain committed to the bit. Because if they change horses in mid-stream, the reality they’ve created will fall apart and the common people will turn on them.
And, once the people realize the reality they’ve been believing is a farce, the show is over.
