Wayne County Life

With Halloween just around the corner, the word mask might bring to mind the face coverings that children, and children-at-heart wear to celebrate the event.  However, with Election Day also just around that same corner, I think of many other definitions of the word mask including 'something that serves to conceal or disguise; prentend; to make indistinct or imperceptible; to take part in a masquerade, and to cover up.'  Thus, I believe a mask is a mask except when it's a political blindfold. 

Part of my theory includes the idea that colleges use misnomers, also a form of mask, when naming courses, specifically "Political Science," which should be named "Political Science and the Art of Mask Making and Question Dodging"  Potential career politicians are taught, the art of manipulating their public image and intentions through the use of various masks. 

There is the mask used during political campaigns where candidates study the demographics, economics and ideology of their audience and target their speeches and activities toward the people's major interests, needs or desires.  In other words, smiling and friendly candidates tell voters what they want to hear, playing to their weaknesses regardless of their true intentions. 

Once elected they might, and often do, conveniently forget their empty campaign promises made to constituents and put on the mask of a politician.  Wearing that mask with an evil Cheshire Cat grin and Greedy's green eyes, they accept lobbyists donations for 'their cause,' or bow to pressure from others who have accepted lobbyists donations, and try to adapt to the governing body they just joined, or of which they might have been a part for decades. Suddenly, they might be inundated with promises of power or payoffs and adjust their voting accordingly.  Then when they return to their home districts, or whatever, they switch to their innocent pre-election mask to wear among the people who voted them into office while trying to explain, or cover up - whichever applies - why they changed their minds. 

Perhaps I have become cynical in my advancing years.  Recently I watched the televised so-called debate held on Long Island, in which the seven New York gubernatorial candidates answered questions about their official stance on certain issues.  I brought away only one question from that experience:  "How much did Andrew Cuomo pay those other people to put on those ridiculous disquises for this whole political masquerade in order to make himself look like the only viable choice for that office on November 2, 2010?"  Think about it.

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