Many members of Congress have come to see themselves as players in a larger political ecosystem whose point is not to legislate or govern but instead as a kind of performative outrage for a partisan audience. Their incentives are based on this understanding of our policies and therefore do not concern legislation. They are still highly ambitious, but they aim to take a prominent place in the theater of our national politics. And they see the institution of Congress as a particularly effective platform for themselves.
The Performativity of Politicians Needs to Be Controlled
According to Levin, the critical concept of Congress today is performativity. Members of Congress use all the different ways a politician’s identity is embodied and played out. At the same time, leaders increasingly do not pay attention to a more or less adequate reflection of the positions of some underlying reality (LaPira et al. 107). Identity, in this case, is always conditional, quite complete; this is a profoundly ambiguous and unstable moment. Frequently, politicians, including members of Congress, create the personality they need to advance by influencing the way people perceive them through the media (Kirchengast 7). In this regard, performativity is not about performance but about creating more marketable agitation (Levin et al.). The degree of choice associated with constructing an identity makes it more ‘natural’ to the individual and open to reinterpretation. As a result, the whole essence of politics is not aimed at improving the general condition of society but at surprising the creator more effectively.
Congress is now experiencing serious dysfunctions, as the main forces go to attract society’s attention. Too little of this energy is channeled through traditional legislative channels so that the ambition and power of the institution are more often expressed through performative conflict than through permission, appropriation, or oversight (Levin 5). In addition, because performative competition is inherently divisive and legislative work is naturally accommodating, the culture of Congress now often appears deformed and even broken (Levin 3). Despite this, the manipulation succeeds, and most average citizens are led to performance, often not paying attention to the actual state of affairs. It is important to remember that institutional culture cannot be separated from the structure and operation of the institution, so performativity should be limited unless necessary.
Politicians Cannot Be Controlled
Politicians understand what power the media can give, so they direct all their efforts to performativity and not to content. With the advent of the press, the role of those with access to it increased. Today, the same is happening with the media, which gains popularity when they show the ‘real’ position of certain individuals, whether a celebrity from the entertainment industry or a member of Congress. In addition, modern society is accustomed to universal accessibility and openness. In this regard, the performativity of members of Congress may even be encouraged, as it corresponds to the modern perception of the world through the media and the Internet (Landemore 44). The performativity of politicians is also challenging to control because the average citizen often does not realize the manipulative nature of the press or misinterprets it.
Even if one limits the described behavior of leaders, there is still a significant influence of the media, which can not only reflect the general mood in society but also shape it. The mass media arise as a response to society’s request to broadcast ideological paradigms, information, and news from various spheres of human life. Moreover, this importance is growing along with the democratization of society. Thus, it is necessary to control the performative behavior of Congress members and other politicians. However, this is a problematic task in modern society and requires further study.
Works Cited
Kirchengast, Tyrone. “Deepfakes and Image Manipulation: Criminalisation and Control.” Information & Communications Technology Law, vol. 29, no. 3, 2020, pp. 308–323., Web.
Landemore Hélène. Open Democracy: Reinventing Popular Rule for the Twenty-First Century. Princeton University Press, 2020.
LaPira, Timothy M., et al. Congress Overwhelmed: The Decline in Congressional Capacity and Prospects for Reform. The University of Chicago Press, 2020.
Levin, Yuval, et al. “Congress Is Weak Because Its Members Want It to Be Weak – Yuval Levin, Commentary Magazine.” Commentary Magazine, Web.
Levin, Yuval. “Building a More Civil and Collaborative Culture in Congress.” House.gov, 2021, Web.