Performative acts are actions or statements that not only communicate a message but also bring about a change in reality through the act of performing them. Ironically for our resident Comb-over-in-Chief, the definition of “perforative act" has some DEI background to it.
The way I refer to the Big Performative Acts that are Trumping our brains these days is a bit different than the common definition, though. The three words have a different meaning in houses that are white, apparently:
- Acts — really just seeming to take action
- Performative — done mostly as a performance
- Big — because small doesn’t attract attention
Donnie boy’s constant stream of proclamations, uh, I mean Executive Orders, all take on a performance aspect. Every day there’s a new Big Performative Act, which really only is just a large potion of hot air coupled with doing something with a Sharpie that resembles a signature. The Big part comes because every one of these signing sessions attempts to dismantle large portions of what built Merica into the leading country in the world, probably in history. And if we never find aliens, the universe.
Each signing is like taking an axe to something we’ve relied and counted on all our lives. It’s as if someone was taking a chain saw to government. Oh wait, someone sometimes shows up at these Big Performative Acts with a chain saw. Hmm. Subtlety isn’t part of this group’s acting style, is it?
One problem is that this now daily show is getting stale fast. I do wonder whether I should buy stock in Newell Brands, the makers of Sharpies, though. Probably not. Trump doesn’t seem to realize they’re an inclusive company and never contribute to election campaigns. He really needs to find a more racist pen.
The amusing thing about all these Big Performative Acts is how often they have to be pulled back. Firing people now! Oh wait, those folk do something that needs to happen, like protect our nuclear arsenal. Hiring them back!
Which leads to the following conclusion: no tangible act is actually made, just performed.