Lessons in democracy… from those who don't know what it is.

I was in bed, half asleep, and I realized that world politics is become more absurd than my already absurd dreams.

The pulpit comes from the person who set fire to the church

You don't have to be a geopolitical analyst to notice that something isn't right. It's the classic story of the straw and the beam, but elevated to nuclear power.

On one side, we have the US administration, which, in its latest national security document, worries about the "end of European civilization." Coming from someone who, just a few years ago, inspired an assault on the heart of his own democracy on Capitol Hill, this sounds like an arsonist criticizing you for installing a fire suppression system.

On the other hand, there's the "Genuis" of X. The man who transformed the global digital marketplace into a deregulated Wild West, where hate is engagement and the truth is optional. He calls the European Union—born literally from the ashes of war to prevent new totalitarianisms—the "Fourth Reich."“

They call it psychological projection. I call it, technically, a giant asshole.

The Death of Shame

What strikes me, as I toss and turn in bed trying to wake up fully, isn't so much the accusation itself. It's the complete lack of embarrassment.

We live in the "post-shame" era. It doesn't matter if your pulpit is creaking or your social media has become an open-air cesspool: the important thing is to be the first to shout the most serious accusation.

If you accuse someone of being a dictator or a failure of civility, no one will have time to notice that you are dismantling civil rights or firing the moderators who are supposed to protect democracy.

Waking up (for real!)

I drew these cartoons half asleep, but perhaps it's precisely the slumber of reason that generates these monsters. Or perhaps the only way to stay sane is to laugh it off with a bitter smile, waiting for these (and many other...) human viruses to run their course.

The real challenge, however, isn't surviving their ravages. It's avoiding being infected by their hatred as we watch them. Because the greatest risk isn't the end of civilization. It's ending up resembling them... and becoming monsters ourselves.