Seriously.
It was sometime in 1988, at a mall.
I'd been dabbling in watching C-SPAN. A goodly amount, actually. There was a primary under way, and I was a young long haired musician. Somehow, I found myself at Augusta Mall to visit Radio Shack, probably to buy some 1/4" RCA adapters or some such. As it turns out, Herbert was campaigning that day at the mall.
I stuck around. I wasn't getting out in the traffic snarl outside anyhow, so why not?
A fairly dense crowd had gathered at the stage in the mall proper. I was immediately struck by the "we're waiting for the band to come on" vibe, except with Izod and khaki clad conservatives awaiting Their Savior.
The stage had been decorated as one expects, flags, red white and blue. When you're standing there, waiting for Herb to walk out, it's more striking how deliberate it is, how set just so, for effect. You also see the light trussing, and the fairly substantial p.a. system. It's a rock show.
There was some Acceptably Mediocre and Mild comedian babbling at the mic, while the crowd milled about. It was about then I noticed:
there were a lot of people that appeared to be dressed like they just got off from Work, handing out signs. They had walked out from "back stage". I noticed some had walked out and just blended into the crowd.
They were making small talk, I could see. One came up nearby, and was talking to someone adjacent to me. I noticed they were selling themselves as "just happening to be here like everyone else!".
After a long delay, we were asked "AUGUSTA, ARE YOU READY TO ROCCCCCCKKKKKK!!!!?". Not really, but there was a Peasant Vocal Fluffer there on stage getting similarly excited, and finally announced "THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, GEORGE BUSH!" and Herb dashes out on stage to typically Rock Show Applause.
As he got into his sales pitch, the Surreptitious Flies would chatter in between lulls in his speech and the crowd response. In hushed tones, the exact following thing happened:
I looked around and realized - nobody has caught that these people are planted in the crowd. Everyone was in rapt attention to what was happening with the Rock Show on stage, their faces glazed over.
I thought the best part of that Python sketch was Mr. Hilter not invading Poland jokes, but the essence of that scene - with an actual "peasant" - was more educational than any history class or book. One knows of crowd control tactics, one knows that "naturally" they're used at political rallies.
The contrast of the absurd humor made it ring true when I was in the midst of such an event. Seeing Mr. Hilter's minions in the crowd cheering wildly at every utterance Herb said, frantically waving the signs, has forever tempered my awareness when I see these images on screen in the 21st century.
People today are so jaded, but in others as naive as a toddler. I wouldn't have thought in 1988 such tactics would still be effective today. The News Speak, the easy smile and firm handshake. It still has people bamboozled, people that love the red or blue KoolAid.
The lesson I learned from that experience wasn't how such things happen in real life - Monty Python taught me that at 10 years of age. The lesson is that people will continue to be controlled by this kind of brain washing unless they gain some sort of cynicism that guards against it. That is what is maybe the most important thing the so-called Progressive movement is missing: inoculation against grifters.
We're almost.... almost... poised on the precipice of an actual 3rd party gaining real traction, but like what happened to the Tea Party it's my belief that any real attempt - be it the Greens, Nick Brana's People's Party, whoever, is always going to be diluted by Establishment Consort Infiltration. I'm even zany enough to suspect there are active plans and measures to insure this happens.
Somehow cynicism towards POLITICIANS must be the default for everyone's mindset.