In a healthy republic, elected leaders govern. They deliberate, negotiate, compromise, and produce policies that serve the people. But in today’s hyper-polarized climate, much of what passes for politics isn’t governing at all — it’s performance.
Legislative walkouts, doomed lawsuits, and headline-grabbing protests often have no realistic path to victory. That’s not a bug — it’s the point. This is politics as content creation, optimized for clicks, donations, and emotional engagement. I call it TikTok governance: short, emotionally charged bursts of political theater designed for maximum visibility and minimal resolution.
The mechanics aren’t random — they follow a predictable cycle. And that cycle has an uncanny resemblance to two classic storytelling forms:
- The Hero’s Journey — the timeless mythic arc used in epic tales.
- Serialized pulp fiction and old film reels — cheap, formulaic cliffhangers built to keep you coming back week after week.
- Scouting the “Moment” Political operatives search for an issue that can be condensed into a simple, emotionally loaded story with a clear villain and victim. The legal outcome doesn’t matter — often it’s better if the loss is inevitable, because it guarantees a clean narrative arc.
- Framing for Maximum Outrage
The issue is packaged in moral absolutes: “attack on democracy,” “illegal power grab,” “assault on your rights.” Nuance is the enemy; emotion is the goal. - Stage the Spectacle
Every stunt needs visuals: lawmakers boarding buses, attorneys on courthouse steps, symbolic props like stacks of “evidence.” Theatrics are essential — if it doesn’t look dramatic, it won’t trend. - Amplify Through Friendly Media
Interviews, hashtags, and social media posts launch at the moment of the stunt. Sympathetic outlets repeat the framing, while opponents’ attacks serve as proof the stunt “hit a nerve.” - Monetize the Moment
Fundraising emails and texts go out within hours: “We’re fighting for you, but we can’t do it alone — chip in $10 now!” Petitions collect voter data. Losses are spun as fuel for the next battle. - Control the Narrative After the Loss
Defeat becomes proof of virtue. The system is corrupt, the enemy is ruthless, and only more resources can ensure victory in the next fight. The fact that the outcome was inevitable is never acknowledged. - Feed the Next Episode
The “quest” shifts seamlessly to the next outrage, keeping the base in a constant state of readiness and resentment. The dragon is never slain — it’s just re-skinned for the next adventure.
This stunt cycle maps neatly onto the mythic Hero’s Journey, but with a crucial twist: there is no ending.
Hero’s Journey Step
Political Stunt Equivalent
Call to Adventure
Villain acts — vote scheduled, order signed.
Crossing the Threshold
Lawmakers walk out, lawsuit filed, protest launched.
Trials & Allies
Allies rally; enemies attack; media covers the fight.
Crisis / Ordeal
The big vote or court hearing — the “showdown.”
The Return
Leader addresses the base with “news from the front.”
Reward / Elixir
Moral victory, proof of corruption, call for support.
Resolution and transformation skipped
The dragon lives to fight another day.
In classical myth, the hero slays the dragon, rescues the kingdom, and returns transformed. In TikTok governance, the hero’s transformation is replaced by a permanent campaign loop. There’s always another dragon. There has to be — because without one, the audience might stop watching.
The other influence is even more direct: serialized pulp storytelling from the early to mid-20th century.
Those dime-novel pulps and Saturday matinee film reels had the same structure:
If we map pulp to modern political theater:
Serialized Pulp/Film
TikTok Governance
Villain hatches dastardly plan
Opposing party launches an “attack” on rights/democracy.
Hero leaps into action
Politician files lawsuit, stages walkout, holds protest.
Close scrapes and reversals
Media battles, counter-accusations, “bombshell” revelations.
Cliffhanger ending
Lawsuit pending, vote delayed — “stay tuned for the next fight.”
Next week: new peril
Next cycle: same politicians, new outrage.
Just like those serials, TikTok governance is designed to sell the next ticket (or in this case, the next donation, click, or ballot) more than to resolve the plot.
The most galling part isn’t the theater — it’s the underlying assumption:
“We don’t have to solve your problems. We just have to keep you emotionally invested in hating the same people we hate.”
When that’s the governing philosophy, politics stops being about building a better country and becomes an episodic streaming series: same heroes, same villains, new plot each week.
And just like on TikTok — or in those old Saturday serials — the metrics that matter aren’t “problems solved.” They’re views, shares, and engagement. The public becomes an audience, not a partner in self-government.
TikTok governance is seductive because it feels like action, but it’s an endless loop designed for maximum outrage and minimal resolution. It’s myth without transformation, pulp without payoff. Recognizing the pattern is the first step toward demanding something better — leaders who stop performing for the camera and start working for the people.
They’re not governing — they’re performing.
Theatrics. Cliffhangers. Villains and heroes cast for maximum clicks. Today’s political “fights” too often look less like real problem-solving and more like TikTok videos or pulp serials — short bursts of outrage with no real resolution. I break down the seven-step stunt cycle politicians use to keep you hooked, angry, and donating — all without fixing a thing.
Don’t just spot the show — learn how the script works.
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