Potemkin's Village

Friday, February 13, 2015

Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows: Trinculo in 'The Tempest' William Shakespeare

Strange Bedfellows

A Farce in One Act

Scene: A bus stop where a queue of commuters wait patiently. One is listening to the news on his iPhone.

Voice over

This is the ABC News. Indonesia has given approval for Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran’s transfer from prison to be executed for drug trafficking…

Low Information Voter

They can’t just kill ‘em, can they? I mean, it’s not right, is it? I mean, nobody died… did they?

Green Hipster

And using the force of the state to kill is just not something an intelligent voter in a modern western democracy can support.

Low Information Voter

I mean I wouldn’t do smack or nuffink like that… Well I did once but I wouldn’t sell it, except for the time me mate Jacko needed a hit. I mean he was really desperate and anyway I needed the money for Kylie’s child support.

Green Hipster

If we’re not careful, we’ll see the Police shooting girls armed with knives and getting away with it.

Low Information Voter

‘uken A! Then they’ll be wantin’ to be shootin’ me just for selling dope to school kids. It’s just ‘uken wrong. It’s not like I’m a head lopping islamic ‘uck head. Am I roight?

Green Hipster

I disagree with any use of state force including war. War is not the answer.

Low Information Voter

Well, that depends on the 'uken question, dunnit?

Green Hipster

Well, perhaps you are right but to apply lethal force with such cold forethought against an unarmed human. It’s barbaric, it’s unconscionable. One cannot be human and sanction such an act of brutality.

Low Information Voter

Yeah, it’s loik when Kylie got pregnant, she wanted, ya know, to get it fixed, ya know, an abortion.

Green Hipster

There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a woman’s right to choose.

Low Information Voter

No way. It was my kid and anyways she was seven months in before she wanted to rid of the kid, so it was too late anyway.

Green Hipster

It wasn’t too late at all. She could have had an abortion up to the moment before delivery.

Low Information Voter

Ya shitten’ me?

Green Hipster

Not at all. It’s called a late term abortion and it’s fully sanctioned with the authority of the state government and financed by the Federal Government. It’s a women’s health issue.

Low Information Voter

No ‘uken way!

Green Hipster

Yes way, in fact my partner Moonbeam-Starlight had one and I supported her all the way.

Low Information Voter swings a clenched fist connecting with the Green Hipster’s chin. An audible crack fills the silence as Green Hipster crumples to the ground in slow motion like a skinny sack of fairy floss.

Low Information Voter (Standing over Green Hipster)