- Jan 25, 2009
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Shalom 
Concerning why I was writing this, I saw the play "Wicked" and really felt it is truly one of the best plays of all time. Have you ever wondered how it often seems many times that states can set up governments where others are painted as the enemies and others are labeled as the heros...even though neither side agrees with what is given? Morever, ever wonder how sometimes, when others do certain things, it can be the case that perhaps they were forced...knowing good and well they didn't agree with a viewpoint and yet they chose to take the fall for something thinking a greater good could come from it?
The play Wicked excells in showing that reality..if you've ever seen it (and for the entire play, one can go here - not the best quality, but it works).
Many have long noted how the "Wizard of Oz" series was always full of political overtones on many levels....and the book series "Wicked" took that dynamic into an entirely different level. Made into a musical, it was a wonderful/powerful stage play that had many powerful political overtones when it came to noting how many in history were often placed in the wrong category and chose to take the fall...and it also discussed the subject of propoganda and how it is often used for bad.
For more, one can investigate the following:
As someone said best of the stage play:
Stephen Schwartz comments, “Oz in the book is essentially a totalitarian state, and The Wizard rules by fear, aided by his secret police force. In the show, The Wizard is more manipulative, pretending to be doing things for the good of Oz and to be subjugating the animals for the greater good, but it becomes clear through the course of the evening that he is doing these
Concerning why I was writing this, I saw the play "Wicked" and really felt it is truly one of the best plays of all time. Have you ever wondered how it often seems many times that states can set up governments where others are painted as the enemies and others are labeled as the heros...even though neither side agrees with what is given? Morever, ever wonder how sometimes, when others do certain things, it can be the case that perhaps they were forced...knowing good and well they didn't agree with a viewpoint and yet they chose to take the fall for something thinking a greater good could come from it?
The play Wicked excells in showing that reality..if you've ever seen it (and for the entire play, one can go here - not the best quality, but it works).
Many have long noted how the "Wizard of Oz" series was always full of political overtones on many levels....and the book series "Wicked" took that dynamic into an entirely different level. Made into a musical, it was a wonderful/powerful stage play that had many powerful political overtones when it came to noting how many in history were often placed in the wrong category and chose to take the fall...and it also discussed the subject of propoganda and how it is often used for bad.
For more, one can investigate the following:
- Wicked Inside Pages - Telecharge.com
- Wicked - Reviews - Jul 15, 2005
- Wicked Songs in Context - MusicalSchwartz.com
- Political parallels between Wicked- the Musical and American ...
- Wicked History Stephen Schwartz Comments on Wicked's History
- Political parallels between Wicked- the Musical and American ...
- A Wickedly entertaining modern-day political allegory: Wicked at ...
- Stage preview: Politics of 'Wicked' survives changes from book to ...
As someone said best of the stage play:
things only to remain in power, and that his scapegoating of the animals (pun intended) is because “one sure way to bring people together is to give them a really good enemy."
The Wizard says, “When I first got here, there was discord and discontent. And where I come from, everyone knows: the best way to bring folks together is to give them a really good enemy”. Oz in the show is still a place where one “race”, the animals, is being systematically deprived of its rights; the Animal story in the show has strong elements of the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany or minority races in the United States.
In answer to Elphaba’s accusation that, “…it’s all just – smoke and mirrors! And that’s the truth!” The Wizard answers that, “The truth is not a fact or reason; the truth is just what everyone agrees on. Where I come from, we believe all sorts of things that aren’t true. We call it – “history”. He goes on to surmise that few people are at ease with ambiguities and that we tend to act as if they do not exist; hence our willingness to accept good and evil, black and white, whilst avoiding shades of grey – or green.
The story finishes on the theme of awareness since Glinda knows what the crowd does not know, or has been kept from knowing: that the Wicked Witch of West, far from being the personification of pure evil, was actually a real person with feelings and vulnerabilities. And that although she (Glinda) was made to be a "hero" in the eyes of society while the "Wicked Witch" forever was demeaned, she would have to live forever knowing that her best friend chose to take the fall since it was what others believed and only Glinda had the political power to really do what her friend, the Wicked Witch, would never have been capable of because of many other factors....and both Glinda and Elphaba chose to keep the truth a secret while forever proclaiming to one another that they were grateful for the other being in their life.
The analogies are truly powerful when considering historical events in our times. In example, one can consider the ways that many things deemed to be Inquisitions may have had deeper factors behind them than people realize..and that in a religious sense, the same dynamic can occur when others may not realize that people deemed to be the "enemy" by one State may've been labeled as such because there was an environment where others felt they needed to have something to rally around.
For many Bishops throughout church history who were instrumental in many decisions others may not have liked, I think they are far more complex than many give credit for...especially when considering how some of the people who were persecuted by them may've done the same thing had they been in power----and when seeing how others could simultaneously be capable of making good decisions for others and also make ones that seemed bad, one has to wonder if many leaders of Inquisitions felt just as conflicted as those they were against.
I would tend to think there were even times people in the position of "Leading an Inquisition" had some significant relationships with the people in camps they were against...
That said, if anyone else happened to love the musical Wicked, would love to hear Blessings..
Blessings..
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Truly a beautiful story to tell 
