The Politics of We vs. I

There are many definitions of melodrama because many people interpret the word, and a situation that may be considered by some "melodramatic" in many different ways. These differences in opinion and definitions is exemplified by the many varying synonyms for the word that could be considered opposites, like anticlimax and climax, tragedy and comedy, or hysteria and elation.

The theme that is recurring, though, in each interpretation of a situation is that it involves more than one person, or "we". The "we" should inherently create a sense of community, as it infers that people are together, yet as we see in politics, unfortunately what should be the brotherly (and sisterly) "we" turns into conflict when someone who is a part of the "we" thinks only in the interest of "I". This, in turn, justifies Hobbes' theory of politics and the human nature in general that it is a race to become the best which creates a struggle between friend and foe. So melodrama in politics is caused by individuals trying to further themselves and their organizations, and not everyone as a whole. Politicians also present what they want, or what their foe is doing, in such a way that is exaggerated and melodramatic in order to get their constituents to support them and hate their foe as well. As with the word melodrama itself, there are many interpretations and points of view in politics and situations in which the government is involved in.