WALDO E OS PALHAÇOS: POLÍTICA, ENTRETENIMENTO E VIOLÊNCIA EM MIA COUTO E BLACK MIRROR

Abstract

This paper establishes an intermedia comparison between Mia Couto's short story "The War of the Clowns" and the episode "The Waldo Moment" of the British TV series Black Mirror. The hypothesis of the paper is the fact that both the works approach the political issue as a way of promoting entertainment and violence. The aim was to verify how the short story and the episode work on this theme, deepening issues about the contemporary moment and the emptying of what is understood as politics. It was possible to notice that, although the works were produced in different times and realities, both of them dealt with the theme in a similar way, pointing out that society in some contexts tends to become involved with political space, confusing it with entertainment. Violence, a horizon that we must understand to discuss political processes, is triggered here as a conflict emptied of social demands, guided by subjective paths. Therefore, our corpus of study points to a contemporary dynamic: the emptying of the public space of claims for citizenship and the strengthening of a society of consumption that, in the political sphere, privileges spectacle, violence and entertainment.

Keywords: Waldo; The War of the Clowns; Politics; Entertainment; Violence.