There is no question that all cultures delight in theater. The suspension of disbelief that is the essence of any thespian attempt is something utilized, not only in direct theatrical production but also in all aspects of life. It is basically one of the expressions of the highly developed and ingenious human capability to lie.

But this is not in any way a condemnation of that capability, merely a caution that it should be used appropriately and severely avoided where it becomes destructive.

Various types of theater and drama are essentially a means of story telling and the structure of the average story can be boiled down to a few simple essentials.

There is the protagonist with whom the audience identifies and who carries the story forward with his/her adventures to attain a goal. The goal can be power or some form of escape from danger or an attractive member of the opposite sex or merely something as simple as a pot of gold or the equivalent. If the attainment of the goal is easy there is no story.

If the goal has a physically difficult path of attainment there is a story but most stories are more interesting if the opposition is an active element, a dynamic antagonist such as an evil human or other creature or a competitor for the goal who can be merely the competition or, more exciting, somebody deeply evil and devilishly clever which keeps the audience on edge as to whether the protagonist can be more than equally clever to overcome the difficulties. There are all sorts of combinations of these basic elements but the average drama is not too difficult to recognize within this architecture. And the point of the story is, with few exceptions, that good conquers evil and the various definitions of good depend upon where the story is presented.

The overall point of this type of story telling is a lesson presented in a most digestible manner that advocates some agenda of the producers.

The bare bones of this drama system have been embodied in the classical Punch and Judy show presented by puppets in a miniature theater and it is essentially comic in the ludicrously violent behavior of the actors. Punch and Judy are querulous protagonists and the antagonist has been some sort of comic monster or even an agent of the state such as a policeman.

Actually the structure of all this was clearly embodied in Manichaeism which goes all the way back to the Persian Empire and presented the conflict of mankind as a struggle between light and darkness. Early human culture evidently couldn't accept natural forces as neutral physical reactions and when unfortunate conditions arose it was attributed to malevolent powers and, oppositely, when good things occurred it was seen as caused by friendly powers. This simpleminded animation of natural forces was eventually refined into a highly imaginative horde of odd gods and destructive demons and this formulation has endured into this day.

A current USA religious leader has actually claimed that the disasters of 9/11 and the fierce hurricane that smashed into New Orleans was the result of angering some hot-tempered God. So this peculiar paradigm seems to have embedded itself very deeply into the human imagination. One persistent codicil to this animistic viewpoint is that one can talk to inanimate forces and negotiate for better conditions. No matter how unsuccessful this procedure has proved through the ages, the attempts persist.

It was only with the rise of comprehension that blind forces drive the universe that some of the inclination to characterize the universe as a struggle between good and evil has been dissipated. It is not only in storytelling or the theater that this mistaken viewpoint has been inlaid into all human activity. It pervades religion, politics, and even random occurrence. It is the basis for all conspiracy theories (although surely, some conspiracies do exist).

An unprejudiced glance at any church reveals that it is in truth a theater to play out the struggle between good (whatever doctrine the church favors) and evil (represented by devils or demons or whoever criticizes what the church proclaims). It does not seem to matter that it is mindlessly accepted that an all powerful spirit permits itself to be harassed by an evil force of its own creation which contradicts the entire concept. For this is, as usual, the Punch and Judy show so favored by the human psyche.

In politics the standard ploy for controlling a populace that might have a tendency to object to suppressive policies is to erect an overwhelming threat. This is the demon of the standard Punch and Judy show. For a long time in the USA it was the threat of communism. In the USSR it was the nasty capitalists. Each government chose its demon well for the threat, although tremendously exaggerated, did have a strong element of reality. When the USSR collapsed under the burden of its corruption and inept administration the USA suddenly found itself punching at thin air.

The marvelous benefit of having no obvious enemy was, for a short period, proclaimed a huge success as it released large funds that could be used for the national benefit in health, education, alleviation of poverty, and revamping of a sorely distressed infrastructure. But all those suppliers of horribly expensive military equipment with good friends in government suddenly had no market prospects and in jig time the maniacs of Islam came to their rescue. The innovative "War on Terrorism" was perfect for the Punch and Judy demon as no one in his right mind could justify the horror of all the innocents in a huge skyscraper massacred in one theatrical swoop on nationwide television. It made an instant savior of an inept president elected under highly suspicious circumstances.

It was a war that could never end and therefore wonderful for armaments manufacturers in a perfect reproduction of Orwell's "1984". That the responsive war in Iraq has killed far, far more people and brutalized American democracy in a way rarely seen before seems of no consequence since the human love of the simplicity of the Punch and Judy show is satisfied.

And, at a personal level, the P&J show strikes daily at every individual. When a car refuses to start, when the TV remote misdirects the channel, when a teenager disobeys, the P&J effect takes over and the remedy is to vigorously shake it, kick it or punish it as the proper way to treat any demon. A quick run through of Murphy's Laws clarifies the whole situation. The universe is against us and requires proper punishment.