The Jokers are the Experts Today

Synopsis: Candide is the start point of satire and optimism within literature, political rhetoric, amusing anecdotes and warped ideology. It's about youth, innocence, control and suffocating cultures - for those who know of my wicked sense of fun, you'll denote it doesn't please certain quarters... although, I haven't had the harsh critique that Voltaire has had from our contemporary civilization; then again secularism is forgiving.

Candide starts his life journey from the Baron's castle of Westphalia, deemed the rich pickings of opportunism. Thus, what comes from such magnificence environs and alarming rituals is an unrivaled dehumanization process, that is normalized. Totalitarianism couldn't bare the mocking, suffice to say the grounded and the heavenly despots are powerless to the Candide wit. 

Our world has embraced populism as if it was an unbelievable offer on a 'Beefeater' menu. To entrust that the meal will be better than anything we've experienced prior to now is incoherent and yes, naive; for the 'status quo' is as ill-prepared as a piggie going to market. Every aspect of modernism has opted to cuddle Voltaire's 'Candide' and gift the novella a realistic juxtaposition. Usually individuals had the pleasure of replicating 'Candide' if you want to know what happened to these individuals they came a cropper, their reputations sent to the gallows and dungeons of insignificance.

What suffers most is their self esteem, dissipated by the mess they created... little did Voltaire know that thanks populism, the majority is indeed... Candide. Whereby opportunism is given the light of day under the umbrella of democracy; it's so comical it could be adapted as a play, synonymous with 'Candide.' The jokers are the experts today... yesterday's experts are now the jokers. The problem is, as much as I enjoy experiencing Voltaire's 'Candide' I find the classic malicious, if the cajoled ideology (consensus) was part of reality; thus, why now it's suffice enough to revisit Voltaire and take the hilarity soberly.

Candid innocence is alluring, to often the concept of innocence has portrayed a youthful charm but if you take away the innocence, the charm collapses and instead conniving and sinister traits form. And there lies the destruction. I am compelled to deduce Voltaire wanted theatrical / classic scholars to evaluate the novella's myriad layers; from anodyne hormonal hankering, to the subject of inking the clear waters of prestige; I'll state, 'Candide' in its entirety. In the recent past, I formulaic a position thanks to the ear of wisdom that *all* satirists possess similar ingredients, actual era (timelines) are insignificant in reality.

If Voltaire graced us with his satirical doctrine today there would be followers... at an instance 250 years of witticism will morph and belong to the patrimony of the comedy circuit; every character portrays an amaranthine essence; similar to passing on an athletic relay baton...  of course until humanity's dramatic finale - the cultural aspect too, labels Voltaire's philosophy germane. Littell candidly claimed that William Wordsworth found Voltaire uninspiring, the commentator was being polite; much of Wordsworth belief-systems were regarded as being grotesquely varied; indeed, romanticists were renown to be ideologically capricious. Starkly in comparison Voltaire's atheism was non-hypocritical right to the end, candidly croaking "this is no time to make new enemies" to a Priest.

Throughout 'Candide' the charm offensive is rife, to walk among the conventional zombies unheeded with a boundless freedom you have to in society be coherent and master of incessant charm. While Candide was deciphering his four phases of happiness; he announced practically from the off: "the fourth that of hearing Master Pangloss, the greatest philosopher of the whole province, and consequently of the whole world."  Notably, meaning that merely by hearing Master Pangloss's intellectual instruction was a blessing; there's no sign of Candide abiding by the instruction from the great Philosopher, alas it is a sublime example of the charm offensive.

Every morsel of our constitution actually reverberates Voltaire: you probably witnessed parliamentary discourse embark with "my honourable friend..." followed by ramblings not acquiescent with 'friendship.' By now you'll concur that 'Candide' should be a pantomime for the churlish rather than rigged into a developed nation's constitution, furthermore, never underestimate those who're at kin with the charm offensive. They're the lowlifes who're the real life bores and fiends; ye-s, but you can be certain of several things - a smile and a stab in the back and an invitation to exploit and perfect the nack... Chapter fifteen embraces the candid spirit to simply expunge ill-wishers. On that note, you're aware of the immense optimism Voltaire magnifies in Candide, there's always an alternative to subscribe to.

Historians would notice that the book was written thirty years prior the French Revolution in 1789 - 99; an epoch when heads literally rolled; no doubt the book represents the early shoots of social and political unrest - hence, so again take the hilarity soberly. Candide's first three degrees of happiness is: innocence personified via having faith in your inherited background, finding utter adoration, and finding that the adoration is unmasked and reciprocated - although, behold the conditions. Cunegonde throughout was Candide's love interest, allegedly unconditional - alas, I suspect the translation to English had been a torrid affair - due to the tautologous nature of the script and misgivings of social interference; which no doubt caused many clouds without silver-linings.

At least the translation rarely relied on French italics, I could forgive the mindless optimism and over-use of the term beautiful, although, I couldn't chain myself to senseless adoration for a lifetime. No wonder Cunegonde took on advice from her elder to broadened her horizon, i.e. titillating moustachios. Voltaire's philosophical prose towards the innocent is engaging and as a reader you're committed to conclude beautiful innocent minds are like butterfly wings, any disparaging winds will close up the beautiful innocents until they don't open at all. Knowledge ridicules irreproachability, and without a moment's hesitation, lays out the law... "You have been ravished by Bulgarians; a Jew and an Inquisitor have enjoyed your favours. Misfortune gives sufficient excuse. "

Chapter 22 delves into the candid impression of humanities adoption of keeping up appearances, even in the most harshest of circumstances. On the surface it's amiable smiles and courteous gestures, beneath it's engineering riotous plots and delivering unsightly predicaments. For Voltaire, its the scholar (s) who is the voice of reason - furthermore, their nuance credibility and subtlety derives from their reservoir of forthright intellectualism. What is worth writing or discussing is accentuating the observational froth... The scholar commences: "I know nothing of all that; I find that all goes awry with me; that no one knows either what is his rank, nor what is his condition, what he does nor what he ought to do; and that except supper, which is always gay, and where there appears to be enough concord, all the rest of the time is passed in impertinent quarrels; Jansenist against Molinist, Parliament against the Church, men of letters against men of letters, courtesans against courtesans, financiers against the people, wives against husbands, relatives against relatives. It is eternal war."

You may by now find having read this, Voltaire's 'Candide' is detached from relentless optimism, let alone from satire. To put it bluntly I rarely raised a candid smile as I followed Candide on his journey, which has a conclusion - however, after a short while Voltaire's innocent terminology irked me, not sure why...  but the closest scenario I can muster is; being in the presence of a querulous infant. Ah, then again perhaps this epitomised Voltaire's painfully droll satire.

I did excitedly moisten my lips when the Church exclaimed 'hold your tongue' when a (satirical) discrepancy as big as Wallace and Cooper's (1933) King Kong thunderously stamping on dahlias. A clever and toxic link to 'taming tongue' - prevalent in the biblical book of Proverbs 21 - 22. Ultimately, this is Voltaire's warning signal to the developed world, always best to guard your mouth and tongue, by doing so you're saving your soul from tribulations.

Obviously, modern civilization has taken it as fact, because the developed world is at peace, thanks to ignoring despicable events by the under-developed world and going about our lives silently. Y'see every morning BBC News is an eclectic cacophony of harps, whisperings of world love affairs and joyful innocence, candidly speaking. In retrospect, 'Candide' is hilariously serious.