Democratic melodrama and authoritarian melodrama

This essay distinguishes democratic melodrama from authoritarian melodrama. We argue that the distinction between the two forms of melodrama is not merely located in the “eye of the beholder,” but can be found within the rhetorical form based on the way that the melodrama is figured. First, we argue that democratic melodrama is characterized by the use of a double gesture, which polarizes and offers the possibility of affirmation and reconnection—a key difference from authoritarian melodrama, which seeks primarily to exclude and condemn. Second, democratic melodrama generates monopathy, a unity of feeling, in its audience that enables interdependency with the other, while authoritarian melodrama engages in contempt for the other, which enables repression and oppression. Finally, the villain in democratic melodrama is typically a behavior, ideology, or institution, while in authoritarian melodrama the villain is typically scapegoated as a member of an “outgroup” that is dehumanized. In sum, democratic melodrama emphasizes interdependency while authoritarian melodrama engages in dehumanization and separation.