Discussion Main / KickedUpstairs

I'm not exactly sure how this qualifies...it seems like it fits another trope besides this one. Thoughts?

• In Cerebus the Aardvark, most members of the government of Palnu have titles that have little or nothing to do with their actual job descriptions (Cerebus himself, upon becoming Lord Julius' chief bodyguard, is given the title "kitchen staff supervisor"), and quite a lot of the ones with lofty-sounding titles don't actually have much authority at all.

Cut this:

• This is also why John Mc Cain's pick of Sarah Palin as his running mate in the 2008 election is generally seen as a grave mistake on his part. Mc Cain eventually lost many votes as the majority of the public felt that she wasn't qualified to assume the Presidency if needed. Contrast this with opponent Barack Obama's running mate Joe Biden, a senator with 35 years of experience.

Partly because it's flame bait, and partly because there might be some serious difference of opinion about Biden's qualification to do anything including tie his own shoes.

Cut:

• Puyi, the last Emperor of China, was (eventually) put on the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a multi-party "advisory body" to the Chinese Government (the multi-party bit ought to give away exactly how much real power it holds). Admittedly this is not exactly a promotion (from Emperor) but is notably overlooked by the film, The Last Emperor.

The troper who wrote that was half-baked about PRC politics. Of course CPPCC is powerless, but he probably didn't know another political convention: membership of a deliberative body is not a stand-alone position. (By "deliberative body" I don't only mean CPPCC, but also the legislature—which is also powerless, of course—and the Party committees which yields real power)

This convention means that a mere delegate to these bodies is not a job (heads are). As a result, Puyi cannot be Kicked Upstairs by putting him into a position that PRC never considered to be a position. In fact, while Puyi's job as a gardener only lasted a year or so, he was employed as the equivalent of a Researcher of the National Archives up to his death—which means explaining to other historians the inner workings of the Court, both Manchu and Manchukuo.

While the "former presidents" quote is truly excellent, does it have anything to do with the trope?