Tweedle dum - musings on the Ford brothers

About 15 years ago in Toronto there was a clown duo called Mump & Smoot who were very popular.   They would put on these amazing full length productions with a full story line about them getting into some kind of scrape then working their way out again, such as dying in a plane crash after setting out on vacation, and ending up in hell ("Inferno").    They managed all this with no real words, just a dialogue of gibberish, some great props and evocative sets, and of course some amazing clowning skills. 

I noticed after watching a couple of these that one character was the cunning, devious and  domineering, the other slow and sweet, but always faithful to his buddy, no matter what trouble the got into.  (Interestingly, if Mump was ever too mean to Smoot, the audience would groan and boo, Mump would look contrite and try to set things right.) 

I then started noticing this trope in other comedy duos.  You may remember tv's My Name is Earl, featuring the titular Earl and his brother Randy as Earl tried to make amends for years of selfish misdeeds against family, friends and the citizens of his county.  The flashbacks always showed Earl ruining people's lives by stealing cars, clothes, valuables, girlfriends, etc, while clueless Randy was mostly just along for the ride.  In one episode Randy moves home and their mother finally tells Earl he's a bad influence:"One of you is mean and the other's stupid. I won't say which."   Earl figures it out and realises he needs to make up to his own brother the most .

Glee presents a slight twist: while the pairing of Coach Sylvester and Down Syndrome cheerleader Becky started out as a similar dynamic, little Becky has now turned it on its head.  She may be developmentally challenged, but she's not clueless, and she's proving to be even meaner than Sue, if that's possible.

Anyway, I thought of this dynamic again recently in the midst of Toronto's recent mayoral woes. Rob Ford was a buffoon of a councillor, making a life in politics because he was pretty much unsuited to any other gainful employment, even at his father's company.  Meanwhile older brother Doug took the reins from their dad and successfully expanded the business, a classic ruthless entrepreneur.  When Rob made to a go for the mayor's seat, his political insider Nick Kouvalis knew instinctively Ford would not be able to manage actually running a city on his own, and convinced Doug to run for councillor and be a backup.  In three years he has became a "shadow mayor" doing most of the speaking for Rob and pushing a more nuanced agenda than the "gravy train" mantra Rob spouted during the election.  The only thing Rob seems good at is phoning and meeting with constituents; he has no head for numbers, policy or city building.  Doug has most recently spent his energy covering for Rob's indiscretions, blaming everyone but Rob for his troubles.  

They spend a lot of time insulting and threatening anyone who disagrees with them, telling councillors they will "get them" come election time or suing ex-staffers for answering police questions honestly.  But Doug also has a harsh spot for Rob, constantly belittling him for being overweight.  Rob acts like he's spent his life being bullied, and is just turning it on every else.

image by Chantel Leclerk for Spacing

A bully and a clown?  Absolutely.  Too bad the joke's on us.

For further analysis see Ed Keenan's excellent Grid article:
http://www.thegridto.com/city/politics/worst-brother-ever/

For awesome Ford-related paraphernalia, try the Spacing boutique:
http://spacing.ca/toronto/2013/11/22/new-store-schadenford-button-magnet-sets/