The Mario theory of US presidents. President Waluigi is coming.
Obama = Mario: Upright, well mannered, professional, protects the stratus quo, crushes the enemies of the monarchy with a smile on his face
Trump = Wario: Oafish, rude, crass, obscene obsession with tacky displays wealth, does the same shit as Mario but with a low brow showman-like presentation that some people gravitate towards
Biden = Luigi. Lanky sidekick to Mario, foolish, unaware, kind/dopey affect belies a more sinister core
The next president will be a republican, in the same vein as Trump but warped and confounding. The Waluigi of presidents. It is inevitable. You heard it here first. When the Republican primaries come about, look for the most Waluigi-like candidate. They will emerge victorious.
Waluigi is the ultimate example of the individual shaped by the signifier. Waluigi is a man seen only in mirror images; lost in a hall of mirrors he is a reflection of a reflection of a reflection. You start with Mario – the wholesome all Italian plumbing superman, you reflect him to create Luigi – the same thing but slightly less. You invert Mario to create Wario – Mario turned septic and libertarian – then you reflect the inversion in the reflection: you create a being who can only exist in reference to others. Waluigi is the true nowhere man, without the other characters he reflects, inverts and parodies he has no reason to exist. Waluigi’s identity only comes from what and who he isn’t – without a wider frame of reference he is nothing. He is not his own man. In a world where our identities are shaped by our warped relationships to brands and commerce we are all Waluigi.