HAVE BRIDGE CLUBS BECOME THEATRES OF THE ABSURD ?.............. ( Article by Carp )

In a word ...Yes.....because the very moment members walk into their clubs, they cease to be themselves.
As soon as the first hand is played ,  the mild mannered Dr. Jekylls suddenly into the monstrous Mr. Hydes. No devastating or highly dangerous personality changing drugs are responsible for this phenomenon. It's the nature of the stage they find themselves upon. With everyone seemingly out to get them , including their partners , they allow their inner demons to take control in order to survive and conquer. This irrational and illogical approach to life at bridge tables , turn the spectacle of a duplicate into a surreal and absurd showdown. 
Then of course we have the self-proclaimed leading actors : the massively egotistical prima donnas, who strut about the stage full of their own self-importance and notions of grandeur. They gather together large audiences, who are then subjected to lengthy monologues about their triumphs , coups and master plays . It is this form of drama which emphasises the absurdity of human existence , as these disjointed , delusional individuals engage in endless, repetitious and meaningless monologues. 
Finally , we come to the rest of the cast who inevitably take on the roles of animals, mostly sheep , mice and furry little rabbits. These minor role characters seem happy to participate in what is for them a pointless and confusing exercise , where as extras they are simply there to make up the numbers. They fail to see the reality of their hopeless and futile pursuit for glory. In a normal world, logical thinking would tell them " there's no point carrying on.....so it's best to quit ". But their dogged perseverance to chase lost causes once again demonstrates the irrational and illogical behaviour of those who are happy to continue the misery of losing at bridge.
With naturalistic conventions of plot and characterisation so completely ignored or distorted in these bridge arenas , one can not escape the conclusion that bridge clubs really are theatres of the absurd.