One day, I was frustrated with the willful ignorance, the racism, the misogyny, the anti-science, the anti-intellectual and the theocratic and dominionist elements that now dominate the Republican party.. and Trump and his followers strike me as a blight on our democratic republic and a danger to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.. so yes, this is taking things to their worst conclusion. Because the truth is, it could happen anywhere, in any time, to any nation.

FLIP SIDE

We were fooled. We were tricked. At least, that’s what we tell ourselves to avoid the truth: that we tricked ourselves.

It started with a president who told us what we wanted to hear and who changed a system without anyone much protesting except a few radicals. At least, that’s what we were told by the news and we trusted the news. They wouldn’t lie- they were the news, for crying out loud. Sure, we’d heard the Supreme Court had ruled news programs could lie, but we didn’t think our news channel would… it was supposed to be fair and balanced, right? Doesn’t that mean it wouldn’t lie?

And over a couple decades, things were put into place without our giving it much thought. After all, the rumblings under the radar didn’t impact most of us and for those to whom it mattered, they recognized their opportunity and took it. Well, wouldn’t you?

After a couple more presidents, things were in place. Sure, we voted for the son. Why not? He was the kind of guy you could sit and have a few laughs with over a beer, not like the other one- an educated snob. Crying all the time about the planet getting hot and that kind of stuff- well, we didn’t know- we didn’t want to know. Now, we know and it doesn’t matter.

Then the son won again against the other guy- well, he was all high brow and most of us caught ourselves feeling a little- well, not looked down on, but when the news guys told us he was an “intellectual elite” we sneered along with them. It’s kind of funny- I remember my grandpa saying that we’d vote for a monkey if he told us what we wanted to hear, and I guess that turned out to be true……

To read the rest of the story, see the link to The Twilight Mirror and the New Dawn by Jordan Amar.

© 2016