As Before, Again and Again.

A Cautionary Loop

It happened just like it did before, so many times, in so many other places. The simplicity of the slogans, the uninformed red-meat rhetoric pouring from a flag draped rostrum as the wild-eyed carnival barker roused the crowd against those ‘mongrels’ who were destroying our traditions and betraying our nation.

I think that most of us were caught up in it at the time. With each passing year of my life the future had become less certain. The pace of life, the explosion of technology into every facet of our lives, the loss of faith in our ancient institutions and the traditions of class and rank that were the foundation of our homeland were overwhelming. The unease was palpable, but silent until he came along and gave it a voice. When he called for restoration of the greatness of our nation and expelling those deviants and foreigners who had betrayed us we saw hope that we could restore the sanity and prosperity of simpler times. The possibility of a return to prosperity like we had before the economic collapse following the last war was a rallying cry for our youth who longed for a chance at a successful life.

The pageantry of that year’s election campaign was stunning. The legions of people proudly wearing our national colors, the loud music that spoke to our lost pride and strength as a people stirred many who had never been involved in political life to come out and vote.

For the first few months following the election the excitement grew. As the new administration promised, the easing of business regulation spurred growth and investment, and more jobs and affordable consumer goods were available. As we pulled out of those treaties and international commitments that held us back, we fortified and secured our borders. In less than 2 years our leader built us into strong nation of pride, standing tall in our rightful place in the world once again.

It was all so obvious then, with his strong ties to the business community and his unfailing belief that we were a nation manifestly destined to be winners, that our leader was doing what was necessary to make us great again. The registrations of those of minority religions were required to protect us from extremism and treason. When the deportation of immigrants began, followed by the mass internment of those who were critical of the new policies, we understood that this was necessary. The security of the state was more important than the rights of a few malcontents who were obviously of lower intelligence and wanted our country and its corporations to fail.

The night our leader explained to the nation that we must go to war to prevent our enemies from denying us resources that were necessary for this country’s survival was wake up call for many of us. As the casualties mounted, and the food became scarce, some began to speak out, but it was too late…