I Can’t Write Right Now, So Political Commentary It Is
You may not know this, but I’m a writer of fiction.
Specifically, I put together works in the Sci-fi and Speculative realms with a focus on Dystopian or Pre-Dystopian settings. Additionally, I spent my college career studying history, specifically Nazi Germany (pre and post) and “The Middle Ages”. You know, two of the most depressing time periods in the history of mankind.
Why am I giving this info out? Because of the last sentence in that paragraph.
You know, two of the most depressing time periods in the history of mankind.
Except they weren’t depressing for all mankind… just most of mankind. Do you seriously think that the Nazi’s were super upset that they conquered Europe and were slated for world domination before the Operation Barbarossa? Of course not! They were f*cking ecstatic! Everyone had fallen before their tanks, they had the Autobahn cruising along, and Hitler adopted a puppy.
Hint: one of those three things is a lie.
And the 1,000 year period** referred to as “The Middle Ages”? You think all of those kings and barons were having a horrid time? Do you think that just because there was insane amounts of violence that the rich were unhappy?
That would be a false assumption for a series of societies that held violence and victory in incredibly high esteem.
The Point
There are only two major events in the past several hundred years that ended up poorly for the rich and elite:
- The French Revolution (everyone lost a head in that game)
- The Bolshevik Revolution (#AnastasiaLives)
Everything else, including those two examples, came down hard on the poor and the vulnerable. Everything.
I mean, do you understand how much the infighting amongst the rich destroys the poor? If you’re poor, then I don’t have to give any examples. Hell, even something innocuous like fee disagreements between cable stations hits the poor harder than the rich. Do you think they give a shit if they can’t watch a football game? No, they’ll just hop on their private jet and go rent one of those boxes people like us stare at with envy.
Anyway. Here’s the deal: we’re currently living in a pre-Dystopian world.
If you look back through history, you can draw distinct parallels between behaviors and cultural atrophy. Take a long look at The Fall of Rome — there’s definitely enough scholarship on the topic — and the information available on those two revolutions mentioned above.
Read it objectively. Then look at what’s happening around you and think: “If I was reading this in a book assigned for a history class, what do I think would happen next?”
Maybe, just maybe, if we can stabilize our society again and avoid waking up to this sort of shit every day, I can get back to what I do best. Writing Dystopian fiction.
God knows I’m tired of commenting on it.
** The exact timeframe included in the larger heading, The Middle Ages, is still rather heavily debated. For the purposes of brevity, 1,000 years will do.
