The Horrors of the Fantasyland
By Brenan Daniels
We are living in a deeply society steeped in fantasy, to the point where it is in many ways a nightmare, but worse as the horrors are real. It is devoid of any empathy, compassion, and we are not only destroying the society, but we are also slowly killing ourselves.
During this most recent election, two wretched candidates were fostered upon us. One that has shown their hatred for anyone who is different (different in this case meaning not an able-bodied white male), who is unintelligible, and wants to wage a class war on the poor and vulnerable, while increasing the security state.The other candidate, while not bigoted, wanted to continue to exact same policies that led us to this current situation where the wealth divide widens more and more. She was also as much of, if not moreso, a war hawk than her Republican counterpart, actively pushing for actions that could result in a confrontation with Russia.
The policies of the current President have harmed and are going to harm a number of people, including those who voted for him. However, his supporters back these policies, under the illusion that they will somehow benefit, whether it be in the form of well paying jobs or that people who they perceive to threaten the country will be gone. What is currently being enacted, however, will aid in their own destruction, but they hold on to this idea as it is all they have left, having been victims of parasitic corporations that have gotten blood from the people and have moved on to the next prey.
The Democrats, however, are themselves under a spell that the Russians are somehow involved in Trump’s election and that is why Clinton lost, when that has been said to be untrue by a number of people and most recently those who were in the Clinton camp. Yet, each group believes they are correct and engages in dehumanization or degradation, such as calling people Trumpanzees.
Strangely enough, though, while Clinton and Trump supporters may be at each other’s throats, they both seem to hold the same idea: that if ‘their candidate’ had been elected (or now that ‘their candidate’ is in office in the case of Trump supporters), that things will be fine. Both groups see the situation mainly, if not entirely through rose-colored glasses while ignoring the reality of what is happening or very well could have happened with regards to Clinton.
Furthermore, society seems to have a massive disconnect with reality in the realm of economics. The majority of people still support capitalism, when it is that very system that has aided in their past and present suffering, as can be seen in everything from the 2008 financial crash to the ‘free trade’ agreements that are still on the table, such as the Trade In Services Agreement to the privatization of education. Many have a positive view of the economy, however, 95% of new jobs under Obama were part time or contract. On top of that, even though the country hates Congress, yet they still elect the same politicians, most of whom are millionaires and want to enact the very policies that will harm their constituents. It is here that we reach a different level of fantasy, where those in charge are living in a fantasyland. Paul Ryan and others in Congress are attempting to get Obamacare repealed even though millions would lose coverage, including those who backed Trump. At a higher level, we have the current Secretary of State who seems to be pushing for a war with North Korea when the American people themselves don’t want another war.
So why does any of this matter? Why should anyone care? This is important as it is a major sign of a society in decline. When the power structures, but more importantly the people, are disassociated from the reality of what is actually occurring to them, it means that the society may soon no longer be able to function. However, it also shows that when reality does finally set in, not just economically and politically but also environmentally, the much worse as people will be scrambling to create alternatives and generally attempt to survive. The fantasyland matters as it act as a pacifier of sorts, it is the very thing that is hindering us from radically transforming our society from a culture of narcissism and death to a culture of love and life.
