The President
Once upon a time, there was a psycho Republican Presidential candidate named Ronald Shrump. Shrump was pitted against an equally crazy Democratic candidate named Hillary Clankton. These two cantidates were polar opposites. Clankton was a career politician, having formerly been a senator from New York, and the Secretary of State under President Barack Obama, while Shrump had no previous political experience, and was a billionaire businessman. Clankton was a huge favorite in the polls, and but it did not matter on election day, as she was upset by Shrump in the Electoral College. However, Shrump had a dark secret: He was a Russian agent tasked with creating mass hysteria in the US!
Shrump started by fabricating documents that showed that his newly appointed National Security Adviser, General Michael Flynn, had met with Russian officials during the run-up to the election. This created great fears that the Russians had the power to destroy the US. Shrump continued to fabricate documents that continued to implicate powerful members of the US government in the Russian conspiracy, and the hysteria among the public only grew. It was Arthur Miller's worst nightmare; anyone could accuse anyone of being a Russian agent, and that person's reputation would be forever ruined, as the American public had gone so crazy that they would believe anyone and anything. Angry mobs of men, women and children would grab alleged Russian agents out of their bed at night and hang them from the nearest tree or lamp post, leaving their decaying body hanging for days as a warning to any others.
The hysteria reached its peak when President Shrump forged documents that implicated Vice President Mike Pence in the scandal. Now, the American public would stand for nothing short of an all-out invasion of the Russian Federation, which played right into Shrump's hands, as his ultimate mission was just that; to lead the US into an unwinnable invasion of the Russian motherland.
When the American military launched their attack, the Russians were ready, as President Shrump had provided the Kremlin with the top-secret battle plans. The Americans were crushed, and took heavy losses. Several aircraft carriers were destroyed, and the army was heavily depleted and unprepared for the impending Russian counterattack. When it finally came, the much weakened US military was annihilated by the well-prepared Russians, who took Washington within weeks. When they took the White House, unwilling to let President Shrump be revealed as a Russian agent, they unceremoniously shot him, and took control of the country. The United States had been conquered.
Shrump started by fabricating documents that showed that his newly appointed National Security Adviser, General Michael Flynn, had met with Russian officials during the run-up to the election. This created great fears that the Russians had the power to destroy the US. Shrump continued to fabricate documents that continued to implicate powerful members of the US government in the Russian conspiracy, and the hysteria among the public only grew. It was Arthur Miller's worst nightmare; anyone could accuse anyone of being a Russian agent, and that person's reputation would be forever ruined, as the American public had gone so crazy that they would believe anyone and anything. Angry mobs of men, women and children would grab alleged Russian agents out of their bed at night and hang them from the nearest tree or lamp post, leaving their decaying body hanging for days as a warning to any others.
The hysteria reached its peak when President Shrump forged documents that implicated Vice President Mike Pence in the scandal. Now, the American public would stand for nothing short of an all-out invasion of the Russian Federation, which played right into Shrump's hands, as his ultimate mission was just that; to lead the US into an unwinnable invasion of the Russian motherland.
When the American military launched their attack, the Russians were ready, as President Shrump had provided the Kremlin with the top-secret battle plans. The Americans were crushed, and took heavy losses. Several aircraft carriers were destroyed, and the army was heavily depleted and unprepared for the impending Russian counterattack. When it finally came, the much weakened US military was annihilated by the well-prepared Russians, who took Washington within weeks. When they took the White House, unwilling to let President Shrump be revealed as a Russian agent, they unceremoniously shot him, and took control of the country. The United States had been conquered.
I like the way you used hysteria a theme from the crucible and made a fiction story based on the US elections of 2016. I also like the way you emphasized the effects of hysteria on people through your story.
ReplyDeleteI think this was a creative way to portray how hysteria could invade our country today. When comparing hysteria in Salem and during McCarthyism, there seems to be a similar pattern. If hysteria about a Russian intervention in the government were to happen who do you think would do the accusing? What would be the qualifications for being accused? What would the U.S. do with these accusations?
ReplyDeleteOne thing I'm confused about: is Clankton against herself? In any case, taking the presidential election and turning it into a case of mass hysteria has clear parallels to the witch trials and the Red Scare. Although, it is a bit more extreme than the Red Scare and is more akin to the witch trials. The ending is a bit different than how both of those ended, though, but it is a fitting wrap up with respect to your theme and the topic.
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out the typo where Clankton faces herself. Just fixed it!
DeleteI thought it was creative to compare the Salem witch trials/McCarthyism to the presidential election in 2016. I also liked the humor throughout the story. What do you think would happen if there was actually suspicion of Russian infiltration in the government? How would people respond and how would would they address the situation?
ReplyDelete