The strong foundation of the Constitution is steadily being chipped away, former allies are now enemies and enemies friends, and facts, like those describing the Jan. 6, 2021 Trump-sponsored insurrection, are systematically erased and replaced by government sources with head-scratching lies: e.g., it was a hoax, but Democrats planned and staged it. Seeking perspective amid the chaos, I search for comparisons in American history, but there are none. It’s a Destructive New World, advancing towards Huxley’s horrific Brave one.
Many powerful countries and empires have gone down the road to dictatorship and dissolution in world history. But Americans believe we are exceptional, and see little resemblance to the late Roman Empire, post-World War I Germany, or many others.
When facts are scarce, fiction writers have led the way in describing our world. William Faulkner suggested “Fiction is often the best fact” and Albert Camus explained that “Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.” Can fiction provide some truths about today’s America? I believe finding relevant facts in fiction requires knowing the truth when you see it.
“Alice in Wonderland” (1865) is a tempting source, but its chaos is mostly random and entertaining rather than revealing, classified at the time as “literary nonsense.” But I believe two movies, “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) and “Wag the Dog” (1997), clarify current concepts that remain blurred and indistinct otherwise.
Dorothy’s companions in Oz each illustrate an important personality trait lacking in Donald Trump. Like Trump, the Cowardly Lion shows himself to be a blowhard and bully until he’s faced with strong, skilled opposition. He wilted under direct resistance by Nancy Pelosi, and patted Mayor Mamdani on the back after he’d previously slandered him. His proud, but cowardly, draft-dodging should make him a pariah among those willing to serve and sacrifice.
The Scarecrow constantly wishes for a better brain. Trump often proclaims himself a genius, but his unhinged ramblings repeatedly show his misunderstandings of basic scientific, psychological, and economic principles: e.g., controlling COVID with bleach injections, assuming everyone makes decisions based solely on their own self-interest, and that tariffs are paid by exporting countries rather than American importers and consumers. In true Trumpian fashion, the Scarecrow celebrates his new mental abilities by reciting a complex trigonometry equation which is completely and utterly wrong.
But the most dangerous character flaw is illustrated by the Tin Man’s lack of a heart. Trump, Musk, Miller, and others have repeatedly characterized heartfelt empathy as a weakness, and Trump’s comments about Rob Reiner’s death brought his callous disregard for others to a new low, something I thought impossible. The inability to feel empathy is a significant symptom in clinical definitions of mental illness in psychopaths, sociopaths, and those suffering from Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Our democracy has given a very damaged person a blank check to work out his pathology using our deadly military and law enforcement personnel.
“Wag the Dog’ is usually described as a “black comedy,” but there’s little comedy when considering it today. The film’s events are so recognizable that you might imagine it being written in the future as a flashback rather than years ago as a prediction. It opens with a president facing a scandal related to his sexual relationship with (!) an underage girl. To avoid further scrutiny, he and his spin doctors create a fictitious war (!) that will distract voters, even creating a fictional woman refugee and an American war hero. When things veer off course, the real people involved are killed or “disappeared,” but given false, heartwarming backstories to gain public sympathy. The conniving president wins another election and revels in his ability to manipulate the American people with false “facts” and images.
Today, President Trump has brought chaos to every facet of American and international life. ICE keeps people in cities either fearful or enraged. Domestic and international companies can’t plan investments or production due to the capricious use of tariffs. Pardons for crimes the administration rants about (drug trafficking, fraud in stealing from government programs) are blatantly sold for millions. The Justice Department and FBI have abandoned the pretense of neutrality. Former allies like Canada and Denmark confront the fact that U.S. diplomacy and agreements can no longer be trusted.
Our president lacks courage, a brain, and a heart, and is supremely willing to take any action that will increase or maintain his power. The facts of Trump’s presidency are nonsensical but not amusing, and we’re forced to look to fiction to help illuminate our desperate state of affairs.
Allen Woods is a freelance writer, author of the Revolutionary-era historical fiction novel “The Sword and Scabbard,” and Greenfield resident. His column appears regularly on a Saturday. Comments are welcome here or at awoods2846@gmail.com.