Anyone who is even vaguely familiar with The Handmaid’s Tale – book or TV series – recognizes this iconic image. These are the handmaid’s in Margaret Atwood’s brilliant and visionary novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. The fertile women. The ones whose lives and bodies have been handed over to the wealthy and powerful men in Gilead, a Dystopian nightmare town in New England.
This evening, they appeared at an impeachment march in West Palm Beach, just strolled through the crowd in front of Senator Rick Scott’s office. They didn’t carry any signs, didn’t shout slogans, didn’t boo every time a trump truck circled the area. They simply moved along silently, not raising their heads, and stepped up onto the low wall and stood there, heads bowed, a powerful statement.
Margaret Atwood’s now classic novel was published 34 years ago, in 1985. Given the direction of things for the last three years, and how close we may get to the world of Gilead, this one probably qualifies as precognition.
Here’s another image. The caboose is unhinged! Happy Impeachment Day!
Please don’t edit my comments and insert things I didn’t say. That’s rude.
If you grew up under a dictatorship, then you should be the first to recognize the authoritarian tendencies of the current democratic party. “Battle not with monsters lest ye become a monster” (Nietzsche). The democrats have become the very monsters they think they’re fighting. They have blatantly attempted to overthrow a president by systematically ignoring due process, by parading a series of hearsay witnesses before congress to testify about what they “felt” and what they “thought” and what they “believed”, by using (abusing?) their majority power to push a narrative that the president committed a crime, without ever citing a single law that was broken, and by suppressing the ability of the other side to fight back against their accusations. No court in this country would ever have allowed that kind of charade, and no court ever should, but the democrats think it’s okay as the end justifies the means. There are dictatorships all over the world that operate that way, but it should never happen in this country, not ever. They’ve been plotting the impeachment of this president since the day he was elected (and some of them even said so out loud), and have been looking for an opportunity ever since. There is even evidence to suggest it started long before he was elected. Call that a conspiracy theory if it makes you feel better, but it happened – and there are still more anomalies that haven’t been explained yet, and I suspect there is more to come. Are you telling me it doesn’t scare the authoritarian-fearing bejezus out of you that members of our own government tried to rig an election and then orchestrate an impeachment/coup attempt when it didn’t work out the way they’d planned? It should scare every single American, whether they’re red or blue or purple.
Well, the democrats finally got what they wanted. While they’re high-fiving each other for a job well done, they should think about the damage they’ve done to this country and to the Constitution to get what they want. And about what happens when the shoe is on the other foot. Was it all worth it?
FOX NEWS, just as I suspected. Look, we have opposing opinions. As far as I’m concerned, trump is the kind of monster Nietzsche was talking about. He has zero regard for the law, acts like he’s above the law, and his cult of followers are okay with that. I have zero interest in debating this with you or anyone else. Good luck with your belief system.
Why is any opinion that differs from yours automatically labeled as FOX NEWS? Do you really believe that people are incapable of thinking for themselves? Do you really have that little respect for your fellow citizens? We’re all on this ship together – aren’t you even a little bit curious about where the crew is taking it? I mean the WHOLE crew, not just the captain.
For someone who claims to fear authoritarianism, you really seem to lack the curiosity to question what your government is up to. You should be more concerned. Much more concerned. About things you refuse to concern yourself with.
Fox News and right wing media are the ones putting forth the nonsense conspiracy theory you spout. You seem to lack curiosity as well. You say you’re curious about why I think like I do, but basically, you’re here to spread this stupid conspiracy theory. I like where the democratic crew is taking things. I’d like to see trump removed from office. He’s a vile, corrupt man and I don’t need news to tell me that. Listen to him for 5 seconds and that vileness is ubiquitous. He runs on divisiveness and a creed of hatred. As I said, he’s the monster. So, go start a pro-trump blog, start a conspiracy blog, join info wars, and while you’re at it, watch an hour of rachel maddow and educate yourself about why trump is the threat to democracy.
The truth hurts, Maria. Maybe that’s why he lies so much!
I think it’s time someone suggests to Trump that he contact High Commander Pryce of Gilead to get dirt on Biden. Chances are he would turn to an aide and tell him to get Pryce on the phone.
I find comments like the above more frightening than the gaslighting authoritarianism of trump (unless it is a Russian hacker, which is not hopeful either). It tells me that there is a big segment of america that has a gaslit and authoritarian mentality. Democracy takes education, fascism just takes falsehood and hatread. America’s fascist underside has been brought out by Trump’s regime……and that is what frightens me the most. Among other things, we now have concentration camps. https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-unimaginable-reality-of-american-concentration-camps
I agree with you, Lauren. Fascism started in Germany with attacks on the press, then on minorities, etc etc. At least the house impeached him. Now we’ll see if the repubs in the senate develop a conscience.
The new Republicans are clearly a strange lot with their adoration of Dear Leader, following him every step of the way into a world of bigotry and fascism. That’s why the Nazi and white nationalists sites on line praise him. But it’s even stranger than that. Traditionally, Republicans have been strong supporters of the FBI, which is made up largely of Republicans. Talk to anyone who has ever been an FBI agent and they’ll tell you that it’s a bastion of conservativism.
Now the Trumpies have co-opted the far left, which has traditionally bad-mouthed the FBI for its invasive behavior in spying on leftists, including John Lennon. Now the tables are turned, only because Trump became a target for encouraging Russia—an adversary of America—to interfere with the 2016 election, a claim they deny as a hoax, even though ever intelligence agency agrees that Russian interfered with the election. The wanted Trump in office because he is seen as a weak link, a businessman who owes millions of dollars to the Russian Oligarchs, the only people who would provide him loans. Junior has admitted as much in public and so have others.
So the Trumpies love Putin more than Obama and don’t believe the American intelligence agencies. The think the FBI started the investigation of Dear Leader for political reasons. They still think so, even though the AG report clearly says that is a false accusation. It was started because Russians were interfering, plain and simple.
Meanwhile, Trump has lied more than 14,000 times since coming to office. He tweets a dozen or more documented lies virtually everyday…and the Trumpies eat it up. Very strange…and frightening. Interesting that Russian TV (controlled by the government) recently said that Trump is a Russian asset. As Pelosi and other have said, Trump is a danger to our national security. With Trump, all roads lead to Putin.
I lost count of all the straw man arguments about halfway through that rant.
Look, I’m closing comments on this post. I don’t give a damn, frankly, what trump cultists think or believe and it’s stupid to debate about this because we’ll never agree. So, as I said, start your own pro-trump blog, pro-conspiracy blog about the deep state, pro whatever. I don’t have the time or inclination to debate with you. No one wins here. You live in your reality, we live in ours.
A group of loons pretending to #resist a reality that doesn’t exist is hardly what I’d call a “powerful statement”. Wouldn’t they be better served by writing or calling their senator and expressing their concerns like adults? Their senator would be much more likely to hear them (or even notice them) that way, and much less likely to dismiss them as loons.
Loons? You apparently didn’t read The Handmaid’s Tale. Maybe they did call their senators. As for a “reality that doesn’t exist…” We live on different planets.
Really? What planet do you live on? Tell me how your current reality in any way resembles the Handmaid’s Tale. Specific references appreciated.
I figure you’re out on Pluto somewhere.
Wake up. Read about the VP’s philosophy. Stop watching Fox News.
How does the VP’s philosophy cause your life to resemble the Handmaid’s Tale? It doesn’t seem to have that effect on my life, so why yours? I don’t know or care very much what happens inside the vice president’s head, yet his personal thoughts (which you can’t possible be privy to) seem to cause you great distress. Why?
Do you really believe you’re living in the Handmaid’s Tale, or were you just hyperbolizing?
And what makes you think I’m watching Fox news, and why would it even be relevant if I were? Do you not believe anyone could possibly disagree with you unless they watch Fox news? Do you not believe people can have their own original thoughts? Please explain your thinking on this.
Marie – or Maria, I’ve now seen your name both ways – to keep this simple: the image of the handmaids isn’t hyperbole, it’s symbolic of a dystopian future. Now: my question for you. Why are you so concerned about the image? How does it warrant multiple visits today, according to my counter? I’m really curious. Please explain your thinking on this.
68.235.35.124 — OS/Platform: Win10/Desktop
Location: Aurora, Illinois, United States Resolution: 1440×900
Returning Visits: 59 Javascript: Enabled
Visit Length: 3 hours 46 mins 22 secs
I’m not sure if you’re trying to intimidate me by posting my details or what (?), but I’m still here. And this is my third time here today, so I don’t know why your counter says 59. When I post a comment I usually come back to see if there has been any response to it. Sorry if that’s wrong of me.
Anyhow, what is this dystopian future you fear so much, and why are you so fearful of it? I’m genuinely curious. You ask why I’m so concerned about the image – I’m not. I’m just trying to figure out what makes otherwise sane-seeming people think they’re living in some sort of hellish nightmare, when that’s clearly not the case. I think it’s weird, and I want to know what make people think that.
And my name is Maria. Autocorrect does that sometimes.
You think what is weird? I’m not fearful about this dystopian nightmare – the fact that Dystopian fiction exists somewhat mitigates the possibility that it might happen. But the path this country is on, with trump and this admin’s policies, is headed toward autocracy. I grew up under a dictatorship and the hallmarks are there. I’m flummoxed by people who don’t see it, who don’t connect the dots. If this autocracy does come to pass, you will be among the first to exclaim, How’d this happen? Since you believe your thinking is “very wonderful,” as you put it, I’d like to know why you think what you do.