“What caused the fall?” I shook my head. “What caused the grand old party to implode? To become irrelevant?”
Everyone in the classroom nodded. “No, Mr. Limbaugh,” Mitt belted out, “Why did we become irrelevant?”
Sometimes, I wondered why I chose to teach our party’s history. It was such a sad tale, with such a violent end.
I took a deep breath, “You read the assignment, didn’t you?”
Sarah belted out, “Of course not! Reading’s dangerous! Fills your head with all sorts of nasty ideas!”
Ted joined in, “I asked Reverend Ronald what he thought.”
Of course none of them had read anything, so, I turned to the board, and drew another cartoon strip. They liked cartoons.
I started with the mass firings caused by automation. Then, I showed our ancestors and their big houses, cars, swimming pools, and all the other things we once had. Next, I showed the peasants outside our fenced off, protected world. Then, I showed the starvation burial grounds. It’s what happened when people couldn’t work. They starved.
I showed Sir Mitch, standing before the board of directors, “If they’re starving, let them find work. It’s not our job to take care of them.” The next frame was of the poster, “Let them work or starve”. The final frame, the rebellion, where the party fell.
Sarah couldn’t help herself, and belted out, “Because people stole all our stuff, and took all the food we’d earned!”
It was good when someone understood.
246 Words
@LurchMunster
I wrote this for Siobhan Muir‘s #ThursThreads, Week 151. Please go read all the entries in this week’s #ThursThreads. They are good reading.
My Soul's Tears 
I loved that!! Imagining them all as snotty little brats made me laugh. but it’s also so scarily close to the truth.