"Don't suspect a friend, report them." Thirty-one years ago, Terry Gilliam made a film called Brazil. It was Orwell and Monty Python all rolled together in a nice squishy tart full of bizarre moments and frightening visuals. The idea that somehow we were marching toward this totalitarian state with terrorist bombings and and our freedoms hanging in the balance made for some pretty tremendous science fiction back in 1985.
Just like those communicators that Captain Kirk and his crew carried around with them everywhere used to be science fiction. I'll bet his old flip phone didn't even have Candy Crush Saga on it. Kind of like when Terry Gilliam made his little movie, he had no idea how arcane the Transportation Security Administration would become. All those security measures and opened Christmas packages. Ridiculous, right? Kind of like taking off your shoes to get on a plane or limiting yourself to just three ounces of shampoo. Maybe that's why so many visions of dystopian future includes shaved heads. And of course there will be paranoia.
Especially if you happen to be of the Muslim faith. “Whether we like it or not, there is a problem. We have to be sure that Muslims come in and report when they see something going on. When they see hatred going on, they have to report it.” Sounds reasonable enough. That's why Moustafa Bayoumi went directly to his Twitter account as he was watching Sunday night's debate to report: “I’m a Muslim, and I would like to report a crazy man threatening a woman on a stage in Missouri." It should be noted that by the outrageous and peculiar standards used to judge this xenophobic misogynist creamsicle, he had hardly reached full volume before the rampage was over.
What I am suggesting is that we need no longer fear the dystopian future. It's here now.
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