As a kid, I read Superman comics. The local general store sold them half price without the top half of the front cover. It was only years later that I learned this practice was not exactly legal. To get refunds for non-sold comics they had to return the top half of the front cover.
When I was about 13, Superman comics introduced Bizarro world. Bizarro world was a cube shaped planet, they called htraE, where people did everything the opposite of Earth. Seeing one of those old issues in a local store specializing in old records, books, and comics, got me thinking about what we could expect from a modern Bizarro country. I’m still working on the story line, but it goes something like this.
Today’s world is shaped and supported by advances in the sciences. We’ve been to the moon. We rely on powerful computers and stay connected over the Internet. We have smart phones. Space satellites monitor our weather and GPS helps us travel over unfamiliar roads. We decide parenthood and solve crimes with DNA. Millions of people have been conceived in test tubes. Diseases have been eradicated and our foods are genetically engineered.
Obviously, this Bizarro country would have to be anti-science. The masses would fantasize that tens of thousands, if not millions, of scientists are promoting fake theories to take over the world. They would organize to stop schools from teaching scientific theories. Some would try to ban life saving medicines. Politicians would vote for policies that defy logic and science.
Unlike the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, and other earth religions with traditions of helping the sick and poor, endorsing the Golden Rule, and giving aid to those in need, this Bizarro nation would twist religious ideology to promote exactly the opposite values. The poor and sick would be ignored or punished. Taking advantage of others would be an honored path to great wealth.
Politically, Bizarro nation would elect people to run the government who hate the government the most. Possibly put a used car salesman with a criminal record for car theft as head of powerful committees. Fill Congress with hypocrites. How about dozens of Congressmen who run on anti-gay platforms but get caught in bed with gay lovers and male prostitutes? OK, it is a bit outlandish, but this a only a fantasy.
Bizarro’s President would be a salesman with a long history of lying, fraud, and scamming the poor and working class, who ironically were the very people who voted him into office. This guy would be so low as to start many businesses, always promising to donate some of the earnings to charity. But he would never donate a nickel of it to charity. And to make it fit the Bizarro storyline, all these businesses fail but people think he is a business genius who will make everyone a billionaire.
Bizarro’s President would also be a sexual predator who bragged about and flaunted his infidelity. There would be numerous marriages, with at least one divorce granted on grounds of cruelty. Maybe even toss in a couple of rape charges. Of course, the TV ministries would back him 100%.
Bizarro’s President would ride into office on some outlandish campaign promise. I’m stealing this idea from a TV program about a city encased in a bubble. The candidate promises to build a bubble over the entire nation to keep out evil people from the surrounding nations. And he promises his voters the other nations will pay for the bubble.
Granted, this is a bit outrageous but people read more fiction than non-fiction and the Bizarro comics were successful. But all good fantasies must end. In the Adventure comic series, Bizarro earth and all its inhabitants were destroyed. What is most bizarre about the destruction of Bizarro world is that it wasn’t an accident or alien invasion. They willingly and intentionally destroyed their own planet. They thought being bizarre and contrary was the most important thing they could do. Image that.