We are all familiar with William Golding’s harrowing tale Lord of the Flies, if not from high school, then from college – the story of English schoolchildren surviving a plane crash on a desert island, who then must attempt to govern themselves. Who would have thought that we would see Golding’s tale play out before us on the American political stage?
Like Golding’s story, the American version begins with a crash, albeit an economic crash, which prompts two factions to fight for power over the island/state. First, there is Ralph, the weak would-be leader, who attempts to institute democratic rule on the island. We root for Ralph, but also feel compelled to object to his failure to stand up to the bullying tactics used by the other side to undermine the fledgling democracy he proposes. And when Ralph “compromises” with the other faction on the island – agreeing to eat the boar they have killed, standing by while they persecute the weak and helpless – we fear for the future of democracy.
Then there is Jack and his band of thugs, a group motivated by fear and the pursuit of power, a group willing to destroy the island itself in order to annihilate its opponents and gain power for itself. Jack and his followers manage to divert all attention and effort from the important goal of rescue to that of hunting for food and protecting against evil spirits – a diversion eerily reminiscent of that effected by Republicans today; a diversion which has managed to focus all political effort and attention on deficit reduction rather than job creation. Hunting for food and reducing the debt are both necessary pursuits, but when laudable goals become transformed by fears to protect against evil spirits or desires to promote ideological beliefs to the detriment of other more pressing goals, then as Golding warns the prognosis is not good.
Remember the end of Golding’s tale: Jack and his band nearly succeed in destroying the island by fire. The children are “saved” at the last minute only by the arrival of adults. But who will save us? Surely, we can only save ourselves.