"Hopefuller"

"I believe the results of focusing our attention and energy on teaching children to read and having an education system that's responsive to the child and to the parents, as opposed to mired in a system that refuses to change, will make America what we want it to be — a more literate country and a hopefuller country."
actual quote by the sitting President

One of my favorite all time movies is "Being There", Peter Sellers final great masterpiece. A slow witted man spends his entire life in an estate garden, tending his chores and watching TV. One day the estate's owner dies and Chance the gardener is thrust out into the world. But since all he knows of life is his former garden, he answers questions about the world with references to gardening. These are taken to be metaphorical gems of genius and soon Chance is whisked into the limelight as a man whose viewpoints are eagerly sought.

Made in 1979, the film was a harbinger of the coming dark tide of conservatism and its worship of self-serving ideals. No one sees Chance for who he is because no one sees themselves for whom they are. Chance never seeks to deceive. When he tells them he can't read it's brushed aside with, "Of course you can't! No one has the time!" After achieving celebrity status, who or what Chance is no longer is relevant. If Chance is a fool then we all are - therefore he can't be.


The film ends with the conservative power brokers discussing who would best suit them as the next candidate for President. All agree: Chance the gardener. Of course, all this is a satire of something too absurd to happen in "real life." Or is it? No person who uses the word "hopefuller" should ever be placed in a position of public trust. And just as with Chance, his defenders brush aside such remarks by creating a fantasy world of their own making. These fantasies will come back to haunt us in horrifyingly tragic ways. Don't believe me? Good, because I - like the President - am content to let history be my judge.