Out of ‘The Twilight Zone’ and into reality

By Johnny Trlica ––

Commentary: One of the most memorable episodes of The Twilight Zone tells the frightening tale of a young boy who has amazing powers but is easily angered and is revenge oriented. He holds control over his terrified family and neighbors, forcing them to succumb to his every juvenile wish.

This brief plot description from Wikipedia will explain. I’ve edited it for space constraints.

In The Twilight Zone episode “It’s a Good Life”, six-year-old Anthony Fremont, wielding godlike mental powers, isolates his town of Peaksville, and terrorizes its inhabitants, banishing anyone with unhappy thoughts to a place he calls “the cornfield.” A seemingly ordinary boy, he possesses immense mental powers including mind reading and the ability to manipulate reality.

Anthony controls the town’s resources, weather, and even what the residents can watch on television, which he creates and projects onto the family TV set. The adults live in constant fear of Anthony, constantly praising him and his actions, as displeasing him can result in being banished to “the cornfield.”

The story unfolds during a surprise birthday party for Dan Hollis, where he gets drunk and defies Anthony’s control by singing and criticizing the little boy. Anthony, angered by Dan’s defiance, transforms him into a horrific creature and banishes him to the cornfield.

Anthony’s Aunt Amy complains about the heat, and the next day, Anthony makes it snow, destroying the crops, but he views it as a “good day.”

The episode ends with Anthony’s father, despite his initial concern for the crops, praising the snow as a “good thing” and a “good day,” highlighting the town’s complete subjugation to Anthony’s whims.

The message: The episode explores the dangers of unchecked power and the consequences of societal conformity and fear, showcasing how a child with immense abilities can become a terrifying tyrant.

Any of that sound familiar? It should be since we’ve been living this same scenario since January 20. The parallels between that 1961 episode starring Cloris Leachman and a pre-Lost in Space Bill Mumy and what is happening in Washington D.C. are terrifying.

We have, in the Oval Office, a childish man with power and is using it to extract revenge on perceived enemies and to control those around him.

Today’s elected Republicans can be compared to the people of Peaksville — afraid of the child-like, emotionally undeveloped man they have allowed to assume control over not only themselves but also the entire country.

They watched him appoint unqualified people to his cabinet, saw him target trans people in the military, and make efforts to abolish the Department of Education and they remained silent for fear of being sent to the cornfield.

They saw him fire people in the FAA while planes were falling from the sky, watched him eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (D.E.I.) programs across the country erasing 60 years of civil rights advancements, heard him defend neo-Nazis and white supremacists and made excuses for his behavior. The cornfield!

Since returning to the presidency, the tariff king has been threatening our neighbors, suggesting use of military force against Panama and Greenland/Denmark, and declaring Canada should be our 51st state. He deployed a Navy destroyer to the Texas/Mexico border and ordered strikes on Yemen. All of these actions are right out of the “How to be a Dictator” playbook and his Republican toadies in Congress remain quiet, too afraid of the cornfield.

Elected Republicans have seen him choose Russia’s Putin, a ruthless dictator who invaded our ally Ukraine, and convince his flock that it was Ukraine’s fault they got invaded. They have completely subjugated themselves to his twisted train of thought.

In a disgusting act of anti-LGBTQ+ behavior, Felon 47 reposted an article that praised his transphobic military policies. It featured an upside-down pink triangle, the symbol used during the Holocaust to identify gay people in concentration camps. No one called him out on it.

One of the worst things going around on Facebook is a post that encourages Americans to “report illegal aliens.” It goes on to read, “in your neighborhood, at schools, at work, at church at restaurants. There is nowhere to hide.” Then it gives a phone number and the website to ICE. That is what a man full of hate and vindictiveness has turned this country into — a nation full of sycophants who would have turned Anne Frank over to the Nazis.

When Anthony, err, I mean the Mad Revenger, signed an order changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico, none of his minions said, “That’s frigging crazy!” Instead, they fell in line and complimented him saying, “It’s a good thing.”

MAGA’s have witnessed all these and thousands of other manifestations of corruption, low moral character, childish rants, and contempt for anyone not in agreement with him, and still show up grinning, wearing red hats, and stay silent or defend the indefensible, just like the citizens of Peaksville did for Anthony — if not out of fear but because they agree with him, which is even worse.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent those of the MONTROSE STAR. Johnny Trlica is the editor of Houston Rainbow Herald Facebook page and has been published in several newspapers and magazines. He grew up in Rosenberg, Texas, lived for over 30 years in the Montrose and now resides in Galveston, Texas. He may be contacted at [email protected].

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