October 26, 2024
By Dan W. Hall, CAE
(Author’s note: “Rip Van Winkle” is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, According to the story It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Dutchmen, imbibes their strong liquor and falls deeply asleep in the Catskill Mountains. He awakes 20 years later to a very changed world. ~ From Wikipedia.
Your writer was a Business and Agricultural Economics student and not one of English Literature, however I find that the story of Rip Van Winkle does carry on some relevance to current American culture and politics. So, if the reader will bear me some literacy license (which I claim none) then please enjoy this short story of a modern day Rip Van Winkle).
Here is the setting of my modern Rip Van Winkle tale: Rip is a typical Missouri voter who the day before the 2024 Election goes to his local “Brue Hous” with a friend of questionable credentials. After a night of hard drinking Rip falls into a deep sleep in the Brue Hous attic apartment only to awaken three years later.
Rip turns on the Brue Hous television to see the news after his three years in hibernation. When he went to sleep Fox news reported that a past American president was sure to be victorious in the 2024 election. However, Rip discovered that not to be the case as a former American Vice President had actually won the November election and Rip now lived in a very changed world.
Rip not believing the CNN TV story flipped the Chanel only to see that the world he had known had drastically changed. Now he learned that CRT was the law of the land and that all government, commercial and military were required to follow this policy. Rip, was surprised to learn that the US Supreme Court now had expanded from nine to nineteen judges so that all court decisions now followed a more progressive path. He learned that the court had ruled that all persons residing in the USA were now declared citizens with full voting rights plus Social Security benefits.
International news reported that the Russian/Ukrainian war continued with Europeans and Americans sending billions of dollars to finance the continuous war with Russia. Thanks to the United Nations action Israel had been required to turn over all of its assets to the new Palestinian state and Israeli citizens had to be removed to any country which would accept them. Iran welcomed this UN Action and pledged to use its new Nuclear power to defend Palestine. The People’s Republic of China (Red China) were also very happy with their new Naval and Military base on the Mediterranean Sea.
Since Rip lived in Missouri he switched to a local Kansas City TV Channel. There he learned that all the seven ballot amendments had passed in November 2024 and that more legalized gambling was now enshrined into the MO constitution. Amendment No. 2, had made sports betting legal but, as of yet, no tax revenue had been paid to state or local governments. However, Amendment No. 5 now allowed gambling boat licenses along the Osage River from Bagnell Dam all the way from the Missouri River. Unfortunately, he learned that in fact, no gambling revenue had been used for early childhood literacy program, as had been promised, as this revenue had been used to cover other State Government expenses.
Then our friend Rip goes outside to get some sun (after three years sleeping in darkness).
Just like the original story, Rip is surprised that he doesn’t recognize people on the street. They are not speaking English and are dressed much differently than Rip. He notices that the place had grown in size with many more people. Also, much different, Rip noticed no law enforcement and that citizens were moving in groups for mutual protection. Rip saw fewer vehicles as now only heavy and expensive electric cars and trucks were allowed. Rip became quite disillusioned with his new reality, and determined to return to the “Brue Hous,” find a fellow drunk, and go back to sleep!
