“Something bad is happening in Oz” has been playing in my head while I have been watching and reading the post-inauguration news cycle, (those damn algorithms seem to keep the really good news stories until they are practically past their relevance) and for those who don’t know this is a song from the hit movie Wicked.
It is striking to me the similarities of the plot of Wicked to the current story unfolding in American politics. For those who haven’t seen Wicked, (and if you haven’t explain yourself!) it features a fraudulent Wizard, who is all style and no substance or magic (President Trump), and he has promised to make Oz (America) great again.
As he has no magic he has harnessed technology (Bezos, Musk, Zuckerberg) to shape the narrative and give the illusion of the contrary, that he has Magic. He has also created an enemy in Elphaba, a naturally gifted and compassionate witch who happens to be different/green and sees the Wizard as a fraud (played by everyone who doesn’t support the delusion that the Wizard/Trump has magic).
Now, as those fans of the film know, that is where part 1 of the movie left off, with those for the wizard against the witch and blind to his failing to deliver on his promises and we can’t wait to see what happens until part 2 is released in November, much like we have no idea what is in store over the next 4 years from the Trump administration but I can’t stop the creeping dread with the lingering tune, “Something bad is happening in Oz”.
In July 1979 the recently deceased former President Jimmy Carter told Americans about “a fundamental threat to American democracy” in his Crisis of Confidence speech. He said, “the threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways, it is a crisis of confidence.” This crisis of confidence that Jimmy Carter warned us about over 40 years is, I feel, what paved the way for the MAGA-mania. The need for Americans to believe in a Wizard with the confidence, some might say arrogance, that he alone can deliver on the promise to Make America Great Again. I will stay tuned as the story continues to unfold on the whims of algorithms.
Sarah Kirkwood is from Belfast and works as a medical secretary.
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