11/03/22: Political Severance

After the Second Great American Flamewar, the Political Severance Act was passed. Every citizen had their political opinions partitioned from their daily life, locked away in a small corner of their brain. Once every three months, everyone was called upon to their local town-hall, in which a full day of voting was held. And thus the gears of Democracy turned. 

When John saw the letter, he groaned. 

“What is it?” Emily asked.

“I’m being summoned to an emergency voting session,” John said. 

“Maybe it’s about foreign policy. I’ve heard that the emergency sessions are usually about foreign policy.”

“Whatever. Do you think I could say I’m sick?”

“No. Just go, John. I don’t know why you hate these so much.”

John went, not able to shake off the feeling of dread. He had a vague memory of the Before Times, when people were able to voice or think about politics. All he could recall snippets of fighting with his barber, and a tense Thanksgiving dinner. He didn’t quite know why life was better now, he couldn’t compare the now with the before, but it undeniably felt like it was.

He paused in front of the boundary of town-hall. 

“You too, ole chap?” a voice said from behind him. It was Shane, his next door neighbor. They were on the same synchronized swimming team; had been for years. 

“Yeah,” John said. “See you on the other side.”

He stepped through, and all of a sudden, his opinions came rushing back. He focused his attention on his car ride to the town-hall, and thoughts about inflation and the price of gas rose like bile in his throat. He thought about the ache in his knees, and the long wait til his next orthopedic appointment, and anger at the country’s socialized healthcare system gnawed at his brain. 

This happened every time, he remembered.

“Is this what it was like… before the Severance?” he asked Shane. 

“That’s what they say,” Shane said. “I can’t believe we lived so… angry all the time.”

Suddenly, John had a moment of rage towards Shane, who had been aligned with the labor unions in a vote several years ago. That’s why the schools were such a mess these days. He couldn’t believe he was neighbors with the man.

“Yeah, I’m thinking the same thing too,” Shane said, looking him in the eye. “Let’s get this over with. I can’t believe I’m friends with you in real life, and it makes me kind of sad.”

“Fine,” John said, as they walked into the auditorium. “Let’s get this over with.”