During Trump’s first term, MAGA darling Steve Bannon talked about the strategy of flooding the zone with shit to distract the media. It also works on the American public by overwhelming us, making it difficult to focus on any particular pile, as a new one comes hurling at us. It’s a tactic Trump’s team is using in his current administration, especially with all the executive orders he signed on day one.
Over on TikTok I’ve heard some authors express their difficulty writing at this time. Their creative mojo is distracted by all the shit. As writers, perhaps we need to stop seeing it as shit, as Bannon termed it, but story fodder.
I am a child of the 60’s and remember the political unrest of my generation, with the Vietnam war and civil rights protests. Awesome music came from that era. One thing about turbulent times, it can stir up the creative juices. But it wasn’t just about creating great music, it was about delivering a powerful message that helped influence change.
Music and literature can be powerful influencers. It’s one reason why folks like Mom’s for Liberty and the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 are so focused on banning books.
Back in 2012 I wrote a short story called, American Bondage. It’s about an America where the far right manages to overturn Roe and there is a national ban on abortion. There are no exceptions, not even for rape, and if a woman or girl travels to Canada for an abortion, she can be charged with murder. At the time it seemed a little far-fetched, but not so far-fetched now, considering some of the laws states are currently attempting to enact.
In the story a brilliant young woman, the daughter of a scientist, is raped and forced to carry her rapist’s child, which results in her death from labor complications. The scientist mom then goes scorched earth in her response to the patriarchy.
Ironically, my storyline showed up in a Blacklist episode. Not suggesting they stole it, but it was eerily similar. I never really promoted the story, and you can download a copy for 99cents over at Amazon. But it’s an example of a story inspired by political discourse, and while my story obviously had no impact on social change, considering where we are, it doesn’t mean someone else’s story won’t.
There are lots of dark topics to choose from. This administration is discussing dismantling FDIC. How about a story where several large banks go under not long after FDIC is dissolved. Millions of middle class Americans lose their life savings overnight, because their first 250k is no longer federally insured. This causes Americans who have money in other banks to start pulling out their money, causing a bank run, and the total collapse of our banking system. The members of the oligarch sweep in and buy up America at a fire sale discount. That sounds like a fun story.
Or how about a story where the federal government decides to have its law enforcement agencies join ICE to focus on deporting undocumented immigrants. Agencies like FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the US Marshals Service—along with all branches of the military. While they are all focused on this task (where most of the immigrants are simply workers who paid taxes, did jobs Americans didn’t want to do, and were not violent criminals) the agencies, at an exorbitant expense, focus all their attention and energy on these immigrants, while white criminals and terrorists who are already in the country decide this is a great time to pull off that thing they have been planning. After all, the federal law enforcement agencies and military are preoccupied.
So, if you are looking for story fodder, just flip through the recent executive orders or check out some of the recently proposed or passed laws in red states. Write on!
