Continuing right where we left off two days ago. I only saw one upvote from that post. C'mon people, this can't be that tedious (although a Facebook reader suggested to me that I was already taxing people's attention spans ... but have you seen the so-called "serious" fiction lately?
The very first excerpt (Chapter One) was here (read first): https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@stevenyates/a-writer-introduces-himself-the-first-novel-of-the-trump-era.
The second excerpt (Chapter Two opening sequence) was here: https://steemit.com/novels/@stevenyates/reality-101-our-speaker-begins-and-we-learn-who-his-audience-is-including-our-narrator.
And now we continue (with no changes to the formatting, maybe it will work perfectly this time):
“Sorry, I forgot the trigger warning,” he deadpanned. “Maybe that sounds offensive,” he said. “Maybe even nasty—” he spread his hands again “—but please hear me out.” He paused as if allowing the audience to process what he’d just said. Then he continued:
“The cloud-castles of theory, put out by these writers and by the think tanks associated with them, much of that worse than anything they wrote, are no different than anything else put out by people who’ve spent their whole lives in academia, with no experience in the real world, the world of Reality 101. But since I know real world is probably a buzzword to some of you folks even if you’re studying economics, let me ask it this way: how does the economy of a really complicated, advanced civilization work? How did it get that way? In fact, not theory. This is what Reality 101 is about: getting outside your religions, even the ones not involving a god. I know it’s hard, and honestly, I don’t expect to change a lot of minds tonight. I’m sure I’ll be attacked big time in the Q&A, and probably on your campus news sites and blogs tomorrow. Go for it, I’m a big boy; I can take it. Most people like their religions served back to them straight up, and a lot of academic study is just theory that serves the same purpose. Sad, but true. What do religions do, after all? Well, they say they save you — but who knows about that? What they actually do is give you a sense of safety and orientation in a messy, complicated world full of unpredictables and unknowables. They make you believe everything is going to work out fine in the end if you just have faith, that history and life are going somewhere, that things are going to have some kind of ‘rational’ resolution, or at least a resolution you can live with, because in the end the ‘good guys’ always win, yes?”
He paused and cracked his knuckles again. Then: “I suppose part of my mission in life this past couple of years has been to throw cold water on that.”
Abruptly, with one hand, he picked up the still-mostly-full pitcher of ice water by the handle and gestured as if he was going to throw it out into the audience. A few students across the aisle in front even ducked, as did the guy behind the video cam who probably had visions of ruined equipment.
Stone put the pitcher back down. He’d done that, I noted, without spilling a drop. I doubted I could have done it. “That was your joke,” he said with a grin that struck me as slightly evil, “but it could have been another of life’s unpleasant surprises, a case of reality not matching expectation, yes?” The two students who would have been drenched were looking at him like they thought he was crazy. “No, I wouldn’t do that,” he said, looking down at them. “But seriously, what I’m about to ask you here: why put Mises or Hayek or Rothbard or Hoppe or Rand or Rockwell or Ron Paul or whoever up on a pedestal and treat their stuff as sacred writ, just like Christians do their Bibles? Do some of you not do that?”
“I don’t think so,” one of those students across the aisle said aloud, his face dark, his entire countenance looking like he was ready to get up and walk out any minute.
Stone shrugged. “Let’s look at it. First, a lot of people in this country, including maybe some of you — maybe excepting Mr. Wright back there — actually believe you have a voice and your vote counts — there is a Libertarian Party, after all, and it has run candidates in every presidential election going all the way back to the early 1970s, well before the majority of you were born, yes? Again, how many of you voted for Gary Johnson in the big election last year?”
The same hands went up — including the angry-appearing fellow across the aisle — but there seemed more hesitation than before.
“If you vote, you’re implying you think your country is really a democracy, and that you could have a Libertarian society if only more people voted for Libertarians, yes? If only. Of course, it would take a lot more people voting for Libertarians. A couple of million won’t cut it. But if it happened, you could have all the drugs you wanted, including heroin if that’s your thing, because last I heard, Libertarians want to legalize everything. Choose your poison. Or — since this is an economics and not a political science group — even if drug legalization is not your thing, you think the privileges you enjoy now, which may be considerable, are due to your free choices in the marketplace. Or maybe it was your ents’ choices. Somebody’s choices. Products, prices, wages, choices — general prosperity! — all due to the workings of something called ‘the free market.’ Am I right?” Nods from around the room. “Those of you who think that, it speaks volumes about the level of confusion and delusion that infects even folks with some university education today.”
“Oh, come on!” Bernie Sanders, the Objectivist double-major, had finally had enough. I’d wondered how long it would take.
“I can tell, you guys aren’t going to be the easiest audience I’ve ever had.” Stone’s voice was now filled with bemusement. To Bernie he said, “We’re not in a hurry here. Do you have something you want to share? Don’t be bashful.”
“I’m not bashful,” Bernie said in a defensive tone as he brushed stringy hair from across his glasses. He then said, sounding a bit nervous, “The free market is the greatest engine of prosperity the world has ever seen. There’s never been anything like it. Before, you had serfs and slaves and people working in fields and dying of rickets before they turned 30 sometimes. Today you have skyscrapers and jet airplanes and iPhones and medicines galore and people living into their 90s.” His voice had steadied. “Cal said you worked on Wall Street, but you’re obviously some kind of socialist, right?”
“No, I’m not a socialist,” said Stone quietly.
“Then you must be some other kind of irrational mystic! Why don’t you tell us your real name and your motives? What are you even doing here?”
“My real name — like yours, since you chose not to tell me — is my business, and I’m here because was invited—”
“Then maybe you should be uninvited,” Bernie interrupted, “like those clowns at Berkeley you mentioned.”
Cal turned and said, “Bernie, you’re being rude! We do not interrupt speakers in here!”
“But this is bullshit!” he returned angrily. “This is an economics club, not a group of aging hippies that invite aging-hippie speakers who come in here and attack the world’s best thinkers and writers!”
“So what are you going to do?” retorted Cal. “Act like a Social Justice Warrior and shout him down? Is that being rational, like your hero?”
Bernie’s face turned as red as a marathon runner’s as his head went from side to side, his loose hair flying.
“Well?” pressed Cal.
“I don’t have to sit and listen to this!” he finally said.
“No, you don’t!” Cal told him. “No one’s got a gun to your head! Leave if you want! Your choice!”
“Fine!” he shrilled. “I’m outta here!” He stood, hurriedly and somewhat awkwardly stuffing his notepad into his backpack. Some papers fell out and he staggered a little as he bent down awkwardly to retrieve them. Then, still carrying them in one hand in a disordered bundle he hoisted the backpack on his shoulders and trotted up the aisle without looking back. Ten seconds later he was out the double-doors which swung noisily behind him.
I thought of the concept of irony.
“Good riddance,” came the voice of one of business types.
“It’s okay,” returned Stone evenly. “I’m used to it. Just knowing their sacred cows are about to get sliced, diced, sauteed and barbecued, does that to some people, and we’re not even warmed up yet...."
TO BE CONTINUED....