[Curtman]

MARGARET ATWOOD: Election 2011, a dark fiction

$1:

I am a fiction writer. So here’s a fiction.

A vacuum cleaner salesman comes to your door. “You must buy this vacuum cleaner,” he says. “Why?” you say. “Because I know what’s good for you,” he says. “I know things you don’t know.” “What are they?” you say. “I can’t tell you,” he says, “because they’re secret. You are required to trust me. The vacuum cleaner will create jobs.”

“Where is the vacuum cleaner made?” you say. “In another country,” he says. “So the jobs will be created in another country? Not here?” you say. You believe it’s your right to query: It’s your money and, come to think of it, you pay this guy’s salary.

“Stop bickering,” he says. “I am competent. That’s my story and I’m sticking it to you.” “I’m not bickering,” you say. “I’m asking relevant questions. How much will the vacuum cleaner cost me?” “I can’t tell you that,” he says. “Why not? Because it’s more than you claimed at first?” you say. “Or because you don’t really know the cost?” “I can’t tell you that, either,” he says. “But you have to pay.”

“Just a minute!” you say. “You want me to commit to an unknown, very large sum? That’s not fair! And it’s not competent, either.” “More bickering!” he says. “We need stability!” “But I might have to go on paying huge sums for decades!” you say. “We’re already up to our necks in debt! I’ll have to give up other things – I won’t be able to pay for the doctor, or support for special needs, or drinking water, or care for the elderly, or the kids’ education, or … and what happens if there’s a pandemic, or a natural catastrophe such as an earthquake, and you’ve already spent the money that could have helped in a disaster?”

“You are a very negative person,” he says. “You are not welcome here.” “Where is here?” you say. “In my country,” he says. “These are my mountains, this is my hockey, this is my flag. Mine! All mine! And I’m stamping my image on all of it!” “I like those icons, too,” you say, “but I think they should be shared with everyone, don’t you?” “What is this ‘shared’ of which you speak?” he says. “I believe in the individual and nothing but. Talk to the hand! Weak to the wall!”

“I don’t want to pay for the vacuum cleaner,” you say. “You have to pay for it,” he says. “See, it says here on this document. Isn’t this your signature?” “Yes,” you say, “but the document’s been changed to mean the exact opposite of what I signed. If I altered a document like that, I’d end up in jail.” “You are double-plus not welcome,” he says. “I make the rules around here.”

“But –” you say. “Don’t interrupt,” he says. “In addition to the vacuum cleaner, you will have to pay for several very expensive jails, the cost of which is unknown.”

“But the crime rate is falling!” you say. “Not for long,” he says. “I’m planning to have it rise again. Once people have their money vacuumed away, with none left for doctors, or the kids’ education, or making sure you don’t eat poisoned food – all those frills – they’ll get scared and depressed and desperate, the middle class will be toast, and the crime rate will rise. Anyway, I will criminalize lots more things. Because we need to fill up those jails!”

“I get the feeling you don’t like me,” you say. “Is it because I’m a girl? Or because I don’t want you to run up huge debts without telling me what the money is for? What happened to accountability? It used to sound so great!”

“You are beneath my notice,” he says, giving me the Death Glare. “Once I really get the whip hand, I will never have to answer another question from anyone. Not one question. Not ever again.”

[SprCForr]

That wasn't fiction, that was life under Uncle Joe.

[raydan]

That's not fiction... it's bad fiction from a bad fiction writer.

Painfull to follow and read.


NOTE:
Sorry, shouldn't say she's a bad writer, just that I didn't like the story.
Never read anything from her before and after reading that, I'm not tempted to read anything from her.

[Zipperfish]

That's the problem I have with most of Atwood's writing--no sense of subtlety.

[Curtman]

There seems to be one a day this week from a novelist.. I hope Zipperfish is tomorrow.

[Thanos]

Zipperfish Zipperfish:

That's the problem I have with most of Atwood's writing--no sense of subtlety.

Atwood's subtle, in the same sense that a flying mallet hitting someone squarely in the genitals can also be subtle.

[jason700]

That was very annoying to read.

[Freakinoldguy]

A typical Atwood dystopian view of the present. Although is it just me or does she seems to like having women portrayed as either slaves to men or slaves to vaccum's.

Either way I won't be putting her on my must read list anytime soon.

[Public_Domain]

I'd expect a high schooler to come up with this

I get the 'vacuum' was a metaphor for Jets and the Salesman was Harper, but that's pretty much all she makes you figure out.

Margaret Atwood could do so much more, but she has basically the same simplistic view of Harper and the world as most Liberal supporters.

[Unsound]

Mr_Canada Mr_Canada:

Margaret Atwood could do so much more, but she has basically the same simplistic view of Harper and the world as most Liberal supporters.

Thank you. I'm not much of a Harper fan, which makes it all the more annoying when I find myself defending the man from people like her, too many of his detractors don't even know why they hate him, they just do. It's kinda like all the people who loved Obama but couldn't actually tell you what they loved. "It'll just be cool to have a black president hyuk hyuk."

[Public_Domain]

Unsound Unsound:

Mr_Canada Mr_Canada:

Margaret Atwood could do so much more, but she has basically the same simplistic view of Harper and the world as most Liberal supporters.

Thank you. I'm not much of a Harper fan, which makes it all the more annoying when I find myself defending the man from people like her, too many of his detractors don't even know why they hate him, they just do. It's kinda like all the people who loved Obama but couldn't actually tell you what they loved. "It'll just be cool to have a black president hyuk hyuk."

Pretty much.

I'm just getting tired of hearing 'Jets and Prisons! Fear Canadians Fear! He's bringin' Jets and Prisons!'

The problem is a bit deeper than that Liberal supporters! Much deeper! So deep, you're involved!

[sandorski]

Mr_Canada Mr_Canada:

Unsound Unsound:

Mr_Canada Mr_Canada:

Margaret Atwood could do so much more, but she has basically the same simplistic view of Harper and the world as most Liberal supporters.

Thank you. I'm not much of a Harper fan, which makes it all the more annoying when I find myself defending the man from people like her, too many of his detractors don't even know why they hate him, they just do. It's kinda like all the people who loved Obama but couldn't actually tell you what they loved. "It'll just be cool to have a black president hyuk hyuk."

Pretty much.

I'm just getting tired of hearing 'Jets and Prisons! Fear Canadians Fear! He's bringin' Jets and Prisons!'

The problem is a bit deeper than that Liberal supporters! Much deeper! So deep, you're involved!

lol, ironic.

[Scape]

Love it!

[ShepherdsDog]

not surprised.

[RUEZ]

This is a woman who cried a river of tears about the Sun News channel before they had broadcast a single second. You'd think an artist would be more supportive of freedom of speech.