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I think this will be the last quote from this book.
Copyright 1998, Butler portrayed a dystopian US in 2032, where the president had run on the slogan of making America great again. It's been a couple years since I first read the book, but my eyebrows shot up when I read that line.
I'm still fascinated by her. It's unusual to find a woman science fiction writer. And even more unusual to find a black woman! However, I don't think she considered herself a sci-fi writer. Rather, she looked at trends in the 1990s and just projected out where they would take us.
Bold is mine. The US is not far from the italics below (the italics are part of the original text).
And another, reminding me of the MAGA mob in the US, and also reminding me of when my pride flag was burned in 2023 --
Copyright 1998, Butler portrayed a dystopian US in 2032, where the president had run on the slogan of making America great again. It's been a couple years since I first read the book, but my eyebrows shot up when I read that line.
I'm still fascinated by her. It's unusual to find a woman science fiction writer. And even more unusual to find a black woman! However, I don't think she considered herself a sci-fi writer. Rather, she looked at trends in the 1990s and just projected out where they would take us.
Bold is mine. The US is not far from the italics below (the italics are part of the original text).
(President) Jarret condemns the burnings, but does so in such mild language that his people are free to hear what they want to hear. As for the beatings, the tarring and feathering, and the destruction of “heathen houses of devil-worship,” he has a simple answer: “Join us! Our doors are open to every nationality, every race! Leave your sinful past behind, and become one of us. Help us to make America great again.” He’s had notable success with this carrot-and-stick approach. Join us and thrive, or whatever happens to you as a result of your own sinful stubbornness is your problem.
____
Butler, Octavia (1998). Parable of the Talents (2007 Reissue). Grand Central Publishing, p. 19-20
And another, reminding me of the MAGA mob in the US, and also reminding me of when my pride flag was burned in 2023 --
We would meet more people, make more friends, and some of these would be loyal.…
Others, whether we thought of them as friends or not, would be all too willing to join the mob and to stomp us and rob us if stomping and robbing became a test of courage or a test of loyalty to country, religion, or race.
____
Butler, Octavia (1998). Parable of the Talents (2007 Reissue). Grand Central Publishing, p. 69