King is a middle-of-the-road leftist---a Baby Boomer who still honestly believes in all the Great Society rhetoric, the type of midcentury American that cannot adept to new political realities. So naturally he's fairly big on banning things like "military" "style" "assault weapons."
That's unremarkable, however. What I find really fascinating is King's use of this familiar trope, written in reference to the divisive American political climate:
If I could wave a magic wand and have one wish granted, I’d wish for an end to world hunger; the small shit could wait in line. If, however, the god or genie who bestowed the magic wand told me my one wish had to do with American politics, I think I’d wave it and make the following proclamation: ‘Every liberal in the country must watch Fox News for one year, and every conservative in the country must watch MSNBC for one year.’ (Middle-of-the-roaders could stick with CSI.)What is it with this mentality that wants to control? Why would anyone wish, however hypothetically, to force people to do things? I do not understand it. I suppose we can conclude that Stephen King himself watches both Fox and MSNBC, probably considers himself a "moderate," and thinks it would be good if everyone were "moderate." Yet why would he want to impose this political belief on others? Who gets off on that?
If I were to have a magic wand, and I were given one wish, it would be that there would be no more magic wands, and no more wishers, and no more grand, self-gratifying ideas about coercive social engineering. Hey---I suppose that would take care of the Department of Education as well. Two birds with one stone!
I'm surprised he didn't say something like, "World hunger's a total goober-shittin' flob job, ya ask me." That guy sucks.
ReplyDeleteIf I could solve world hunger, you bet damn well I'd do it in a county mile heartbeat, Sunny Jim. And you can take that to the ever-fuckin BANK.
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