Ego

a political ironic short story

What happens when a country’s demise came from within, from one who promised greatness, prosperity, and the end of all conflicts?

Enter Portland Mud, a man of generational wealth and fame amassing from real estate and entertainment, and the latter from what would be scams. He cared more about his image, his name, instead of the business itself, even after the businesses failed time and time again, but the name Portland Mud lived on.

Few in the public eye suspected underhanded practices or schemes, but Portland Mud reminded the public at large that were just disgruntled individuals who did not do their job well enough and were terminated. Portland Mud is always the ever-so victim.

A public face in the entertainment industry kept his scandals and bad business deals at bay and only kept them in fading chatter. Portland Mud prided himself in his entertainment ventures from runway pageants to entrepreneurial audition shows that were tied to his business image. His name was kept in people’s minds and always on the tip of their tongues.

It wasn’t until years later, after the entertainment venture dried up, that Portland Mud wanted to take a shot at the political scene to become the leader of the country. Or in his eyes the ruler. He amassed a large following of those that grew tired of the same old politicians that have screwed up the country and only made the rich richer. Though the people forgot that Portland Mud was part of those rich made richer, they saw him as the man of the people and saw a businessman bringing stability to a government that had its own beast of a civil war begging to be set free!

Those that supported Portland Mud coined a slogan for him, “Bring Us Greatness!” His supporters would shout it at him in support and praise. Portland Mud would entice his followers and supporters by giving them opportunities to purchase merchandise to show loyalty. He would incite his followers and supporters to attack the enemies that dare to criticize Portland Mud.

Portland Mud and his followers coined the name, “Libtids”, a simple-minded combination of Liberal and Stupid. Clever.

Portland Mud’s opponent was a female candidate, whose husband had political experience, but also had her own political past. Due to that past, and the majority of people were not ready for a female leader, she ended up losing the election, though not by much.

Portland Mud reveled in the defeat of his opponent, even going so far as creating a chant, “Cast Her Out!” to use as a battle cry to his followers. His victory was secured, but underneath there would be mounting evidence that a foreign country was involved with interference in the election.

Even his term as Leader was rife with controversy and just plain idiocy. From a botched dealing with a pandemic that saw the deaths of over a million people in the country to the rising of civil discourse on the verge of a civil war. And so much more.

Once his term was coming to an end, many people wondered if he would be re-elected or the country could finally breathe again.

A new election came, and a new Leader came about. Portland Mud lost!

Many expected an easy transfer of leadership, like many leaders before, but that would mean that Portland Mud would have to admit he lost, and he would sooner go into a tirade, tantrum, than admit he lost.

And throw a tantrum he did.

Before leaving, Portland Mud convinced his followers to interrupt a government assembly hall meeting, all under the false narrative that the election was illegitimate. He convinced his followers that every vote cast against him was false and those that counted those votes were conspiring against him.

Though Portland Mud claimed no involvement or blame in the attack, his words “take it back” were chanted and cheered by the attackers. His words swayed the attackers to commit such acts. Citizens charged the government building, hell bent on storming the place, finding the voting documents before they could certify them and then destroy them before hunting down the “traitors” of the country that would allow this certification of these “false” votes.

It was only after hours of the attack that Portland Mud finally told his followers that enough was enough and to go home. But, not before government officers, bystanders, and even some of the attackers themselves were killed.

Even after the event, he continued to call the attackers patriots honorable and just upset individuals over the “stolen” election. Portland Mud struggled and continued to reject the results but ultimately left the seat of leadership for the newly elected Leader, Nathan Grant.

For four years after the election, Portland Mud spent this time berating Nathan Grant and undermining every action they took. Calling him “Nappy Nate,” was a daily beratement from Portland Mud.

Portland led campaigns undermining Nathan Grant, calling him incompetent, saying that the economy was better under him than it was under Nathan Grant. Yet, facts and information said otherwise. The people of the country only saw what was in front of them on their favorite news station and not what was in the public or what was being done behind a competent Leaders desk.

That shortsightedness led to Portland Mud being re-elected, though not by the populace but by an Electoral Institute, a group of people governing a designated region of the country and holds numerical values associated with populace of their region.

As much as Portland Mud swore to uphold the values of the country and bring the riches to the people, He led the country to ruin by manipulating and corrupting the very principles and values he sore to uphold.

Leadership by manipulation will lead to ruin.

If you thought his first term was scandalous, you had created a new word to describe the scandals that emerged from his second term. Scandal after scandal came out about Portland Mud, from tax fraud to sexual assault to a massive sex trafficking ring of minors. He was caught with his proverbial pants down, and in some cases literally.

But Portland Mud did not stop there; his scandals would not get in his way of his true goal: the self-enrichment of himself and his name. By using his power as the Leader, Portland Mud terminated investigations into his tax fraud and business fraud cases. He pardoned a man imprisoned for scamming people out of their life savings to then use that same man to create a digital currency that scammed millions out of their life savings, then terminated that investigation.

Slowly, the people began to doubt Portland Mud’s intention toward the people and the economy. News stations were calling him out on his enrichment. Then when his character was being threatened, Portland Mud decided to turn the attention on a foreign individual; Portland claimed that foreign people were invading this country and something must be done.

Portland Mud weaponized a governmental group, the Foreign Uninformed Killers, to round up anyone that appeared to be foreign, looked to be foreign, or even spoke in a foreign language and put them in camps. He made the group wear brown shirts for some reason, odd.

For a time, that seemed to distract the people from Portland Mud’s previous crimes and scandals, all the while he proclaimed that streets were cleaner and the country doing better than ever thanks to his actions. But that did not last as the violence against the foreign “invaders” seemed to transition to the people of the country who spoke out against Portland Mud and the government. The kidnappings, the beatings, and the killings were not contained to these “invaders” only, the people of the country suffered alongside them.

The people of the country were ready to revolt against Portland Mud. What could he do?!

Well…close to losing it all, Portland Mud believed the only recourse he had left was to send the country into a conflict that involved many other nations that undid the unification and security of a free world and ushered in chaos and death.

The Cataclysmic Riot of the Antonym for Peace was begun by the same man who touted himself as the bringer of peace but soon revealed himself to be the world’s harbinger of self-righteous destruction. Though many questioned what this was, Portland Mud and his cohorts called it a Defensive Unilateral Military Bombardment.

But where are we today?

After the operation, cough cough…war, the outcome after funding the operation has put a massive burden on the nation he swore to make better. Portland Mud has turned his gaze, once again, on the people of the country declaring that there are enemies from within that seek to destroy it.

The country on the brink of collapse, the people homeless, tired, and poor. Huddled masses yearning to breathe freedom again, waiting for the light of a lamp to welcome them back. But no help is coming.

We did this to ourselves! We were complacent to a man that had a shady past, worse than any politician that holds a seat of power!

As the cost of living grew and people’s debts rose, the people began to turn on the Leader and his administration. Any public event Portland Mud attended, the loud cries of “BOO!” rang out throughout the crowds. Portland Mud would lash out at the people calling them, “dumb”, “scum”, “sick”, and “enemies of the nation”.

Soon after, Portland Mud decided to create the Protectors Of Simpleton, mindless militants, formed from his supporters and those simple minded to only be able to follow orders. MM guard we grew to call them.

They would take control of the city capitals, imprison the mayors branding them traitors, and enact martial law upon the city, state, and its people.

The states and its people fought back but with the overwhelming numbers of the mindless militants, they stood no chance. Many of those states were decimated along with the people, while other states surrendered and became assimilated into the regime. They became known as the Necropoli, while the states that bowed in line were called Patriots.

It wasn’t long before the capital city of the country became a battleground for the resistance. The citizens that managed to stay alive in the aftermath of the Necropoli congregated in the country’s capital to stand up against the Leader, the wannabe tyrant, and his regime takeover. The people knew that they stood little chance but together if they could prevail, then freedom from tyranny was just over the horizon.

Portland Mud proclaimed that this resistance was an act of treason and that true “patriots” will stand against this resistance that seeks to topple his leadership and the great work he has accomplished. Yeah, death and destruction really show accomplishment.

Portland Mud sent his mindless militants throughout the country’s capital waging war against the “traitorous and treasonous” people. The bodies of these “traitors” lined the streets beaten, broken, or lifeless for all to see as these murders were being broadcasted around the country as an example for others to fall in line or face the same end.

All hope seems lost. Humanity has been forsaken.

“Stop! Stop hurting people!” the screaming cry of a little girl echoed and the area around fell silent. This little girl, unarmed in tattered clothing, stood against a wall of guns and tanks. She looked up at what was towering in front of her, yet she was not afraid but with strength and purpose.

The mindless militants marched forward toward the little girl. As they grew closer, she threw her arms in front of her yelling at them, “NO MORE! STOP!” They ignored her and shoved her to ground. No tears came from her.

She got back up, shaking but determined. Again, she threw her arms out in front of her yelling, “No more hurting.” This time, a mindless militant picked her and tossed her to the side. She slammed onto the ground, her clothing torn even more, her arms and her face scrapped and bleeding. Still, she shed no tears.

The little girl struggled back up onto her feet, and she ran right back in front of the mindless militants, threw her arms out and yelled, “Stop hurting people!” This time the mindless militant standing in front of her said, “Fine.” The little girl looked up. The mindless militant’s face was lifeless, all but with smug and anger, and yelled back to his other mindless militants, “MOW HER DOWN!”

The mindless militant moved out of the way as a tank crept forward. The little girl unmoving her arms held out and closed her eyes preparing for the tanks inevitable crushing.

A noise grew behind the little girl, a rumbling of sorts, a shuffling of feet. The tank stopped.

The mindless militants looked around, guns drawn pointing forward, behind, and all around as the sound echoed from every direction. The rumbling grew louder and louder until in the distance a large mass of citizens appeared marching toward the mindless militants and the little girl, with determination and conviction in their eyes.

The numbers of the citizens far outnumbered the mindless militants. Together they stand, together they stand up against those who wish to suppress them. With the whole world watching, they knew turning their guns against that many citizens would not end well… so they retreated back to Portland Mud. Their dear old fearless Leader.

The people did not stop there. They continued their march forward, led by the little girl, right up to the front gate of the Ivory House, the staple of this country, the one building that every citizen knows and respects as the House of the Leader and where those that came before made a stand against tyranny, and where those that came before worked on behalf of the people not on the behalf of themselves.

Upon arriving at the Ivory House, they looked upon not a place of Leadership but at a last stand from a tyrannical madman grasping hold of failing regime.

The citizens chanted and yelled, “NO MORE!” over and over in harmony.

Portland Mud stood out on the high balcony of the Ivory House, microphones and cameras set up ready for him to address the nation and to hear his own voice. “To my patriot soldiers, Fight like Hell” reverberated from the speakers. “Do not let these terrorists in!”

The people stood their ground with their voices louder and stronger. Ever so slightly, the nerves of the soldiers began to waver. Their numbers grew more and more until the perpendicular street in front of the Ivory House was full of people and the long straightaway street filled up. Who were cave first, who would draw the first blood…if any.

Men, Women, and Children gathered together to stand against tyranny. To take the country of the people back from the control of one man. Guns and tanks aimed at them, but they were not afraid. Fear would only relent to tyranny; conviction would break through tyranny to the path forward to freedom.

Then… one after another, the soldiers began to lay down their arms, either knowing they were outnumbered or their consciences got through to them and told them what they were wrong. One soldier dropped his gun before the little girl and a smile befell her face. No more bloodshed.

“Traitors, every last one of you!” shouted Portland Mud. “TRAITORS!” Portland Mud lost. He lost the last grip he had on the country. The people spoke, the people showed up, and the people took back their country that they thought they lost.

I say this, Portland Mud, your ego is your weakness; your ego will be your downfall. Your name will be remembered but only in infamy; a lesson that the country must learn anew that tyranny doesn’t come from afar, but instead from within. ________________________________________________________________________

AI image generated using leonardo.ai