Dreams of State

Last night I dreamt I was at a mall in San Diego with some Ghostbusters. No famous ones, though it seemed like we were waiting for Dan Aykroyd to show up. We were sitting at a table talking about the election. We all agreed Trump seemed the likely winner, though none of us said we'd vote for him.

I don't pay close attention to politics these days and, since I live in Japan, I don't have a ground level idea of how the day to day has changed in the U.S. under Biden. I have an impression of Biden's presidency as being sort of shapeless and colourless. Trump had personality, so did Obama, Bush, Clinton, and really everyone before. All anyone seems to say about Biden is that he's old. Maybe that's the reason he seems like a Walmart greeter while everyone else around him is managing things.

I remember when people were criticised for voting for George W. Bush because he seemed like someone you could have a beer with. Then there are the people who say they'd vote for Trump because some of Trump's mistakes and misdeeds seem like the kind of thing the average person might do. The counterargument in both cases being that you should want a president who's above average. People have always liked relatable heroes though perhaps there's a greater lack of humility now. That's why no-one seems to be able to make a good Superman movie anymore.

Also, there must be a lot of fear as the world becomes more complicated and its incomprehensibility and brutality becomes more apparent. Falstaff's little world at the inn looks a lot cosier than Henry IV's complicated map of players.