A Wrinkle In Interpretation

A New ‘Wrinkle in Time’

A witches’ brew of science fiction and fantasy, Christian theology and a hint of politics, “A Wrinkle in Time” has long been considered influenced by the Cold War. It explores the dangers of conformity, and presents evil as a world whose inhabitants’ thoughts and actions are controlled by a sinister, disembodied brain.

Many readers, then and now, have understood the book’s dark planet Camazotz—a regimented place in which mothers in unison call their children in for dinner—to represent the Soviet Union. But the passage discovered by L’Engle’s granddaughter presents a more nuanced worldview.

...He says that yes, totalitarianism can lead to this kind of evil. (The author calls out examples by name, including Hitler, Mussolini and Khrushchev.) But it can also happen in a democracy that places too much value on security, Mr. Murry says. “Security is a most seductive thing,” he tells his daughter. “I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s the greatest evil there is.”

Ms. Voiklis said she wanted readers to know the book wasn’t a simple allegory of communism. Instead, it’s about the risk of any country—including a democracy—placing too much value on security. The tension between safety and personal freedom is an idea that resonates in today’s politics.

When people think of security, they think of military/police. But there is also economic security, and the most secure job in the world is that of the slave. Democracies vote themselves into slavery because people value security over liberty. Both political parties in the United States sell security, and anytime someone suggests reducing security in the name of liberty, they are hounded out of politics.

There's also the pull towards equality in democratic countries:

“A wonderful aspect of ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ is its celebration of the different,” author Katherine Paterson wrote in the introduction to the 50th-anniversary edition. “In fact, hell, as it is embodied on Camazotz, is being exactly like everyone else.”

Madeleine L’Engle would recognize creeping tyranny in the democratic United States. If you have seen the latest episode, check out what's been going on in science-fiction: HUGO AWARDS NOMINATIONS SWEPT BY ANTI-SJW, ANTI-AUTHORITARIAN AUTHORS

Sci-fi fans, gamers and comic-book readers. Students and academics. Liberals, libertarians and conservatives. It seems that fandoms and online communities everywhere are waking up to the new menace of political intolerance, authoritarianism, ostracism and so-called “social justice.”

This rolling battle claimed two new victims this week. Well, this sucks. If you didn't read the link above, a quick summary: some science-fiction authors and fans teamed up to oppose political repression in the science-fiction industry. In recent years, authors whose works were "politically incorrect" were not recognized with awards, while absolute dreck that was politically correct did. These authors encouraged fans to join the organization and vote for better works, and they did. They did not choose people based on politics, but on quality. However, since the other side sees everything as political, they view all the nominations by these fans as the wrong ones. The weakest links in the chain, so to speak, are the left-wing authors who might agree with the gatekeepers on politics. They have been harassed non-stop since being nominated, and finally two of them cracked and declined their nominations, essentially because the wrong people nominated their works.

This is a small taste of the Cultural Revolution, right in America, and it was born from the pursuit of equality. Equality was the guiding ideology behind the bloodbaths in France, Russia and China. In America, this shifted from economics to culture, from economic Marxism to Cultural Marxism, because Americans could not be separated on the basis of economics. Race proved an easier nut to crack.

We now have a twin hydra, the demonic equalist forces of fascism and communism united against us. The Left has managed to fuse Marxist envy with fascist ethnic nationalism, international socialism morphed into pan-racial unity, concentrated on hatred of straight/white/Christian people.