The land of the free may be a caricature by itselfNovember 24, 2016

My flatmates, who were more interested in rugby and comic books, became political pundits all of a sudden. Donald Trump's victory coincided with Captain America's arrival in Down Under. I was referring to Chris Evans promoting Chivas Regal in Oz. He was a staunch Trump critic, believing that his ascension to the White House wasn't about left versus the right. It was rather right versus wrong.

Trump's win exposed what was wrong with the free world, Michael repeatedly told us. He reminded us of the thousands of jobless Aussies living in Sydney and Melbourne, the homeless found between skyscrapers. No one would care about them. The financial market would be next, he warned us. It could turn into a volatile environment, which might affect Australia's relationship with other countries. (He mentioned China a number of times.) I was studying a recent lesson on Phonetics, even wondering if my English was far from perfect. Concentration was becoming a problem.

I looked out of the window, imagining that the summer sun was beckoning me. The tan lines (from last summer) faded, but I would recall the sun-kissed memory with my family. They were talking about a winter holiday in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka included. Mum glared at me after I asked her if we would encounter the Avengers. This political conversation began last week, and it somehow got into me. My bad.

Captain America could make a good president, I told my flatmates. Michael hardly reacted to it, and I would assume that he wasn't taking me seriously. John was visibly amused, as he knew that I haven't got over "Doctor Strange." It was far from perfect, but superheroes would save the day. I wanted a break from the coursework, where the deadlines were coming in succession. Reading Week was looming ahead, and I wasn't looking at it as a break (from the coursework). The political discussion around Trump was supposed to be a banter, if not an entertaining diversion. Michael was the only one who foresaw his win. And he seemed uneasy about the next four years.

If Captain America were sworn in as president, he would make sure that there won't be any form of political conspiracy around the East Coast. (My tutor told me that this was the premises of the political thrillers during the 1970s, which turned American society upside down. He believed it created ripples across the continents, as Australia experienced a financial crisis. Mel Gibson wanted viewers to feel the heat.) There won't be any threats from faraway nations, where Coke trumped Lenin. And the Cap would make an alliance with other superheroes. This would lessen the potential enemies of the state. But what about the average Americans?

Twitter won't be enough for Chris Evans to reveal all his thoughts and feelings about the Trump presidency, and the image of the Avengers tossing glasses of Chivas Regal seemed disturbing (to say the least). Hollywood has always been the bastion of Democrats, which hardly matters to the inhabitants of Oz. Then again, this could be an interesting time. Thanos might find himself in the heart of America, wondering if he must make an alliance with Trump. Tony Stark was offered the post of Secretary of State, and he was tempted to accept it. And Bruce Banner was traveling incognito in South America.

Michael might be right, but my thoughts were filled about my assignments. (A 1,500-word essay would be several pages long.) John was looking at me. We seemed to be thinking of the same thing. More pizza and beer.

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