The “Grapes of Wrath” Redux?

I have been thinking a lot lately about the Grapes of Wrath and wondering if we are about to repeat this dark time in our nation’s history. We are seeing severe droughts in the west, the homeless population exploding, people living in tents, our food supplies having a difficult time meeting demands and inflation emerging as a concern for many.

At the same time, some states, particularly Red States, are labeling their own citizens as problems, restricting access to medical care (especially for women), ignoring scientific evidence that proves vaccines saves lives, and dividing citizens into separate classes while looking to strip away their right to vote in free and fair elections.

When Tennessee fires their top vaccination official for urging teens to get vaccinated, and other Right Wing leaders call for Dr. Fauci to be fired as well, I can’t help but think how people during the Great Depression were often left to fend for themselves. It makes me angry.

I remember the children in The Grapes of Wrath scoured the dump for scraps of food while officials ignored their plight and sought to exploit their labor while the lack of medical care cost a mother the life of her child. The attempts of the down trodden to organize themselves were often met with violence by those in power and by those who were afraid of losing what they had.

Fast forward to today and there are many parallels to that dark time. Think about it, will we be facing our own wrath soon? Will we let the Far Right drag the soul of our nation down this path?