Reflections on The Sleeper Awakes III: False Leaders

Trey Smith

One point that evaded me while reading the book -- I only found out about it afterwards when I went back to read the Introduction -- is that Graham's miraculous awakening was no accident. Though it is not explicitly explained, Ostrog is responsible. Initially, it appears that Ostrog is a champion of the people and Graham's awakening will serve as the catalyst for the revolution of the people over the oligarchs. In time, however, Graham comes to understand that Ostrog is nothing more than another member of elite who simply wants to wrest control away from the ruling faction to his own. The subjugation of the masses will not be interrupted!

This section of the book reminded me a great deal of the Obama campaign of 2008. Candidate Obama sold progressives on the rhetorical promises of "hope" and "change," yet as soon as he got into office, it became clear that he had no intentions of changing many of the most draconian policies of his predecessor. He surrounded himself with the same Wall Street types and even went as far as to announce that his administration would not seek to investigate nor prosecute members of the Bush White House for ANY of their shenanigans.

Just like the character, Ostrog, Obama merely pretended that he gave a damn about the 99 percent. He basically needed them to believe his lies so that they would provide the muscle to sweep aside the other elite faction.

But there is one clear difference between the masses in Wells' fictional account and present-day America: the fictional masses quickly figured out the ruse and turned on Ostrog! As the book comes to a close, Ostrog is in flight.

Sadly, too many present-day liberals and progressives still drink the same Kool-Aid. Though the evidence of Obama's ruse is staring them in the face, they refuse to see it and so they will march to the polls again to reelect on autocrat who has declared that he holds the unilateral power to kill any citizen he sees fit!!

Hmm. It seems like we are living in a worse dystopia than Wells ever imagined!