Hammer and Sickle
It's depressing, living in a world under the fist of totalitarianism. Not that the West is any better, seeing how it has turned into a fascist state and all. If I had to choose between the U.S.S.R and the fascist West, I'd choose the former. It's true that no one starves and that everyone has a home. The form of communism we are under is called techno-communism. You see, a supercomputer in the capital analyzes economic conditions and makes decisions based on it. With this, communism not only works, but also works better than the laize-fair capitalism despite what capitalists may say. That, and the focus on technology for funding have caused the U.S.S.R. to dominate the world.
Which is why now, I go to school feeling depressed. I hate the bullshit they keep telling us. Yes, everyone has what they need, that's true. But, I want my civil rights. I want them all. I want Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Press, and the Right to a Fair Trial. Religion I can do without because of the effect it has on the West, it turned into a religious fundamentalist state suppressing all rights, but I want my others. But no, I have to just count myself lucky enough to live where there is massive economic success, and that wealth is shared everywhere.
Someone who really doesn't help things is a girl named Haruhi. This girl is the opposite of me when it comes to the Communist State. She loves it, and proudly wears dozens of medals on her uniform awarded to her by the state. The medals are for things like the parades she organizes and the capitalist spy she rooted out. She is the most popular girl in school, and I hate her. She symbolizes everything that Communism succeeds at. It seduces the people with the material wealth, so that they forget about their civil rights. I know you need both to achieve true democracy, but we are missing the most important component. Without freedom, material wealth is worthless. But, who am I to judge. Perhaps this is what all human progress was really meant to achieve, a perfect economy ruled by an iron fist.
She eyed me suspiciously. She always did, I stuck out so much. I did very little to keep my uniform tight, and I always look so depressed. So, the more depression attacked me, the more Haruhi became suspicious I was possibly a traitor to the Soviet Union. I have learned to hide my anger, and my other emotions inside. But, I can't hide my depression. That one emotion will overpower everything with me. Everyday, I go home and cry myself to sleep. The tears still sting my face, and make me wish I would just die.
When I got to school, she was still behind me, still eyeing me closely. I didn't like this, but there was no way to avoid it. Besides, no one ever worried about someone being depressed. Anger, not depression, is what people look for. Angry people are the ones they stomp out. Angry people are the ones they target.
Well, there is one fate I would like to avoid. They tend to send the depressed and angry to psychiatric wards, which are really just brainwashing centers. They are INCREDIBLY good at it yes, but it isn't really getting treated. You're just turned into another robot for the state basically. I know because I've been to one once. The one thing that they couldn't get to was my unquenchable need for freedom, but they got a lot of other stuff. They robbed me of my privacy with the weekly visits that are now required. They robbed me of my pride by degrading me with behavior modification. They robbed me of my family by brainwashing my parents into robots of the state. They robbed me of my desire with beauty also betraying. That part might have been unintentional, but the rest was.
When in class, I found myself not paying attention at all. This was not an uncommon occurrence, considering that despite the excellent education they provide, most of it is just stuff about either math or science, neither of which I care for. History is all propaganda, and literature is all stuff I care nothing about for the most part. They controlled the information, so they controlled the world.
So, instead I thought about what I had at home, which was my only escape. I had my poetry, which liberated me. Without it, my sanity would be broken. There was entertainment, for example a show that even I had to admit was amazing called "Glorious Rebellion" which showed a rebel group overthrowing a fascist state. It was incredible because of great pacing, effects, and great character development. But, I couldn't bear watching it because of what it represented to me, another control device.
While I waited for another hellish day to end, suddenly Haruhi appeared behind me. I felt her breath on my ear as she whispered into it, "Meet me after school or else I'll report you as a spy." After that, class proceeded as normal.
After what seemed like an eternity in hell while someone stabs you repeatedly, school finally ended. Then, I went outside and Haruhi was there, waiting. I hated her, and I didn't even want to know what she planned to do. Didn't help that she had three of her cronies with her.
She said, "Kyon, you're alarmingly depressed and also lack any job goals. You have no friends, and currently have missed three weeks of school in the past. So, we're going to invite you into our club. It's that or facing much further time in the psychiatric ward as you know."
Okay, this scared the crap out of me. How the hell does she know all this stuff? Is there a social program in place where you get access to secret files in return for being rather loyal? Who knows, but this is kind of scary for obvious reasons. I mean, if Haruhi knows all this stuff, what else does know? She knows I've been in a psychiatric hospital, does that also means she knows that I still write poetry to keep myself sane and that I still burst for freedom from the state.
I said, "Considering I don't exactly have a choice, yes."
At that, Haruhi basically dragged me to the clubroom. There, I saw a room that would've made Stalin cry in glee with its loyalty. On the back wall, there is massive Soviet flag that covers it completely. On each of the sidewalls rests a picture with a famous Soviet Leader on it. Above each picture is a hammer and sickle over a red star. Overall, everywhere you look, there's probably at least somewhere a Hammer and Sickle, a Red Star, or both. To add to that, the desk where the computer is has a red drape over it that has the Hammer and Sickle on a side of it.
Basically, you are SURROUNDED by Haruhi's world here, which is basically the worship of communism. Also, that computer I noticed is the latest model, which is incredibly powerful. It has 2/3 of the computing power that the supercomputer that runs everything does, and that one can compute at least 900 trillion functions at once, and tracks the economic data of every continent on Earth except the U.S.A. So yeah, that computer on the desk is kind of scary. I realize immediately that Haruhi is being rewarded for diligence and loyalty with stuff and special privileges.
I realize that for Haruhi, communism isn't just an economic system. It's a full blown religion. Every day, she gets up and pledges loyalty to the state. She tries to convert more to the religion every day. She follows the core laws of the state like a hardcore Christian follows the commandment. She isn't really a bad person; she just worships this ideology to such a massive extent that it alienates anyone that isn't incredibly hardcore like her.
But, she also has incredible charisma with all of her energy, allowing her to recruit hundreds to the cause already. She could have whomever she wants in that club, so why would she pick me? Well, because I'm a heretic, and one who needs to be converted before he encourages too many others.
The name of the club only confirmed this. It was called, I.C.Y. or the Introducing Communism to Youth club. Yeah, I bet someone fainted with how ludicrously loyal it was. The club's purpose was to get troubled kids and turn them into hard working citizens of the Soviet Union. Well, looks like I'm an excellent test subject to try this out on.
Okay, Haruhi doesn't just worship communism. She also has a marriage to it. This club and me are gifts to communism like a lover gives a ring to a lover. This was her marriage ring and it was graciously accepted by communism. What's next? She expands the club to thousands of schools as an anniversary present. Seriously, I know how she initiated the love affair. She memorized the Communist Manifesto and rooted out the spy to start the relationship. To solidify the relationship, she organized a couple of parades and used her popularity to spread communism.
Yeah, Haruhi needs help. She is a drug addict who needs rehab. She's a lover whose is outright stalking her lover's every move. She's a religious nut who would make people scared of the religion by the intensity of their devotion. She's the kind of person who used to deliver sermons with such intensity that it scares people into believing. She's the kind of person who openly attacks people of the opposite ideology violently. I've seen her burn bibles calling them a tool of the rich to oppress the poor. I've seen her burn money in a massive bon fire. I've seen her build a giant Red Star to celebrate the Soviet Union. It was made of steel and was assembled in an underground workshop. She did the work so she could "experience the plight of the worker," to hear her put it. It was the equivalent of a hardcore Christian crucifying himself.
That day, we just listened to her give a speech. Okay, that was actually pretty incredible. She has the voice down for it perfectly. She speaks with such intensity and power that you just have to listen to her. She also has this way looking that makes you feel like she is looking intensely at you. It causes you to be hopelessly drawn in. Here, the speech was on the evils of the West and how we needed destroy the West with nuclear weapons if necessary if they refused to convert to communism.
Overall, I had one hellish day. There was the usual stuff with school but now I have Haruhi to deal with EVERY day after school. Yeah, this is going to suck isn't it.