He rules on classroom lessons, on textbooks and on teachers’ vocabulary. He even imposes his will on Disney World and anything smacking of “woke indoctrination” (Translation: all references to gender, race and inclusiveness).
Censorship by the sea
Welcome to the Sunshine State governed by Ron DeSantis. The latest purge? Math textbooks that allude to what he tags as “prohibited topics.” At this point, one may wonder if the book burning Ray Bradbury imagined for America in 2049 in his novel “Fahrenheit 45,” is happening ahead of schedule.
George Orwell also worried about a government monitoring people in “1984,” and it’s as if Florida’s chief thought policeman was modeling himself after Big Brother.
Orwell called his novel a satire, but he also saw totalitarianism as something that could happen. DeSantis appears bent on making it happen.
And isn’t it odd that the man out to ban books takes after so many found in books?
Dressing for the occasion
Now what? When DeSantis is through outlawing books, what’s next? How about a dress code to signify one’s gender at birth? Given his embargo on women’s reproductive rights, one can’t help thinking of Margaret Atwood nightmarish novel “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Last year, the governor signed a law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy without exemptions for rape, incest or human trafficking. So far, he hasn’t kidnapped young women or taken away their identities, as feared in Atwood’s tale.
But forcing women to bear children is straight out of that tale.
Like the government of Gilead, Florida is now run by the power-hungry. Noticeably missing in the comparison at the moment is a militarized Florida. But like the government of Gilead, Florida is coming close to subjugating women as birth machines, or “handmaids.” All that’s missing are the long red dresses.
So, what else does DeSantis intend to rule over? History answers. If you’re a dictator, the architectural style of government buildings goes with the territory. Dictators love the grand scale look – puffed up like their chests.
Last month, Sylvia Poggioli reported on NPR about Italy’s still-standing Fascist buildings that once glorified Benito Mussolini’s regime.
A possible project for DeSantis to take over – the upcoming overhaul of the county’s Government Center headquarters in Miami-Dade.
This project would give DeSantis a place to carve his initials. We’re talking about a 17-acre site that will take in the commissioners’ chambers and country administrative offices totaling 1.1 million square feet. Reportedly, Miami-Dade’s guidelines are broad. So, if the governor gets involved, get ready for some strutting shrine to the Imperial Order of the Eternal City like the dictators of old.
I’m thinking of the Führer who sought extravagantly scaled structures rooted in the ideals of the Roman Empire. One of his pet projects was the People’s Hall set under a 950-foot high dome. If DeSantis opts to take a stand on the style of government buildings, get ready for the shrine to Caesar look.
