Does Art Imitate Life and Give Us a Warning?

Does art imitate life or vice versa, and give us a warning in the process? In another "I can't believe it" moment, two episodes of the 1990's TV show "Lois & Clark" (about journalist Lois Lane and Superman/Clark Kent, show on Tubi) show a man with no previous experience or qualifications becoming president. And he is wildly "popular" because he can manipulate people's minds.

He tells the crowds, "You'll do everything Papa Jones says," and that he has passed the "Ma Phone Act," making it illegal to not have a phone. His cohorts even try to shoot a man in the crowd because he only had a post card and didn't own a phone.

How was Papa Jones manipulating everyone in this TV series? There was something like a satellite dish with microwave transmissions telling people what to think (is this sci-fi or not?). It urged people to vote for Tempest as president because "he's a nice guy," even though Tempest has been known (and told Lois he wants) to create chaos and destroy everything good. He will direct the people to do anything he wants, a kind of "Tempest Think". (Remember the book 1984?)

Does this sound a bit like a certain presidential hopeful now? Is there someone out there out to brainwash people through social media to think he's great, right all the time, and everyone else is wrong?

It's not that politicians don't try to pull this all the time. Yes, sometimes there are terrifically BIG differences between candidates running for national office. But character still counts. Too bad we can't have that issue as the number one item on the ballot.

In the TV episode, Superman (Clark Kent) is pushed into an alternate dimension in a narrowing, see through box and can't help. So (spoiler alert!) a Superman from an alternate dimension (this is sci-fi, so use your imagination) helps Lois find a recording, connected to a computer and the satellite dish sending microwave messages to people (which social media is now doing, if you think about it, with all its misinformation thrown about). Writer H. G. Wells is also in the episodes to help.

Recently, I read people were protesting Russian leader Putin's election -- by NOT voting for him. Maybe you-all could "vote against" a particular candidate who wants chaos and vote for Biden instead. We don't want a self-centered future leader bent on destroying democracy, hurting the future, or even ignoring climate change. I am usually not that political in this forum, but no one deserves a Tempest. Go to Tubi and see the episodes for yourself!