The Greatest Lie

The Tipping Point

 The world was at a tipping point as globalism had blurred the lines between individual countries and who was really in charge. M Corp now had more power and control than any of the biggest governments or corporations could have ever imagined. The political and societal division that had been growing for years leading up to the collapse was touted as one of the main causes for how things got to this point. A question remained if this was an accidental progression, or if it was done on purpose. Some claimed it was the racial divide that was never overcome that caused things to boil over, while others touted gender issues as the division that proved to be too much for people to agree over. Many were adamant that it was the popularity contest that politics had become that created the cracks that were too big to mend. From the hunter-gatherer tribes that broke out into wars over territory, to the religious crusades that created mass genocides in the name of an invisible god, no group of people throughout history could ever unanimously agree on something once too many people became involved. People were complicated and had differing values and desires, but it was even harder for people to accept that it was alright to be different. There was overwhelming support for the lottery across the world, but the opposition was steadfast in making sure it never became a reality. Just like every other form of division that had occurred across the span of humanity, people were entrenched in whatever side they were supporting, and there was no convincing them otherwise.

The people who held prestigious positions within the M Corp reign were able to offer their families a life filled with luxury and stability. They were the minority in the scheme of the world, but their sheltered lives allowed them the bliss of ignorance. Russell was one of these kids whose parents held a high ranking position within M Corp, but was ungrateful for the life he had been brought up with. He had always been fed with a silver spoon, but now into his teenage years, he began to rebel against the cushy life his parents had provided. The vote was happening today in his posh California suburb town and he had been making plans with his friend for weeks to show up to vote together as soon as the polls opened. They wanted to be there early to prove their support and volunteer to pass out information for people waiting in line. He was up before his alarm went off, which was not a normal occurrence for him, but this was not just any ordinary day. He hoped that his parents would not be up yet and that he could sneak out before they berated him about voting for this madness. Quietly tiptoeing to his dresser, he slowly pulled the drawers out trying not to make much noise. Within a couple minutes he was dressed and slowly cracking open his bedroom door and peering out. The hallway was still dark, but it looked like his parents door was still shut. His silhouette illuminated the dark hallway as the light from his bedroom slipped out. Seeing that the coast was clear, Russell grabbed the snack bar he had put on his bedside table the night before and snuck quietly down the hallway. It was going to be a long day, and he was going to need a little pick me up if he was going to skip breakfast with his family. Shuffling without a sound down the hall, he reached the stairs and carefully made his way down, taking each step one at a time to keep his presence unknown. To his surprise, his parents were waiting patiently at the dining room table at the bottom of the stairs. Unbeknownst to Russell, his parents were not fools and had predicted Russell's plan of trying to slip away unnoticed to vote for the lottery. They had been fighting for weeks trying to convince Russell to change his mind on supporting the lottery. Being deeply involved within M Corp, they knew the reality of what the lottery really offered, and it provided nothing better than what Russell already had. Even though M Corp was going to be the biggest beneficiary of this new way of life, his parents could see that it was not the salvation the world was hoping for.

At first the protests were mostly peaceful, with only a few people getting out of line, but over time they became more and more dangerous. A protest in itself was supposed to be safe and it provided awareness for whatever cause someone was fighting for. It was a legal outlet, based in the constitution, for voicing your opinion on what you believed. It was a necessary evil to let everyone express their freedom of speech, regardless of what they were preaching, but slowly what became acceptable to say began to change. There was no department or government agency that was in charge of telling people what was or wasn't allowed to be talked about, but free people took it upon themselves to decide what they were now offended by. Everyone wanted to be part of something and it became a social competition for everyone to show how dedicated they were to all the different injustices. What really mattered became minimized as everyone wanted their voice heard as loud as the others. Many could justify the racial movement as necessary, there was no need to treat someone different just based upon the color of their skin or where they were born. The gender issues had a growing support behind it, so the politicians begrudgingly went along with it to try and gain more of a voter base. Celebrities began taking their fame to the political stage, which made a mockery of governments that had been looked to as world powers, but people cared more about a pretty face than someone who had the ideas and qualifications to run a country. The real breaking point was when they went after the police. With almost everyone having a recording device on their person at all times, it became easy to catch someone doing something wrong. These recordings could be spread almost instantaneously and with a few strategic edits, whatever narrative you were trying to push could easily be put out to thousands of people to believe. Entire cities began broadcasting, with the help of its citizens, videos of police using unnecessary force, shooting innocent people, and profiling people based upon their race. This incited a rage that spread across the world. Protests in the name of justice broke out everywhere, sometimes completely overtaking a city with rioters. Riot teams were dispatched and able to break them up at first when things started to get ugly, but as time went on people stopped giving up and they quickly turned violent and destructive. People called for help when they couldn't protect themselves, their homes, or their businesses, but the same people they were protesting against were expected to come and save the day. A few bad apples had ruined the bunch and the rot was spreading to everything it touched.