My good friend Pete over at https://beetleypete.com/  (Visit often for Pete is an accomplished writer and storyteller) has commented on the events taking place in the US by comparing it to Gilead of the Handmaiden’s Tale (to be honest I have not watched it but it is on the list for us to partake)….and recently I read an article that confirms what Pete has been saying all this months.

Warning: The following contains discussion of physical abuse, sexual abuse, abortion, FGM, and death.

While watching The Handmaid’s Tale, it may be easy to dismiss the horrors of Gilead as mere fiction, however the uncomfortable truth of Margaret Atwood’s book and the adjoining television adaptation is that much of the story is based on true events and real situations that occurred throughout human history, and some that still happens today. The Handmaid’s Tale originated as a 1985 dystopian novel written by Margaret Atwood that developed into a television series produced by Hulu in 2017. The story follows June, a young woman forced to be a surrogate mother in a horrifying futuristic world wherein women are forced into sexual servitude to increase the human population.

he Handmaid’s Tale is one of the darker dystopian TV shows, and unfortunately, some of its worst moments are also scenarios that have happened in real history. In a sense, this fact only serves to emphasize the terror of the story, and more than that, makes clear that even the most nightmarish situations have connections to our reality. While some aspects of The Handmaid’s Tale happened quite a long time ago, others are still occurring today and are a serious problem for women’s rights and society at large. All in all, The Handmaid’s Tale shows that, at times, we are not so different from villains on-screen.

Innocent Women Were Persecuted During The Salem Witch Trials

One of the most clear examples of history that The Handmaid’s Tale uses is the persecution of innocent women during the Salem Witch Trials. From 1692 to 1693, various towns in colonial Massachusetts conducted hearings and executions, accusing women of witchcraft. Although little evidence supported these claims, these women were publicly executed, and over 200 people were accused during that time period. This historical event is a disturbing one because of its unfair rulings and condemning of innocent women. These themes shine through in The Handmaid’s Tale as the show’s characters must follow Gilead’s rules exactly, lest they become victim to the misogynistic system.

(Read on there is so much more)

https://screenrant.com/handmaids-tale-real-life-gilead-history/#innocent-women-were-persecuted-during-the-salem-witch-trials

The similarities will amaze you….especially if you have not been paying attention.

So I thank Pete for his insights and the recommendation.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”