Cliff was his own man. That much was for sure. All the guys at the rally the night before told him so. When they were all chanting together, listening to what the leader told them, and shouting back jeers and cheers, where appropriate, he felt important and independent. No fake scientists with their fake news were going to change his mind.
This morning he turned on the news, but it was the same old drivel again. News reporters, paid for by the liberals and the elites, talking about global warming. Don’t they know it’s actually a cooling period? The earth is getting colder, not hotter. He had read that just a few days ago on the internet site he followed regularly. They reported on stuff the mainstream media wouldn’t tell anyone. It’s all a big hoax.
“I mean literally, follow the money. The crybabies just want to make money and keep people like me working minimum wage jobs. It’s all just a scam to keep people like me down.”
The grand exalted leader said that at the rally last night, too.
Scientists? They don’t know what they are talking about. He had read that all the scientists who said global warming was a hoax had been silenced. They lost their jobs or were shouted down the liberal media. Science was all about the money, too. He knew more than all of them did.
Heading to work at the job he hated, he almost forgot it was the day of the big eclipse. He hoped his boss let them go outside for a few minutes to check it out and see what all the fuss was about.
The day wore on into the afternoon and it was close to time for the eclipse. In fact, looking out the window, Cliff could tell it was getting darker outside.
“Hey guys,” the boss said. “It’s time for the eclipse. Let’s all go outside and watch. I even got special eclipse glasses for you. I don’t want any of you to hurt your eyes.”
Most of the staff was excited about the chance to watch the eclipse although a few were more interested in the chance to take a break and stay on the clock. Nothing like getting paid for a few minutes without having to do anything for it.
Cliff took the paper glasses from his boss, but didn’t like the look of them.
“Another scam. I wonder how much some ‘scientist’ made off these things,” he said and tossed his glasses to the ground.
“It’s time. Everyone, put on your eclipse glasses.”
Cliff stood at the back of the group and watched his co-workers put on their goofy glasses and stare at the sky while it got darker.
“We’ve survived for hundreds of years without these stupid glasses and now we all have to have them or the scientists say our heads are going to explode or something. I don’t believe it. Just like global warming. It’s not real.”
Cliff looked straight at the sun as the eclipse reached its peak. He wasn’t going to listen to any stupid scientist.
He was his own man.
