When Does the Fantasy Chase Off the Readers? (#IWSG)

 1 Chase Manhattan Plaza (right) and the 1929 Trump Building (center) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

         Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog. 

         Excuse me for posting a bit early for #IWSG, but I wanted to use this post to continue a series that I began last week.  And this at the risk of scaring readers away from commenting.  This is not my intention of course, but it seems to happen sometimes with certain topics.

         If you're feeling lost about what I'm talking about I invite you to read my posts Can Trump's Border Wall Work? and Why the Border Wall Can Bring Positive Change? and please weigh in on my topics if you're willing to put your imagination to work (or play as I see it).  Interestingly to me, these posts each garnered about the usual number of visits as my average posts while receiving far fewer than normal comments.  There were some excellent comments to be sure, but I'm not sure my vision was conveyed to most who read these pieces.

          Okay, I get this.  I certainly spent more time thinking about the "Border Wall World" than most who visited those posts.  This was my vision after all.   Like some of you I initially thought the concept of Donald Trump's border wall that Mexico pays for was rather absurd, but hearing so much about the wall I wanted to imagine why Mexico would willfully pay for it as well as the world that might be the result if a cooperative venture were to be put into place.

          But let me get away from the political controversy in order to express what it was that so enthralled me.  I had begun world-building in big way and the more I dreamed it the bigger it got.  Maybe if the Border Wall World were expanded as part of a story presented in a novel then more readers would start getting into as much as I began to be. 

        This imaginary world is a near future world or it could be a far future world.  This type of world could even be set in a past time or another planet.   It's an imagination creation from within my mind, perhaps not totally original if someone has done this in the past, but certainly an idea with potential for anyone else who decides to dream it.

        By the way, at present I'm not intending to use this world in anything that I'm going to write so anyone who wants to use it I say go for it.  I'll buy your book since I'd like to read about this kind of world.  Who knows--I might get to thinking so hard about this world that a story might get inspired within me, but still a world concept like this could be a setting for an infinite number of stories.  

        My intention now is not to apologize for introducing a topic of controversy in my previous posts, but to explain that those posts were not to foment any political distress among readers.  My primary intention was to understand a concept and in order to do that a world was created--Border Wall World (to use a convenient name that provides a description).   

          There are as many worlds as writers can imagine.  Every fiction is a creation of some particular world even if that fictional world is based on something real.  The closer to reality the world that the writer creates is, the easier it will be to convey the vision that writer wants the readers to see.  The imagination is boundless; the vast array of worlds is infinite.  Write your world as it is, as it could be, and as it one day might be. 

         Conveniently, last week as I was playing with world building, Raquel Byrnes wrote a post about rules of world-building.   Check it out at 5 Core Rules for World Building. 

          Do you enjoy world-building?   When you create a world within your mind do you ever get so excited about it that you perhaps go overboard describing it to others?    Are you able to easily separate politics from possibilities?   

        

Why the Border Wall Can Bring Positive Change

It's not so much a matter of what the wall will do as much as it is the question what we will do with the wall to make it of more benefit to all of us.

--Arlee Bird

       In my previous post I discussed my vision of how the border wall as described by Donald Trump including it being paid for by Mexico might actually be a practical and a very good idea.  My thinking on this suggests that a beautifully built and highly technological wall would provide economic stimulus and regional development to communities on both sides of the border.  To read more I recommend referring to Can Trump's Border Wall Work? before reading today's post.

 Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Resort, Anaheim CA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”
Walt Disney

A Symbol of Two Nations

       There is one more aspect of the "beautiful border wall" that I think is a very positive thing.  It sounds idealistic perhaps, but it makes sense from a certain standpoint of marketing.  What is this idealistic aspect?   I suggest the border wall as a symbol of two nations.

       The traditional symbol for immigrants coming to the United States has been the Statue of Liberty.  This monument was what the new arrivals to be processed through the Ellis Island immigration center would see.  The "Proud Lady of the Harbor" represented life, liberty, and the pursuit of dreams.   An awesome border wall build with aesthetic appeal could likewise become a symbol.

        A wall would initially seem like an unpleasant reminder of exclusion and hardship, but with smooth processing through modern efficient receiving centers located at the welcoming border gateways and vibrant development in the areas along the border wall, the border would become something to which hopeful immigrants would look forward.  This border wall would become famous and become a destination for travelers to just see and marvel.  The wall could become a destination for tourists as well as the crossing point between two great nations.

        Just as the Lady Liberty holds a torch in one hand and a book of law in the other, the wall's official logo might be a similar book of law.   At points along the length of the wall could be beacons or bright displays of light symbolizing illumination of the path as well as the minds of the people.  The development of this great wall perhaps could become like a sort of Disneyland of economic development where cultures would be shared through eating establishments, museums, shopping districts and so on.

       Many when faced with the concept of a border wall are immediately turned off.  They will argue about the expense, the impracticality, the divisiveness, or they might just say it can't be done.  What I've described in my previous post is practical and possible even though at first look it might seem fantasy.   What I've described in the above paragraphs will even be rejected outright as outlandish. Right now the idea is a fantasy in my mind.  I'm not saying that this is what Donald Trump or anyone else has in mind, but I do believe it is something to consider.  What it all comes down to is primarily marketing the idea, creating workable plans, implementing those plans, and then continuing to market the project until it has been widely accepted by most.

          There will always be those who are against any kind of progress, but if we'd listened to the naysayers of the past we'd still be in horse and buggies and there would be no such thing as flying in planes.  The greatest of ideas are almost always rejected as being a bit loony. I've presented a vision now its up to you the reader to decide if you think it is worth discussing.

The problems of the world cannot be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were.

--John F. Kennedy (1917 - 1963)

Can Trump's Border Wall Work?

 Trump Hotel in Las Vegas (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

      As I indicated in my previous post, today's post will present my reasoning why Donald Trump's idea of the border wall between Mexico and the United States not only could be highly effective, but also could potentially be a very good idea that would be embraced by the governments and citizens of both countries.  Before you shut me out on this, keep in mind that this post is nothing to do with Trump the man and candidate, but is simply my argument why the border wall might be better than many people think.  To my knowledge none of what follows here is what Donald Trump has said, but this is my speculative vision on the possibilities of a wall as I imagine it.

The Concept of the Wall

      The border wall is one of the pivotal points of appeal for many regarding the campaign of Donald Trump.  When I first heard him announce the idea I laughed.  Many called the idea totally absurd and impractical while millions of Americans fed up with illegal immigration embraced the idea of a border wall that would stem the flow of Mexicans and others coming through Mexico to make their way to benefit from whatever the United States had to offer them without going through normal legal channels.  Then the more Mr. Trump touted the wall and the subject became the main point of conversation in media and among the other candidates, the more I began to think about how this would all work.

       The rhetoric has been entertaining:  "We're going to build a wall.  It's going to be beautiful. It's going to have a big beautiful door where people can come in legally.  You're going to love it."  Okay. "And Mexico's going to pay for it."  Huh?  How does that work?

 Great Wall of China near Jinshanling  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Why Would Mexico Want to Pay for the Wall?

        The Mexican government would undoubtedly be resistant to paying outright for a wall. Convincing them to do it would require a powerful presentation that would have to demonstrate the benefit of doing so.   There are many potential ways of making Mexico pay for the wall through what could be considered punitive measures.   Trump has already suggested some potential ways of getting the money for the wall.   We could impose taxes on remittances on money from the states going into Mexico, tariffs on goods coming from Mexico, turning trade imbalances to our favor, and other means.  Other possibilities might entail charging additional fees to those coming to the states or taking away foreign aid that the U.S. gives to Mexico.   A combination of measures such as these would likely over a few years provide the funds needed to build this pipe dream of a wall.

        But what if the United States could convince Mexico that building the wall would work greatly to their advantage in the end?  If the wall concept were marketed in such a way that the Mexican government could understand that such a wall would provide a huge economic stimulus that could result in massive regional development on both sides of the border then they might be persuaded to take the idea far more seriously.  Creating a powerful partnership between our two nations could lead to an unprecedented agreement that would create a dramatic impetus to both economies.  They would have to be convinced and we would have to be willing to work with Mexico in every possible way to assist them in cleaning up corruption and the drug cartels.  It could all come to fruition if the vision were made real enough.  Again I say it would come down to some effective marketing and persuasion.  Dedication to the ideals of the mission and a sincere effort to cooperate would be paramount to the success of this venture.

Economic Stimulus

       The "beautiful wall" would need to be attractive in appearance as well as contain surveillance technology that would suit our modern times.  We would not want an ugly metal or concrete apparatus such as some of you might have seen in places such as El Paso or San Diego.  After all we shouldn't want to create the image of a prison wall or a DMZ zone between warring countries.  This is not a wall to attempt to stop heavily armed militaristic invading forces, but a deterrent intended to keep people from entering the country by means that evade legal procedure.  A properly constructed wall could virtually stop all or most flow of drugs or other contraband into the country.

       When I envision the wall when Trump talks about it I think of one of the Trump properties--a modern thing aesthetically designed fulfilling its purpose in a practical manner.  The wall would be expensive, but all things considered it would have great viability in the present as well as the long range future.

         A dynamic project such as this would create a surge in job creation not only for the construction trades, but for all businesses in the locales where the wall was being built.   Part of our deal should include Mexican workers as well as labor from the U.S. side   It might be safe to say there would be an economic boom in the job market as well as nearly all aspects of the economy in the border cities and even having a farther reach beyond those cities most directly affected.

         Cleaning up the cities on the Mexican side to make them safer and with sounder infrastructure would encourage an infusion of investment from private sources.  These cities are far larger than their counterparts on the U.S. side and have a great potential to become destination spots for tourism and convention trade.  As these cities become more attractive, the cities on the U.S. side would likely experience similar growth.

       The bottom line is that large projects require sizable investment, but if approached in the proper manner the pay off can be enormous.  Through the tandem effort of the United States and Mexico we can turn the border region into an economic behemoth.   Remember--it takes money to make money.  If the border is managed well we can sustain that economy for decades to come.  There is no reason that Mexico should not assist in these efforts as they can experience great benefit in doing so.

Map showing the border region (U.S. Dept of Health & Human Svcs)

Regional Development

       As money pours into these regions we should see vast improvements in the infrastructure on both sides of the border.   Airports would need to be expanded or improved in order to accommodate increased numbers of travelers to the region.  With a safer Mexico that would likely result in more ground traffic there would be more improvements to the highway systems.   Development would not be confined only to the border, but likely extend to far greater distances.    Greater prosperity would lead to more tax revenue which then can be diverted into projects that benefit the citizenry (and hopefully not line the pockets of corrupt opportunists).   Investments would be encouraged which would lead to new businesses and expansion of existing businesses.

       We might also look at this another way.   The wall concept has become famous throughout the world.  If the wall is built and it is indeed beautiful--a sight to behold--then the wall could become a draw like other famous landmarks throughout the world.  An impressive modern highly technological feat of ingenious engineering might become our Tomorrowland version of The Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, or the Roman Colosseum. This factor alone would create development in the border region that could impact the U.S. and Mexico in significant ways.

        A wall covering every inch of the border does not make sense as in some areas it would be impractical and not economically feasible.  Since I'm not specifically familiar with all of the terrain involved, but do have some general knowledge that there are mountainous regions, I realize a wall crossing the entire border should not be done.  In some areas such as the Big Bend National Park area in Texas--an area with dramatically beautiful scenery as well as ecological considerations--building a wall would be a travesty.  There is other technology and methodology that can be used in any of these cases.  For the most part though, especially in the areas where there are the highest numbers of border incursions, the wall would not be much different than constructing a highway or a large building.

        Experts have most likely looked at this issue from many aspects and  what has not yet been determined would have to be figured out.  It can be done and it can be done well.

A Possible Dream?

       Okay, perhaps I've gone overboard with my imagination.  Or have I?  My mind becomes fired up when I start thinking about this, but this is the way I operate when something of this nature fuels my thinking.  I'm a dreamer--perhaps even a visionary.  But please don't say this is something that can't be done without telling me exactly why.  If you believe that the wall is just a foolish pipe dream and none of what I've described here is possible in your mind then tell me what I'm missing.

        This post has already gone longer than I like my posts to go so I'm going to stop here for now to  allow my ideas to settle in your minds.  I do have one more point to make about this big wall idea as I have imagined it, but that is going to wait until Friday when I will present a more idealistic aspect of this vision.

         And if you are convinced that I am off base and this idea can never work, I have a special message for you.  But you will have to wait for that next post to hear my message to the doubters.

          Do you think I might be onto something or am I spouting off silly thinking?   Please tell me one way or another why you think the way you do about this.   Is there anything that you think I've missed regarding the positive benefits of the border wall as I've explained it?   Is there a fallacy in my thinking that knocks down this fantasy wall?