Mfadhili Wangu

Fifty years ago, America was experiencing worse political turmoil than we find ourselves in today. Amidst a backdrop of riots, protests, a pointless war that sent young men to die in Vietnam and with a corrupt president who lied and spread malicious propaganda, the journalist Hunter S. Thompson decided to run for sheriff of Aspen partly to encourage disenfranchised young voters to get involved in the political system and partly to highlight the corruption and dishonesty of those in power. After Hunter went to the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and experienced the nightmarish riots and police violence there, he felt he had to speak out and take action. Like many young people now, Hunter realized that the president was a liar and a manipulator and that to save America, he had to get involved in politics if he wanted to change the direction that the country was heading. In the film, Nixon is Hunter's big villain and Hunter sees the local politicians as small-time henchmen for the Nixon agenda. The inevitable comparison between Nixon and Trump makes Hunter's struggle easy to identify with and Hunter's journey from political apathy to running for office is one that many people will be able to relate to in the midst of the current political debacle. As Hunter's campaign gains momentum, the incumbent sheriff's supporters begin plotting dirty tricks to malign Hunter and undermine the campaign's credibility. When Hunter starts getting death threats that even the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) agrees are credible, the fear and paranoia in the campaign spikes, and Hunter and some of his supporters become convinced that someone may try to assassinate him. Hunter's campaign team sets up a nightly armed patrol at his house and vacate their headquarters, which Hunter believes have been bugged. Hunter isn't entirely sure whether it's just local rednecks, the Hells Angels or the FBI who wants to kill him, as all three have threatened to take action against him. Journalists and news stations from across the US descend on Aspen adding to the tension and antipathy in town in the days leading up to the election. Ultimately, the Democrats and Republicans in town are so afraid that Hunter is going to win that the Republicans agree to withdraw support for their candidate in order to consolidate the vote for Sheriff Whitmire. Hunter loses by 300 votes and gives a bitter yet funny concession speech. Though he seems disheartened by his defeat, the tide is turning in Aspen and by 1976, one of Hunter's friends becomes sheriff and Aspen transforms into one of the most liberal counties in Colorado. After his initiation into politics in Aspen, Hunter went on to write Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 which became one of the best books about American politics during the 20th century.