by Ran Bo

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed an executive order to establish the Peace Corps. The goal was to assist interested countries with trained personnel, promote a better understanding of Americans and for Americans to get a better understanding of foreign cultures. 61 years later the program is still going strong but is being completely reevaluated by the Biden Administration and Carol Spahn who was nominated to be its Chief Executive Officer.

According to Ms. Spahn, the peace corps has always attracted young, open-minded and adventurous young, selfless volunteers who are willing to sacrifice time and energy to learn about and support other cultures, especially in the third world. The trouble is these young people who are open-minded before they go on their missions,  come back to the States just a little more open-minded than when they left. The return on investment is negligible.

“What if we focused on recruiting volunteers who are just the opposite of the types we recruited in the past? Starting in 2023, we are going to start recruiting those with limited education, a narrow experience of culture, gun-toting, self indulgent and bigoted,” promised Spahn. “I’m sure there will be challenges and frankly I’m not sure if it’s going to work but we have to give it a try.” According to Spahn, an international experience can truly broaden one’s perspective and she’s hoping that the ever-widening basket of deplorables in this country will become a smaller basket. 

“I don’t use the term redneck personally,” added Spahn. “It only makes our recruits defensive and think we are being elitist. We want them to have a life-changing, enriching experience abroad, become a bit more open-minded, and then come back to their communities and be a positive influence,” she explained.

Biden is hoping that the experience of these new recruits will help them develop critical thinking skills and make them less likely to believe in false conspiracies like a stolen election.

Cynics on the other hand say the program is doomed from the start. “They’ll just make Americans look like arrogant fools abroad,” warned Chris Winer, a white house staffer. “Although I understand the goals of the program, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Imagine if when John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps, they sent the Klu Klux Klan to Ghana to build roads and schools. What could have gone wrong?” he asked cynically.