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| by Elizabeth Weitz |
And the funny thing about it, is that no one has ever really had it at all.
Case in point, at Litchfield Prison POWER is the only currency that is traded. Money has no meaning when your basic needs are primarily met and the commissary manages to charge almost $6 for a Pepsi (who can afford that kind of luxury?) so the only thing left to deal in is Power.
When the newly elected members of the WAC assemble for the first time with Healey (Michael Harney) there is, at first, a real sense that maybe the inmates will finally have a voice and grab a bit of that power back in the form of 2 pillows per inmate, Rooster Sauce and access to 50 Shades of Grey (agreed upon by Taystee (Danielle Brooks), Maria (Jessica Pimentel) and Chang (Lori Tan Chinn) while Chapman (Taylor Schilling) is hoping to get preventative health care, educational opportunities and to have the running track opened back up...which no one gives a shit about when there's Rooster Sauce on the table for negotiation).
Of course, as we all know, WAC is merely an exercise in democracy and not an actual prospect. It's more like the faux elections that elementary students do when it's time for the country to elect a new President; they vote but none of it matters. And Healey knows this, in fact, the guard, who has always seemed to treat the women with a level of respect, is starting to show a real strain, both in his job and in his private life, and manages to turn WAC into more of a tea party (but with doughnuts) rather than an elected committee (after-all there's no money to get the things they want AND have doughnuts at every meeting).
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