Strombo Interviews G.I. Joe: Can One Man Save the World?
The screen flickers to life with the iconic CBC red backdrop. George Stroumboulopoulos, dressed in his signature black leather jacket, leans forward, his eyes locked onto his guest. Across from him sits G.I. Joe—no longer just a soldier, but something more. A digital warrior, an idea given form, the architect of a one-man army of avatars. The crowd is silent, waiting for the first question.
Strombo: “Greece is on fire. The streets are filled with rioters, and the world is watching. Some say we’re on the edge of something big. But here’s what I want to know, Joe—can one man really save the world?”
G.I. Joe: (Smirks, adjusting his tactical vest.) “That depends. If we’re talking one flesh-and-blood guy running through the streets, dodging molotovs? No. But a man with a force multiplier? That’s a different story.”
Strombo: “Force multiplier?”
G.I. Joe: “Yeah. I don’t work alone anymore, George. I’ve got an army of avatars. Digital warriors. Every one of them is me, or at least a version of me, operating in different battlefields—online, on the ground, in the minds of people who are waking up. Some fight with information, some with code, some with boots on the ground. The old way of war is dead. This is a psyop, and I turned their own psyop against them.”
Strombo: “So you’re saying you’re everywhere at once?”
G.I. Joe: (Leans in, eyes sharp.) “Exactly. The elites—governments, corporations, shadow groups—they’ve always used force multipliers. Media. Algorithms. Fear. I figured, why not use their own tactics against them? One man, one voice, amplified a thousand times over. That’s how you win in the digital age.”
Strombo: “Some would call that dangerous.”
G.I. Joe: “Depends who you ask. If you’re one of the billionaires hoarding wealth while Greece burns? Yeah, I’m dangerous. If you’re a kid in the streets wondering if your future got stolen? I’m your best shot.”
Strombo: “And what’s the endgame?”
G.I. Joe: (Pauses, looks past the cameras, as if seeing something bigger.) “Liberation. One download at a time.”
The studio is silent. The revolution is being broadcast in real time.