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I loved the novel "Catch-22" from the first time I read it as a teenager; it was hard to follow then, and some of it went over my head, but I instantly connected with, and admired, the perfect surrealistic satire of the core "Catch-22" concept.
But during the present century, I came to see that it wasn't "surrealistic" at all. Or perhaps I should say that reality transmogrified into a state indistinguishable from the seemingly surrealistic scenes.
Glenn's report about the SWAT goons' reluctance to even show a warrant, and the authorities' refusal to make the warrants public, demonstrates an eerie concordance:
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The protagonist, "anti-hero" Yossarian visits a former brothel from which military police have arrested or chased away all the prostitutes, and wantonly trashed the premises for good measure. Yossarian asks why.
"No reason," wailed the old woman. "No reason."
"What right did they have?"
"Catch-22. [...] Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing. [...] What does it mean, Catch-22? What is Catch-22?"
"Didn't they show it to you?" Yossarian demanded, stamping about in anger and distress. "Didn't you even make them read it?"
"They don't have to show us Catch-22," the old woman answered. "The law says they don't have to."
"What law says they don't have to?"
"Catch-22." [...]
Yossarian [...] strode out of the apartment, cursing Catch-22 vehemently as he descended the stairs, even though he knew there was no such thing. Catch-22 did not exist, he was positive of that, but it made no difference. What did matter was that everyone thought it existed, and that was much worse, for there was no object or text to ridicule or refute [...].
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I know that you're a sensible and circumspect fellow, Glenn-- but you and Jane be careful, hear?
