I opened my book Holy Horror with an epigraph taken from Apocalypse Now, a movie I recently watched again. That quote was from Col. Kurtz: “It’s impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means. Horror… Horror has a face… and you must make a friend of horror. Horror and moral terror are your friends. If they are not, then they are enemies to be feared.” I’ve been thinking quite a lot about how you can make any progress in a discussion with anyone who’s already made up his or her mind (i.e., no matter what you say to them they will not take it seriously. Think your favorite Trump supporter). People far smarter than I have noted that the only way to combat this unthinking adherence is to get people to think critically. That may be correct, but to preserve democracy we need a more assured method in the short term. That of Col. Kurtz.
Apocalypse Now was based on Joseph Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness. Both contain a vital truth—fear motivates people. Democrats have been forward-looking in recent decades, but Republicans run on that fear playbook and it’s very difficult to defeat. That’s because people are afraid. It’s important to face fears, but to win elections, you need to seed them. I know whereof I speak when it comes to phobias. I was so riddled with fear as a young person that at times I could not leave the house. At other times even the house didn’t feel safe to me. I had multiple phobias and difficulty talking to other people. I’ve grown out of many of these fears, but if I’m honest, I know they’re still with me. I suspect many other people are also afraid.
Strong men (even if personally weak) appeal to the afraid. They want someone who can protect them. I tend to think Democrats think many Americans are better adjusted than they actually are. You want their votes? Make them afraid. I’ve been writing books on fear and its many cinematic manifestations for several years now. I grew up being afraid of everything. I don’t advocate creating fear, but when a nation decides Hitler would be better than letting young people read, it’s reached a crisis point. I do wish progressive political leaders would consider my humble observations. When afraid people herd together and become the mob with torches. And just such a mob became the mindless followers of Col. Kurtz. Just saying.
