There is certainly an archetype with fear and terror that has been seen through history. The French Revolution, with its Reign of Terror, set the stage. There were leaders of the Reign of Terror who accused people of being traitors and enemies of the revolution. The accusations often had hasty trials and unjustly led to executions. The leaders turned on each other, when Robespierre killed Danton, Saint-Just was killed, and then Robespierre was killed himself in the Thermidorian Reaction. The same events repeated themselves in the Salem witch trials. Certain leaders of the movement claim that their neighbors are witches left and right. Some accusers were accused themselves, and the trials were mostly unfair because they involved pressing the accused to confess (like Giles Corey in The Crucible) and suspicious evidence like fainting and supposed effects of witchcraft. Then the archetype was seen again in McCarthy's Red Scare. McCarthy is known for accusing without evidence, and in some cases not even having tangible names of the accused. And then the pattern manifested itself in the aftermath of 9/11, as we talked about in class. All of these movements were based solely on fear. One could not speak out against the ludicrous, irrational nature of the events for fear of being guillotined, hanged, or sentenced as Communist next. Fear and terror are clearly effective techniques in achieving certain goals. But why can't humans stop the pattern from recurring, if the source of the problem can be identified? Is it merely because when there are no foreign enemies, a given population will turn within themselves?
-- tori
I think the problem arises from the fact that people use terror and fear to get power. There are various ways about getting others to do what you want and gaining authority and prestige, and playing on people's fears is one way to go about doing this. In essence, I see the problem as a power struggle rather than merely a human tendency to make accusations.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the post above me. If a group of people collaborate to accomplish some goal, they are each eventually going to want to be seen as the most powerful individual leader, instead of as a group. And what better way is there to eliminate all of your competitors than by killing/deporting/imprisoning them?
ReplyDeleteAs for your question about why humans can't stop the pattern from recurring, I believe that you answered that on your own. You stated a couple sentences before that people couldn't speak out against the injustice for fear of being accused themselves. In the McCarthy period, the accusations came on too suddenly for people to be able to protest and not be called a Communist or a Communist-sympathizer. People often don't realize what is happening (or deny what is happening) until it is too late.
-Audrey
I think this comes back to human nature. In their desire for power or money, people will always be willing to use fear tactics and accusations in order to achieve their goals. In the end, it's impossible for human beings to defy their very nature.
ReplyDelete-Bryce C.