Reading this, it reminds me why we need the myth that we are savages at heart.

Authoritarian rulers tell us that we are savages, and we need them to control us. Look up the words of Macron for example. The idea is of people being naturally violent, society being fragile, held together only by dominant police force and oppressive ruler.

They brutalise us only for our own good, because they love us, and we need them.

As society starts to move towards democracy, we will see these images fade. They won’t be needed any more.

We will start to see ourselves as naturally resilient, stronger than our rulers and independent from them.

  • @pingveno
    link
    31 year ago

    I think this is a misreading of Lord of the Flies. The boys were supposed to be a metaphor for World War 2, with Jack being a stand-in for oppressive leaders and the police state. Piggy is killed, much as intellectuals were targeted. Ralph was the representation of a healthy, open democratic society. At the end, he is hunted to within an inch of his life.

    I have recently become involved in a group called NET that is affiliated with my city to supplements first responders in the event of an emergency. The big threat here is a megathrust earthquake, but NET members also help with everything from the small (clearing storm drains) to more medium events (warming/cooling shelters, wildfire evacuees). One thing that has been repeated again and again in training is that in emergencies, people really step up and help each other. Sometimes that drive to help has led people to put themselves in harm’s way, which is part of the reason we’re being trained.

    • @roastpotatothiefOP
      link
      21 year ago

      That’s an interesting interpretation. I’ve never heard it before. Would be interesting to re-read with this in mind.

      Everybody interprets Lord of the Flies the same way - as a dilemma between whether people are naturally civilised/cooperative or naturally violent/selfish.

      Here is the first link I found, for example. https://bookanalysis.com/william-golding/lord-of-the-flies/themes-analysis/

      Your interpretation is radical.


      About NET, that’s reassuring to hear. It’s what I already believe. Ubiquitous narrative of people turning savage in an emergency is just cynical propaganda. I’d like to read more evidence to properly test it though, if I come across any.

      • @pingveno
        link
        21 year ago

        This article on the subject was interesting. It presents somewhat of a mixed bag on people’s reactions. My main takeaways are that emergencies accentuate people’s natural tendencies, with cooperative people being more cooperative and individualistic people being more selfish.

        One particular event is the one that was the catalyst for CERT, the federal program under FEMA that NET is part of (renamed to avoid confusion with Portland’s SERT). After the massive 1985 Mexico City earthquake, citizens rushed to help people trapped under collapsed buildings. Unfortunately they often did not know when it was safe to aid others, leading to over a thousand additional deaths from people who were trying to rescue others. As sad as that is, it perfect demonstration of just how many helpers there are out there.

        CERT was then started in LA to train people to supplement first responders without putting themselves at risk. It later spread to the federal government with branches in many cities. Portland has the largest number of active volunteers. The city has high levels of civic engagement and the ever present threat of the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, so that is somewhat unsurprising. There are also plans to rely on amateur radio operators to provide communication both within the city and outside of the region, with the assumption that phone service will be unreliable.