Fear as a tool

While we're more or less on the subject of fear, recent anti-immigrant hysteria has me thinking about all manner of historical precedents that show how effectively a crowd can be made to panic about something that has nothing to do with the actual threats to them.


Last year I traipsed through "The Party of Fear," a penetrating history of nativist/anti-immigrant crusades in America and their ties to wider right-wing movements. Seems that certain of our countrymen have been trying to bar the doors against more recent arrivals ever since Plymouth Rock changed hands. It's truly astounding to see how flexible and self-serving the definition of "real American" has been.


It's also illuminating to note that periods of anti-immigrant bias tend to coincide with economic downturns. People are anxious, angry and looking for someone to blame for their predicament, and swarthy people who talk all funny turn out to be an awfully convenient (and organizationally powerless) target.


I was also struck recently while watching "The History of the Devil," a fine little British documentary recently aired on public TV (and which Amazon lists as "starring Zoroaster," a casting coup if there ever was one) how depressingly familiar the descriptions of various anti-heretic crusades and witch purges sounded. Secret trials, pre-established guilt, ethnic stereotyping -- stop me if you've heard this one before.


The upshot, at least for me, is that it's a really useful practice, if someone is trying to make you afraid of something, to ponder a bit about what they might have to gain from this. An Anglican cleric in the devil documentary tartly makes the point that accusing one of being a Cathar, Templar or other variety of heretic was usually the medieval church's way of saying "What a nice estate you have."


In the case of anti-immigrant movements -- well, it is rather convenient for those in charge, especially the element that favors privileged treatment for the super-wealthy, to have a target for public anger other than the political and legal structures that have allowed such uneven distribution of wealth.


Critical thinking -- such a crazy idea it just might work.