Gullible Lemmings/Quotes
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Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty?
—Patrick Henry
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Given what they're taught to crave; —The Antibody Politic by Skyclad
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This is a good flashpoint to counter Yet Another Unfortunate Tendency of Fantasy Novels with: the depiction of anyone who believes what the demagogue says as stupid and evil. The fantasy portrayal of large groups, especially those groups that the protagonist stands outside, is not complimentary. Of course the mob goes wild in the face of something utterly unconvincing! They’re stupid and evil! It is up to the heroic individualist hero to stop them! Or: Of course the rebel group has never gotten anything accomplished! They’re stupid and evil! It is up to the special spunky heroine to turn them in the right direction! (This extends like a poisonous root system through many aspects of fantasy, I think, up to and including the fact that the foremost crime of many “evil” societies is usually their denial of individualism, and many villains have no personality at all. |
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