Denethor, Dooku and Dementors
Keep your enemies close, but your "friends" can also take you down.
Life imitates art. Where we find heroes and villains in the popular fiction of our day suggests the landscape of heroes and villains in our everyday lives.
Some of the trending “stories” in culture remind us that in the ever-polarizing world of “us” vs. “them,” do not be surprised if your first, possibly your biggest, challenge comes from someone assumed to be “one of us.”
In Lord of the Rings, the Kingdom of Gondor is led by a steward, Denethor, who stands as the principal military opponent to the Dark Lord, Sauron. But Tolkien reveals to us that, driven by despair and hopelessness, Denethor has been compromised to make decisions that play directly into the Dark Lord’s plans.
In Star Wars we encountered a former Padawan apprentice of Yoda, Count Dooku, a Jedi Master disillusioned with the corruption of the Galactic Senate and its leader, High-Chancellor Palpatine. George Lucas elevated Dooku to leader of the Confederation of Independent Systems. Before Lucas’ hero, Obi-Wan Kenobi can confront the cancer killing the Republic, he must fight the leading opponent to that very cancer.
And J.K. Rowling describes the battle between “He Who Cannot Be Named” and the Ministry of Magic, where the Ministry wins and sentences defeated “Death Eaters” to the prison Azkaban under the guarded watch of “Dementors.” These supposed Ministry allies are revealed among Harry Potter’s chief antagonists, seeming to aid Voldemort more than “police” him.
All of these authors write to convey a reality in the room: a world of clear-cut “us” and “them” is something that never was and never will be. To present the world simplified down to two choices, the obviously right and the clearly wrong, is illogical.
This is not opinion or conjecture. It is a fallacy well understood to be “contrary to logic.” To argue the position that there are only two options available, for or against, true or false, hot or cold, red or blue, is a recognized common “logical fallacy,” defined in most instructional texts, videos and academic discussions under the heading “false dichotomy.”
And we see this everywhere we turn. Many patriotic, good-hearted Americans want to see our immigration laws properly and appropriately enforced at our border. But there are a few who just don’t want people of a different culture or race coming into America.
They desire a tyranny of the majority and fear continued immigration, even legal, as eroding that “majority” advantage. Is that the position of an ally? Or do these bigots provide Democrats with cover to thwart and obstruct Trump’s reforms at every step?
An over-regulated economy is sluggish, unresponsive and represses innovation and competition from new and better ideas. Most Americans think we could cut government red tape and be fine. But there are a few who truly want to abuse their workers and pollute the environment.
They skimp on worker safety and engage in practices that push toxins and pollutants onto a neighbor’s yard or into streams or airsheds. They respect neither life nor property. Are they allies in the cause of liberty? Or are they the reason regulations get written in the first place?
State and local taxes have traditionally been deductible from federally taxable income. Some states took abusive advantage of that, taxing high earners to pay for socialized medicine and a generous welfare net, knowing their taxpayers would get some back on their federal taxes.
This has Idahoans subsidizing the socialist government of Massachusetts. Trump moved in his first term to end that subsidy, but high-tax states are now screaming for “tax relief.” Are they allies, or are they greedy statists who just want someone else to pay for their extravagance?
Strong emotion sells (or generates likes, or prompts clicks). So almost all of our digital world wants to bucket us all into a righteous “us” versus an evil greedy “them.” But before buying into that dichotomy (defined as “a division between two things”), ask yourself if it is real.
Or will we someday regret becoming part of an “us” that includes the very people standing against our freedom and well-being.
Trent Clark of Soda Springs has served in the leadership of Idaho business, politics, workforce, and humanities education.