The movie Wicked arrived on our cinema screens just in time for the holiday season. This fable is inspired by the musical of the same name as well as the series of novels by Gregory Maguire. The story focuses on the origins and the relationship between the two emblematic witches of the land of Oz: Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.
In WickedThe Wizard of Oz manipulates public perception to present Elphaba as a threat to the safety and well-being of its inhabitants. This narrative control serves to distract attention from the injustices and abuses of power committed by the regime. That rings a bell, doesn’t it? Difficult to find a story more in line with our political news. A power-hungry leader poses as the defender of a population that struggles to find meaning in the events that disrupt their daily lives.
On this subject, a think tank commissioned by the Canadian government, Policy Horizons Canada, published the report last May Disruptions on the horizon. I’m a little late, but there are reports, like those from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), for example, that retain their relevance, even gain relevance over time.
In this 39-page document, we identify the 35 disruptions likely to affect Canadian society. Reading them, we understand that this does not only concern Canada, but quite all contemporary societies. Figure 2 on page 10 is simply dizzying. There we find the 10 most important disruptions according to their probability of occurrence in the short and medium term and their potential impact on society.
At the top of the list is the fact that “People can’t tell what’s true and what’s not.” Are we surprised by this alarming observation? As in the land of Oz, we often witness well-crafted communications tactics on the part of magicians eager to get their message across and influence public opinion without having to worry about the veracity of their words. Facts thus become opinions for those whose truths do not agree with their perception of the world.
Without enumerating the entire list, we find in fifth place in this ranking the fact that “Billionaires run the world”, in eighth place, the fact that “Downward social mobility is the norm” and finally, in tenth place, the fact that “Democratic systems are collapsing.” If you do not see any connection between these four disturbances, it is because you are willfully blind.
We are indeed in the time of magicians. Every day we see politicians fabricating false problems and promising that they will solve the same dangers and disruptions that do not exist. We are not talking here about interpretations of facts or statistics intended to mold themselves to their political biases. We are talking about sleight of hand to subjugate the voter and make him believe that what he does not see really exists.
What is even more astonishing is to see hordes of people believing in such distortions of the truth with the optimism of Canadian fans, for whom it only takes three victories in a row for the Sainte-Flanelle to believe to the next Stanley Cup. Although it happens less often this season, I’ll grant you that.
Take the latest gem from Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party. An online petition protests against a “Canadian government plan” that would force citizens to eat insects. This fabrication is not new, like many other ridiculous conspiracy theories circulating in cyberspace. Here we find the same way of working well put together. Need I remind you of Donald Trump’s statement that Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, would eat their neighbors’ dogs?
These conjurers of chaos flock to the gates of power everywhere, and an army of followers blindly follows them without worrying about the impacts of their speeches on our democracies and our future freedoms. Meanwhile, they have plenty of time to create a distraction and make us look elsewhere. Yes, it’s a not very subtle reference to the apocalyptic film Don’t Look Up.
In all eras, artists and creators have portrayed themselves as portraitists of their times and the anxieties of their societies. At a time when people are chasing time and wallowing in 30-second videos, I have the deep feeling that the approaching holiday season will be a lifesaver for many. Do you feel like I do this general state of mind, tired and exhausted, on the verge of a nervous breakdown?
By running too much, we end up getting caught in the net of the comforting tunes of nostalgia that the magicians of chaos enjoy humming to make us forget the collective anxiety that grips us in the face of a future increasingly troubled by different crises that escape us. I invite us to take a small step back and instead let ourselves be lulled by an art that lasts more than 30 seconds. We will thus be more able to calmly conduct our necessary collective discussions, even in an antagonized political climate like ours.
With that, I wish you a happy holiday season. See you on January 8th!
