This op-ed by Andrew Klavan in The Los Angeles Times on the timidity of Hollywood in confronting the challenge that terrorism presents and the heroism of the men and women of the FBI in standing up to the challenge reminds me of Chesterton’s advice in Tremendous Trifles on why fairy tales are good for children:
Fairy tales, then, are not responsible for producing in children fear, or any of the shapes of fear; fairy tales do not give the child the idea of the evil or the ugly; that is in the child already, because it is in the world already. Fairy tales do not give a child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon.
I could use a little reminding these days, most especially that there’s less need for adults to note that there are dragons and that they are to be feared than to stand up to the dragons in defense of the weak and innocent.
Perhaps you can explain to me what the bloody fuck the point is there?
It truly escapes me. I harldy think with torture enabling shows such as 24 (as I see in pirated versions outre-mer) you need more self-fellating mythogizing. Your bloody government has already achieved the rather interesting position of having the same moral weight as the fucking Bolsheviks.
Well, I should say same moral weight as the Bolshies is hyperbole, but you do seem to be heading that way.
I don’t watch 24, Lounsbury. From what I’ve heard that’s not the sort of mythologizing I, personally, am interested in. I think we need something and I’m not entirely sure what it is.
In the article I link to Klavan points to FBI agents in stations in various parts of the world who are unlikely to be recognized for their successes but are quite aware that their failures will be put in high relief. That’s something I think could use a little more reflection.
And, indeed, I don’t believe that all of the “dragons” we face are named Osama or Mohammed. Some are named John or Thomas or Janis.
I mean something different by heroism than mere swashbuckling, I think.
I am frankly at a loss to understand your thrust.
Fairy tales are about magical solutions.
The FBI agent problem you cite is the exact opposite of fairy tales. Being cursed to live with someone who inexplicably likes 24 (via pirated editions of course), I can only say it seems rather heroic fairy tale with a bit of torture and abuse pornography kicked in.
It would be better if the US film industry injected a little less magic into their depictions, but I am a realist.