What has led to the rise of right-wing authoritarianism? One view is that globalisation and capitalism are responsible. Another view is that it is related to patriarchy fighting back against feminism. A third view is that liberalism is flawed and that authoritarianism has never been very far from liberalism.
All three may be correct. Right-wing authoritarianism may have different causes and trajectories. One driver of authoritarianism that has not received sufficient attention is popular culture – film, television and fiction. These media entertain, but they also reflect and shape social attitudes. Popular culture is affected by economics, gender relations, and prevailing political values and practices. But it also has a degree of autonomy from these basic structures.
What is striking is the paranoid turn in popular culture. It is not recent, but it has grown. The basic paranoid story line is well known. A hero, male or female, fights an authority figure or figures who are self-seeking, two-faced, violent, exploitative, even deranged. The authority figures are politicians, business tycoons, scientists and engineers, as well as religious leaders and activists. The hero uncovers or is embroiled in a conspiracy by authorities. He or she battles against a rotten “system” as much as a particular individual and in the end wins though at great personal cost.
A consistent theme in these media is that under the genial facade of normal and seemingly liberal social existence are dark forces that are working to control others and take away their freedom and dignity, or their lives. The broad message is that authority is corrupt and cannot be trusted. Political and other authorities in liberal societies are in these depictions shown to be illiberal, selfish and violent even if they pretend to be otherwise. The audience is left with a view that though the hero has triumphed, the dark forces will return and have not been entirely defeated.
Why does this paranoid theme flourish against liberalism above all? It does so because other kinds of political dispensations are assumed to be reactionary, controlling and violent. A film, television serial, or a novel that deals with the heroic resistance to a ruthless dictatorship is too predictable, or sentimental, and provides no “kick”. It is only in science fiction that heroic action against monstrous foes excites and entertains. On planet earth, it is liberal structures and practices that provide a more interesting backdrop to the story. Underneath the seemingly normal and open existence we take for granted in a liberal society, the narrative shows that there are terrible forces at play below the surface. It has shock value and challenges our complacency, and that makes for good viewing or reading.
In essence, films, television serials or pot-boiler novels with these kinds of storylines provide us with the comfort that there may be simple answers to complex social problems. Poverty, inequality, unemployment, everyday violence in the streets, social malaise, environmental damage and confounding antagonisms with other countries are traceable to corrupt, self-seeking politicians, business executives and entrepreneurs, scientists and other experts, religious figures and activists. Well-meaning liberals exist, but they are shown to be foolish, cowardly or stymied by legal niceties in dealing with the villains. It takes a hero who sees things clearly and sets aside the normal and the legal to put things right.
It is this that provides the political narrative that authoritarian leaders and movements use to unsettle democracy and come to power. Crusading leaders and movements are the heroes that see the corrupt and violent forces below the surface of a seemingly liberal existence. They must unmask and reveal what is going on and use extraordinary, even unconstitutional means to do battle and triumph on our behalf.
We live in a time of dark and dangerous conspiracy theories. As we ask why, we should consider that popular culture has played a role in encouraging our increasingly paranoid and heated imaginations.
FREDERICTON – A look at David Coon, leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick:
Born: Oct. 28, 1956.
Early years: Born in Toronto and raised in Montreal, he spent about three decades as an environmental advocate.
Education: A trained biologist, he graduated with a bachelor of science from McGill University in Montreal in 1978.
Family: He and his wife Janice Harvey have two daughters, Caroline and Laura.
Before politics: Worked as an environmental educator, organizer, activist and manager for 33 years, mainly with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.
Politics: Joined the Green Party of Canada in May 2006 and was elected leader of the New Brunswick Green Party in September 2012. Won a seat in the legislature in 2014 — a first for the province’s Greens.
Quote: “It was despicable. He’s clearly decided to take the low road in this campaign, to adopt some Trump-lite fearmongering.” — David Coon on Sept. 12, 2024, reacting to Blaine Higgs’s claim that the federal government had decided to send 4,600 asylum seekers to New Brunswick.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
FREDERICTON – A look at Blaine Higgs, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick.
Born: March 1, 1954.
Early years: The son of a customs officer, he grew up in Forest City, N.B., near the Canada-U.S. border.
Education: Graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1977.
Family: Married his high-school sweetheart, Marcia, and settled in Saint John, N.B., where they had four daughters: Lindsey, Laura, Sarah and Rachel.
Before politics: Hired by Irving Oil a week after he graduated from university and was eventually promoted to director of distribution. Worked for 33 years at the company.
Politics: Elected to the legislature in 2010 and later served as finance minister under former Progressive Conservative Premier David Alward. Elected Tory leader in 2016 and has been premier since 2018.
Quote: “I’ve always felt parents should play the main role in raising children. No one is denying gender diversity is real. But we need to figure out how to manage it.” — Blaine Higgs in a year-end interview in 2023, explaining changes to school policies about gender identity.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
OTTAWA – The pressing issues of climate change and food security join more familiar ones like violent extremism and espionage on a new list of Canada’s intelligence priorities.
The federal government says publishing the list of priorities for the first time is an important step toward greater transparency.
The government revises the priorities every two years, based on recommendations from the national security adviser and the intelligence community.
Once the priorities are reviewed and approved by the federal cabinet, key ministers issue directives to federal agencies that produce intelligence.
Among the priorities are the security of global health, food, water and biodiversity, as well as the issues of climate change and global sustainability.
The new list also includes foreign interference and malign influence, cyberthreats, infrastructure security, Arctic sovereignty, border integrity and transnational organized crime.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
