People are sheep!

The Conformist (Il conformista, Italian; 1970)
Director: Bernardo Bertolucci

People are like sheep. They flock around each other, following their shepherd, not knowing that their shepherd has only one thing on their mind. That is, to protect the herd from the wolf, to fatten them and nicely line them up to the slaughter.

The one thing that differentiates people from animals, their minds are so quickly malleable. With a bit of persuasion, they will bark, sing, bleat, dance or croak to the tune of their masters.

Plato’s Cave Allegory, described in this movie, succinctly tells how we behave.

In Plato’s original example, he told of prisoners who had never seen the outside world, tied by their hands to face a wall of the inside of a cave. From the silhouette that appears on the wall of human activity, of people playing and children eating ice cream, they imagine how the world is without ever setting foot outside their prisons. It is an imagined outside world that he imagines may be far from what may be present in reality.

Strong leaders, through their rhetorics and perhaps behaviour, are able to create an understanding of a future that the politicians want their voters to believe. If the leader tries to usurp power via ‘divide and rule’ tactics, that is how he will steer the nation, i.e., one with animosity amongst the citizens whilst the leaders laugh all the way to the bank. That may be their legacy. If he tries to inculcate an inclusive rule, that is how the nation would go towards prosperity, barring any untoward catastrophe.

Look around. The shrieks of religious bigots in this country were reaching deafening pitches just before the GE15. As the results of the elections turned out to be against their favour, the yells mellowed down to occasional muffled murmurs. What gave? I would like to think it is the leader that makes all the difference. This time around, we see everyone wishing each other Yuletide greetings, even those who do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Previously, religious bigots propagated the idea that one would convert to Christianity by expressing felicitations.

Look at WW2 Japan, Germany and Italy. See how their law-abiding, peaceful people followed behind the footsteps of their dictatorial leaders without questioning them, like the children of Hamelin would. The current generation must indeed feel ashamed of what their ancestors have done. A gag order on their faux pas is preferred.

Plato's Cave Allegory

This classic Italian movie by a master moviemaker managed to recreate the ambience of 1930s Italy under Benito Mussolini. The people of Italy are divided between following his fascist teaching and the faction that believes that knowledge and art should not be suppressed.

The clever use of darkness, light and shadow in this movie gives a traditional neo-noir ambience resulting in sumptuous visuals and extravagant, artful cinematography.

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