“Black Legion” and Bogey — in TrumpWorld

Propaganda works.

Really, it does — no doubt about it. It got POTUS 45 elected, and has kept him in power, and will probably get him re-elected, too. This fierce, unyielding loyalty of Trump’s supporters — despite his numerous gaffes, improprieties, and blatant abuses of power — gives testament to the real power of Trump’s propaganda. His followers not only believe his skewed version of events without question, they continue to buy into his heroic myth of victimhood. They actually believe God has a special plan (?!) to keep him in the Oval office (?!!!)

But why?

Why do so many rational, commonsense Americans keep believing everything this liar-in-chief tells them?

Go figure. How Trump’s brand of propaganda works and why it works so effectively remains an ongoing mystery to countless Americans, including Mark Galli, recently retired Editor-in-chief of “Christianity Today.”

His perspective of TrumpWorld deserves another look because it reflects what so many others have been feeling (and struggling with) as the 2020 election approaches.

On December 19, 2019, Galli’s editorial declared why he thought Trump should be removed from office. Reactions to his op-ed were swift and dramatic — and puzzling to him. The website that featured his editorial online actually crashed because so many readers were trying to view it. Despite the positive feedback he received from Evangelicals who felt all alone in the Christian flock because they too believed what his editorial asserted, Galli was mystified by the cluelessness of Trump’s supporters.

In fact, on Friday, January 3, 2020, “The New York Times” featured a condensed interview with Galli. The headline, “Editor of Christianity Today Laments ‘Ethical Naivete’ of Trump Supporters” came from an actual comment the editor himself made:

“I’ve been surprised by the ethical naivete of the response I’m receiving to the editorial. There does seem to be widespread ignorance — that is the best word I can come up with — of the gravity of Trump’s moral failings.”

And yet, more than any other journalist I’ve studied, this 20-year veteran of magazine editing has a real handle on Trump’s M.O. as fascist demagogue:

“…I will say that some of his closest followers are, in a sense, being discipled by him. Mr. Trump’s typical response to a critic is to frame the entire conversation as a competition between success and failure. When the editorial published, the first response coming out of the mouth of some leading evangelicals was ‘That’s Christianity Yesterday’ or ‘You’re a dying magazine.’ They’re taking their cues on how to react in the public square from Donald Trump, whose basic response is to denigrate people.”

Talk about an astute observation! Galli’s is one of the better ones I’ve read. Unfortunately, too many journalists hesitated at first to call out this president as an enemy of democracy.

Not this writer.

For the past 3 years, I’ve recognized and identified Trump as a bona fide propagandist, then discussed his ongoing campaign to gain power by appealing to the worst fears and prejudices of the masses(Hello, fascist demagoguery). But now that so many others are starting to agree with my commentary and validate my worst fears, I’ve been trying to better expose what Trump’s been doing. I’ve been trying to find some way to show how — and why — any decent, law-abiding citizen could become unduly unhinged and affected by Trumpropaganda.

At last, dear readers, I’ve found the perfect way to show you exactly how and why propaganda works: watch Humphrey Bogart in the 1937 film “Black Legion.”

Leave it to Bogart to adroitly show how his character — decent, hardworking family guy Frank Taylor — could succumb to the siren song of fascist propaganda in this all-American tragedy. What makes his performance so authentic is the way he gradually changes from friendly next-door neighbor/working stiff to embittered vigilante right before our eyes. Sometimes, it doesn’t even seem like a movie; it feels like a recruiting film for White Nationalism that’s too scary to watch. (That’s why I think students in Civics classes nationwide should watch it.)

When a younger man gets the promotion Taylor thinks he deserves at his blue-collar job, he feels surprised and hurt. Then his disappointment soon turns to anger. Never mind that this guy with less seniority who is now his boss was better qualified than he was. Never mind that this younger guy also had more schooling and designed inventions to make work at the factory more productive. All Taylor knows is that the raise he expected in his next paycheck won’t be there…It’s not right! It’s not fair!

Besides, his new boss isn’t even a real American. He’s (GASP!) Polish.

In his angry disappointment, Taylor’s boss becomes a scapegoat for his own job loss, a living symbol of foreigners “who are stealing jobs from American workmen and bread from American homes,” as the radio broadcast from the Black Legion declares. Taylor not only gets into “America for Americans” mode, he becomes an avid member of this white nationalist group.

So now, losing the promotion wasn’t his fault, it was the fault of all the foreigners who swarmed into our country and took over our jobs. And all those aliens who keep stealing our jobs must be stopped by Taylor and other “free — white — one-hundred percent Americans!” Sound familiar?

What makes these cinematic tropes even more chilling some 83 years later is how the script makes the unmistakable connection between Taylor’s monetary situation and his vulnerability to propaganda.

Maybe money can’t buy everything, but it sure can give working class families like Taylor’s a whole lot of things they really need. Adequate healthcare, safe and sanitary living quarters, food, and clothing — all these things can be acquired with cold hard cash. Furthermore, just being able to pay for more than these basic necessities gives blue-collar workers prestige — a kind of respectability that goes beyond security.

With extra money that a raise could have given him, Taylor wouldn’t have been obligated to buy the new car he wanted. But just having the extra funds available would have made a big difference in the quality of life he could have had — as well as the pursuit of happiness for him and his family. Without that all- important promotion headed his way, Taylor became emotionally distraught. Then he became acutely vulnerable to and agitated by all the psychological tools of propaganda .

Of course, watching a movie about one man’s personal downfall from law-abiding citizen to self-justified avenger won’t be as exciting as watching the exploits of the Marvel heroes. You shouldn’t watch “Black Legion” for the thrills or special effects, though. You should watch it to see how easy it is for “it can’t happen here” to morph into “it IS happening here!” Watch this movie to see how tricks and devices and emotional ploys used back then are still being used in today’s Trumpropaganda.

With Bogart’s performance, this production shows how vulnerable anyone can become to the mechanisms of hate. You can watch it online (now on Amazon Prime) or you can buy the DVD. But you should see it.

Every American who wants to keep our democracy in existence should watch it. If you want even more information about this film read “Bogart,” the definitive biography of the celebrated and enigmatic actor by A.M. Sperber and Eric Lax. Because so few audiences nowadays have actually seen “Black Legion” or even heard of its existence, I turned to the book for more info and clarification about it. (But before I ever wrote this op-ed, I’d already viewed this film myself at least three times. What can I say? When Humphrey Bogart’s at work, it’s always fascinating to watch.)

Watch the movie to witness Bogart’s believable downfall at the hands of this white nationalist hate group. Then read the book for interesting supplements like this anecdote about Warner Brother’s commitment to detail and authenticity. Because the costumes in this film featured such spot-on replications of hoods, gowns, and badges, the studio was actually sued — by the KKK!

Who knew that the Klan had copyrighted their symbol? The courts weren’t very sympathetic to this copyright infringement, however. Not only was this case dismissed, but the “Knights” were ordered to pay legal costs. ( Let’s just hope the judges appointed by Trump would rule against the Klan, too…)