The Miami Times

Megaphobism

Note the new word above. It is compounded of two Greek words which mean great fear. The word describes and suggests a state of mind that characterizes life in the United States as nowhere else in the world. Because of a great fear, we all are sitting like Pilate upon the judgement seat knowing what is right and doing what is wrong.

Men who would get a point over, no longer appeal to reason, they appeal to fear. The Democratic party for its election purposes is never slow to intimate, and even say, that the country goes up or down with the Democratic party. The Republicans make the same appeal.

Nobody makes it clear that the country would survive the extinction of either the Democratic or the Republican party, even as it survived before these parties were brought forth.

Man lives and dies, but man lives on! This column is inspired by the great demonstration which accompanied the last hours of the Rosenbergs, demonstrations that occurred in widely separate points of the international compass. The most remarkable thing about these demonstrations is the diversity of opinions they represent. There were demonstrators in behalf of the Rosenbergs and there were demonstrators against them.

It matters not what side demonstrators espouse, we can always be sure that there can be found counter-demonstrators. Not only the most worthy causes have their demonstrators, but the weakest causes have theirs. In the end the demonstrations mean little besides giving vent to the pent up feelings of enthusiastic groups and individuals.

There was a time when these demonstrations amounted to something in particular, but not now. About one of the most effective ways to damn a cause is for the demonstrators to take the picket line.

It has come about that cases where clemency and mercy are indicated are lost; because to grant mercy or clemency would be to play into the hands of the demonstrators. This looks so much like a sign of weakness that the powers that be are often even afraid to do the square and humane thing for fear it will be a sign of weakness, before the pressures of groups with special interests.

If I were in serious trouble about the last thing I would call for would be a group of demonstrators picketing the powers that be. The Martinsville Seven might have been saved but for the pressure groups and so the Rosenbergs. But the appearance of the agitators and demonstrators almost certainly means doom for the jeopardized. However meritorious the cause, it is invariably jeopardized by the demonstrator.

Moreover, in this day of hysteria almost any demonstration will be construed as Communist-inspired and this means that the purpose of the demonstrators is thwarted to begin with. There's always the danger that even the right in the Communist's cause will be overlooked and a wrong done to keep from agreeing with the Communists.

The appeal to fear is the great appeal today. We attempt to make people afraid to get them to do what we want them to do. Herein lies the great danger. We no longer give matters that serious consideration they deserve. In this complicated age of complicated issues, when we ought to seriously weigh the grave issues before us daily, we are forced to settle matters upon the strength of fears generated by designing persons bent on carrying some point.

Weighty affairs of state are subject to this megaphobism as a result of pressures, hysteria and propaganda. The day of that calm, dispassionate and meditated procedure seems gone to come no more.

The appeal of the reactionary southerner who would gain the world of segregation and lose his soul of justice and self respect is an appeal to fear. The appeal of the plutocrats against the rise of the proletariat is an appeal to fear. Our appeal for democracy is an appeal to fear.

Personally this writer would welcome the time when communism and democracy without pressure and without hysteria would sit down and put their cards on the table. I have no fear of the choice the world would make. But we are caught today in the vortex of megaphobism that predisposes us to depend too much on pressures and hysterias and propaganda, engineered by designing men with money to spend and to spare. Beware of megaphobism!