This article reflects on the themes of fascism, propaganda, and solidarity in the film 'Wicked,' drawing parallels to contemporary political struggles and the need for leftist unity.
In an attempt to ground myself at the turn of the year, I recently attended two webinars hosted by abolitionist organizer Mariame Kaba. A common thread through both talks was the need for the left — or lefts, as Kaba astutely observes — to abandon purity and embrace difference; to ground ourselves in common purpose to meet what comes ahead. In an increasingly divided world, our consumption of media is politicized in a way that distracts us from forming real world bonds with each other..
Despite the fact that the film is based on a play that came out two decades ago, I was struck by how the film’s themes reflect our current moment as we prepare for a new Donald Trump presidency. Beneath the glitter and bubbly songs about being popular is a multifaceted story about fascism, propaganda and solidarity — themes that Gregory Maguire began to write about during the Gulf War in the original novel,, which was first published in 1995. The release of the Broadway play during the Bush administration would thrust Maguire’s observations about Western propaganda about the Middle East once more into relevance in a post-9/11 world. Now, seeing ourselves, and our current struggles, reflected back to us in stories is critical as those of us on the left consider how to become a formidable force in the Trump era. Watching the friendship that springs between Galinda the Good Witch and Elphaba Thropp, otherwise known as the “Wicked” Witch of the West, and their journey amid the fascistic regime of the Wizard of Oz reminded me of Kaba’s threads around common purpose. We are all bearing witness to the same atrocities: genocide, climate crisis, the scapegoating of trans people and immigrants, attacks on the media and the evolution of propaganda in real time. The right continues to use these things to separate us and other us from each other, unabated. We may even do it to others who are on the same side, but in different ways of bein
Leftist Unity Fascism Propaganda Climate Crisis Social Justice
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