In times of social transformation, leaders invariably emerge who break canons, challenge conventions, and violate agreements and rules, giving the impression of a form of leadership without faith or law. Using the methods of a playground bully, they impose their will without scruples or hesitation. The information society has trained us to think in these terms, popularizing the figure of the supervillain; accustomed to watching Lex Luthor, Voldemort, Thanos, and so many others, it is not difficult to identify real-life counterparts.
This way of thinking seriously distorts reality. The underlying reason for this thesis is self-serving, as it spares our conscience: if evil stems from a kind of gene that naturally defines the malevolent, then we can rest easy, since it does not affect us. But evil is less a gene than a virus, anyone can catch it. We are all made of the same substance. Thus, such leaders never see themselves as embodiments of evil. They do immense harm, but, like us, they believe they are doing what seems best in the face of terrifying threats.
The greatest horrors in history, from the French Revolution to China’s Great Leap Forward, from the Nazis to the Khmer Rouge, result not from mindless, amoral monsters, but from fervent idealists determined to create a perfect society. None of them considered themselves limitless. Constrained by the frightening obstacles they believed they faced, they saw themselves as victims inspired by demanding ethical codes. It was precisely this sense of moral elevation that made it possible to justify the worst atrocities without hesitation. Corruptio optimi pessima (from Latin, “the corruption of the best is the worst that exists”).
To find examples of this, there is no need to consult history books or literature. Opening the newspapers is enough. We are living in an era of astonishing novelty, and we know well how demanding, difficult, and seemingly intractable the problems that afflict us are. Paradoxically, this increases the credibility of those who preach quick and drastic solutions. Visionaries abound who claim they can easily improve our lives, although, in general, they only increase our difficulties.
We can only understand these phenomena if we abandon illusions and start from the certainty that these leaders, who appear to be without limits, are in fact very similar to us. More than that, once we accept their distorted assumptions, the worst acts become plausible. The cases are many and varied, depending on circumstances and personalities, but there are always three elements in common.
The first is precisely a supervillain. The leader begins by identifying a terrible and relentless enemy that must be destroyed. The supreme priority is to eliminate this atrocious threat, whether immigrants or xenophobes, capitalists or socialists, Jews or Palestinians, Catholics or Muslims, woke or MAGA. We are in a merciless war that demands the most extreme measures and justifies even inhumane acts. Despite this, it cannot be said that they act without limits, because they clearly see the obstacles and are even afraid.
The second element is total distrust in the system, in institutions, and in the law. The leader claims that these adversaries have irreversibly corrupted society and that it is necessary to dismantle what exists in order to build anew. As a result, traditions, principles, and decency can no longer be invoked, as that would be playing into the hands of the threat. Compassion or even simple justice are regarded as complicity with absolute evil, which can only be eradicated ruthlessly.
The third aspect is an extreme trust and self-confidence in the leader, seen as brilliant, sublime, enlightened, endowed with goodness, truth, and effectiveness, and as the only one capable of saving us from the hideous danger. These movements are always based on a strong cult of personality.
The centuries are littered with figures of this kind, who have created the worst catastrophes, always in the name of lofty ideals. Yet the truth is that, despite this negative evidence, the model has lost none of its relevance and remains as popular in the age of the internet as it was in the time of town criers, printed pamphlets, or radio. The only indispensable ingredient for it to flourish is a plausible fear, capable of generating anger and a craving for a avenger.
How do these episodes end? What can we expect from the surge of extremism in which we are currently immersed?
Invariably, leaders who believe they can disregard the system as obsolete create situations far worse than the decay they denounce. The bully strategy may produce short-term results, but it suffers from serious sustainability problems.
When the tyrant is finally overthrown and the storm passes, more or less devastating depending on the case, we discover that the supervillains the leader denounced and that we so greatly feared are also very similar to us. They have fears and hope, dreams and pains like ours, and they simply want to live their lives in peace. We are all made of the same substance. We then relearn how to live together, rebuilding an imperfect order that will function until the next collective catharsis.
João César das Neves, Professor na CATÓLICA-LISBON