US of A, The Country That Falls For Anything

It has been over a month since the news first appeared that high school boys in Baraboo, Wisconsin posed for a prom picture waving in what could be construed as a "Nazi salute." The picture was taken in May, so it took six months for the "scandal" to develop.

It should have been obvious to anyone looking at the picture that the boys weren’t making a Nazi salute, but, as was emphasized on local television news, the picture went "viral." Somehow in recent years the word "viral" has become a magical term, transforming ordinary events into hyperphenomena, hysterical incidents that take on a life of their own far beyond what actually takes place.

In all the hoopla about the picture not one media outlet bothered to explain what "viral" means, or how much attention is required for something to qualify as viral. Would 100 views be considered viral? 1,000? 10,0000? 100,000? 1,000,000? Who knows? One thing is for sure, though. No viral, no story.

Wisconsin's outgoing governor Scott Walker fell for the hysteria, calling the boys "idiots." Even in Baraboo the virality of the picture transcended reality. Meetings were held to discuss "racism," because to some Baraboo is obviously a racist town. Madison's weekly newspaper The Isthmus tried to be more even-handed, but still supported the belief that the boys were making a Nazi salute.

Yesterday a local editorialist mentioned Baraboo in his latest nothing editorial, lending his nothing credibility to the hysteria.

Last week someone pasted "anti-Semitic" flyers on the local middle school. Proof of racism. Maybe. More likely it was someone with mental health problems. Crazy people come out of the woodwork at such times, and anti-semitism itself can be seen as a form of mental unwellness, so there’s no need for further hysteria.

In all this virality and hysteria I wonder if anyone has stopped to consider the effect of the hysteria on the boys in the picture. The Isthmus article mentioned that acceptances at colleges have been withdrawn for some of the boys. Such is the power of mass hysteria. They will all have to live with the accusation of being Nazis for the rest of their lives. All because of mass hysteria. One of the boys explained the picture and apologized for the misunderstanding, though the misunderstanding wasn't his. His mother was at the photo session, and gave a similar explanation, to no avail. The photo went viral, and that's all that matters in this age of frivolous truth.

The boys will be fine. Some are likely already in college, and others will be away at school next year. They won't forget what they have been through, but they have learned what it is to live in modern USA, with its hysterical social media, its casual disrespect for anyone and everyone, its loose relationship with truth, and its overall sleaze.

America, the country that falls for anything, is headed into an era that has never been seen before, with climate change bringing on one disaster after another, the world economic order about to fall, and resources like water, land and air becoming more defiled and precious at an increasing rate. Maybe having been subjects of mass hysteria will make them better able to deal with what lies ahead. We can hope.
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Here's a song. Here's another. John Prine. Our national anthem. Hank Snow.

Mass hysteria is nothing new. Scottish journalist Charles Mackay wrote the book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds in 1841. In it he tells of some incredibly stupid and oft-hilarious incidents of mass hysteria. It is a book that belongs in everyone's possession. The Trump phenomenon would be easier to understand from a casual read.

I wrote a couple of letters about the "Nazi salute" farce to local newspapers. This one was in response to our soon-to-be ex-governor calling the Baraboo students idiots. They edited-out the best line: "Good riddance, idiot. Don't let the Capitol door hit you in the arse on the way out." I didn't notice any editing in this letter. Maybe they did some good.