Black and White Philosophy – “I am the Night – Color Me Black”

A sickness known as hate; not a virus, not a microbe, not a germ – but a sickness nonetheless, highly contagious, deadly in its effects. Don’t look for it in the Twilight Zone – look for it in a mirror. Look for it before the light goes out altogether.

This narration closed the 26^th episode of season 5 for The Twilight Zone and bookmarked one of the most relevant episodes for today: the idea of mob rule versus impartial justice, the ethical repercussions of emotion over logic, and the dangers of blind and irrational hate.

“I am the Night – Color Me Black” aired 27Mar1964 – a little more than four months after the event which inspired Rod Serling – John F. Kennedy’s assassination on 22Nov1963. While the contemporary issues of the present pale in comparison to the national emotions surrounding that singular event, the common denominator remains true to this day – that the whims of the masses often overrule the reality of the situational context.

Briefly summarized, this episode centers around an execution of a drifter – Jagger – who murdered a cherished, but bigoted, citizen of a small town. On the day of the hanging, the sun fails to rise; in fact, immediately following the execution, the darkness grows inexplicably. However, the radio announcements towards the end of the episode indicate that this phenomenon is localized to the unnamed town and several other geographical locations which coincide with oppression and violence.

One man, Reverend Anderson, is reluctant to cast judgement until he is subsequently pressured into acquiescence. After all, Jagger killed in self-defense, the press and local law enforcement are compromised for profit and politics, respectively, and the townsfolk want convenient justice rather than the brutal reality of their support for someone who what clearly wrong on many levels.

If that sounds familiar, I have no idea what to tell you…

Some of the dialogue is truly compelling:

Jagger: It’s important to get with the majority, isn’t it? That’s… that’s a big thing nowadays, isn’t it, Reverend?

Reverend Anderson: That’s all there is… is the majority. The minority must have died on the cross two thousand years ago.

Going with the flow – with the ebb and tide of public opinion – rather than seeking out independent information for individual determination will always be one of the most difficult thing for each person to decide. Even today, with the ability to research and relay information with ease unthinkable in 1964, it is painful to realize how comforting it is for so many to consume without consideration what is being presented to them. Partial truths, distorted timelines, and omitted facts – all of these aspects twist public opinion into perverse balloon animals of an ideological zoo of profit and power over the objective truths which should shape both news and policy.

There is a certain aspect of self-preservation necessary in compliance. Go against the popular talking points brings increasing personal and professional risks. Doxxing, social dog-piling, and unwarranted termination due to the concerns about proximity and association… these are real threats and concerns which are becoming mind-bogglingly frequent and real, regardless of political affiliation or personal stance.

Deputy Pierce: You’ve seen the light, Reverend. You’ve really seen the light.

Reverend Anderson: Have you? Have any of you? In all this darkness, is there anybody who can make out the truth? He hated, and he killed, and now he dies. And you hated, and you killed, and now there’s not one of you… not one of you who isn’t doomed. Do you know why it’s dark? Do you know why there’s night all around us? Do you know what the blackness is? It’s the hate he felt, the hate you felt, the hate all of us feel and there’s too much of it. There’s just too much! And so, we had to vomit it out… and now it’s coming up all around us and choking us. So much hate… so much miserable hate.

Here’s the thing about following the churning currents of public opinion – unchecked, it is only a matter of time before the fire that is the angry mob consumes any and all external sources of fuel before it begins to feed upon itself. History offers great examples of how those who were the most power-starved were also the ones who turned on those who supported them in their ascent to power. Paranoia, suspicion, and deflection have all marked the early days of the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, and pretty much any other totalitarian regime one could think of. One of the best quotes I have come across summed up the Tiananmen Massacre – and human nature – extremely well:

Violent revolution can be justifiable, but we cannot expect the military to lay down their arms and die.

They are also humans. And they are also very likely to shoot to protect themselves. When you choose violence, you must accept violence in return.

(Interestingly enough, the Quora answer where I first read that has since been deleted and while this is as bothersome as it is unfortunate, I am glad I managed to capture that comment in one of my many unfinished blog notes.)

“In all this darkness, is there anybody who can make out the truth?”

…Mob rule versus impartial justice…

…The ethical repercussions of emotion over logic…

…The dangers of blind and irrational hate…

I have mulled over the wisdom of The Twilight Zone previously in Black and White Philosophy and Black and White Philosophy Revisited, and with my views on yet another old film –  Panic in Year Zero! – this has warranted a separate category under “Commentary.” I do not see any end to writing my thoughts on past entertainment and present situations, for I am not naïve enough to even consider the fact that we, as a species and as societies, will ever truly “get it.” However, perhaps in the gathering darkness, I might offer perspective and – hopefully – some semblance of truth.

Where we go from here is, as always, up to you.