What the film: FernGully: The Last Rainforest Taught Me About MAGA

Escapism – in these turbulent political times I suspect that there are many Americans who, me included, just need a break from all of the negativity. I must admit that the outcome of the 2024 Presidential election hit me hard and in the months since, to quote the great Eric Clapton, I have been searching for something, anything, to “ease my worried mind” (Clapton & Gordon, 1970).

However, wishing to avoid the pitfalls of day drinking or other unhealthy habits, I find solace in drawing and sketching, writing essays like this, knitting “sock monkey” golf club covers for my husband, playing online games, and studying Spanish in preparation for our emigration from the United States to Mexico later this fall – this too, inspired by another great pop tune, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” by The Animals (Mann & Weil, 1965).

Sometimes, however, these coping mechanisms malfunction and I find myself “doomscrolling” through YouTube and TikTok. What I’ve noticed is that, despite having won the Presidency and both houses of Congress, the Make America Great Again (MAGA) crowd still seems surprisingly unhappy, despite having gotten everything which they voted for. Why were they so triggered by the nationwide “No Kings” protests, and why do they often show up in liberal chat groups on Facebook, trying desperately to start arguments?

As I pondered these questions, I remembered another form of escapism that I used to engage in as a single parent in the early 1990s, watching animated films. When my late son was small, we prowled the aisles of our local Blockbuster Video store every other weekend; however, sometimes, if there was a movie that my son particularly loved, I would buy it for him. Although the VCR and tapes were relinquished many garage sales ago, I do recall one movie that I think might explain the unhappy MAGA phenomenon. It was a 1992 movie called: Fern Gully:  The Last Rainforest (Kroyer, 1992).

The basic plot of the film is that the rainforest known as Fern Gully is being threatened by massive deforestation from a logging operation in the area. When Crysta, one of the fairies who lives in Fern Gully, accidentally shrinks Zak, one of the loggers to fairy size, Zak, Crysta, and the other fairies work together to stop the destruction of their home.

As is the case in any decent animated film, there is an extremely scary villain. Hexxus, voiced by Tim Curry, is a monster who embodies the pollution and destruction of the rainforest, which is being perpetrated by the logging company, which itself is driven by corporate greed.  Hexxus draws his strength, his very life force from the dark and destructive elements in his immediate environment. He is only destroyed when the fairies work together to help life and positivity grow around him.

This, I think is also the key to reclaiming the United States from the destructive forces of MAGA. Right after the election, social media was flooding with tearful Trump voters who has been cut off from their families because of their choice to prioritize economics, bigotry, and xenophobia above morality. MAGA also seems to take immense pleasure in causing others pain. As journalist Adam Serwer wrote in a 2018 essay in The Atlantic, “The cruelty is the point.”  MAGA not only enjoys the pain and loss experienced of others, but they also need it in order to survive. Like Hexxus, their strength comes from destruction and chaos and I believe that the way to defeat them is to withdraw the conflict and negativity that is their lifeblood.

I have come to understand that we will never be able to change the views of MAGA, so debating them is not only a waste of time, but it is also the method by which they drain energy from those around them and use it to fuel their hate. As a result, I believe that those on the left should adopt an entirely different strategy when dealing with MAGA. Like Crysta and Zak and the other inhabitants of Fern Gully, let’s focus on life and positivity as a way to save our home. Watch the actions and listen rhetoric of MAGA in order to avoid being blindsided by the draconian laws they want to impose, but do not engage with them. Continue planning and participating in events like the nationwide “No Kings” protests as well as boycotting the companies that have removed their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, but when they try to troll liberal spaces on social media, simply ignore them. Deny them your time and your energy. Block them if they are persistent. If so-called MAGA “friends” or family members try to goad you into a political debate, walk away. Their movement requires anger, negativity, and grievance in order to survive. If we flood the environment with love, positivity, and support of the marginalized, MAGA’s energy source will dwindle and die, and like Hexxus, in Fern Gully, so will their twisted ideology.

References

Clapton, E., & Gordon, J. (1970). Layla [Recorded by D. a. Dominoes]. On Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. T. Dowd.

Kroyer, B. (Director). (1992). Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest [Motion Picture].

Mann, B., & Weil, C. (1965). We Gotta Get Out of This Place. Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Wixen Music Publishing.