Thomas More: As a humanist, I have an abhorrence of war; it’s an activity fit only for beasts, yet practiced by no kind of beast as constantly as man.
King Henry VIII: As a humanist I share your opinion, as a king, I am forced to disagree.
- The Tudors, Episode One
Oh Thomas, Thomas, Thomas…you’re just like the slow-witted younger brother I never had. I suppose that isn’t fair; that is, calling you slow-witted, because the author of Utopia seems to be among those that were lobotomised against their will. Ah, Utopia – no centralized power, an equal distribution of goods, and my personal fave – no lawyers!!!??? For me, Utopia’s greatest flaw (and perhaps insult) is the chosen time period in which it was published. To put it bluntly, how dare More ( or “Less” as I call him) produce this imbecilic dribble that even Marsha Brady would call tame! Machiavelli’s Il Principe was published in 1515, a year before Utopia was written. Now talk about literature that one can use! Talk about a brilliant production of political jargon that comes to life, not only on paper, but off of it. Machiavelli knows that human nature is innately flawed, and he conceives a political mantra that keeps this in mind (if only this in mind). As Machiavelli so eloquently says,
” …whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with. Because this is to be asserted in general of men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, and as long as you succeed they are yours entirely; they will offer you their blood, property, life and children, as is said above, when the need is far distant; but when it approaches they turn against you. And that prince who, relying entirely on their promises, has neglected other precautions, is ruined; because friendships that are obtained by payments, and not by greatness or nobility of mind, may indeed be earned, but they are not secured, and in time of need cannot be relied upon; and men have less scruple in offending one who is beloved than one who is feared, for love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.” – Machiavelli, Chapter XVII, Concerning Cruelty And Clemency, And Whether It Is Better To Be Loved Than Feared
Now I know some readers might say, “Relax, Thomas More has cleverly arranged his work as a satire.” Well, ha, ha…hmmm. Hey, you know who else is probably laughing – Stalin’s victims, perhaps. Yes, that’s right, I’m blaming More (not wholly but partly) for planting the dirty seeds of communism in Marx and Engels minds. You see, the problem with Utopia is its Frankenstein-esque creation of those (past, present, and future) that would take utopianism at face-value. And sadly, just as in Frankenstein, the creator does not realize his mistake until his creation turns on him. Yes, the Communists, or Neo-Communists, conceived by More, birthed by Marx. Those Damn commies!! You know these people – they hardly bathe, refer to themselves as “mammalian” rather than human, and have so many glue-on slogans pasted to their salvation army tote bags that the various messages start to conflict with one another (my favourite – a Nazi swastika crossed out like a “No-smoking sign“). I guess the message is that Hitler and Cigarettes have both killed millions.
Perhaps I have digressed, but my point is this: producing a work that can be so easily appropriated by the wrong sort of people is dangerous. Idealism is dangerous, even if the portrayal of such naïve idealism is meant to be ironic. Communism – admittedly very cute on paper – is disastrous, and not only because it has been appropriated by the wrong people (think Stalin and Mao) but because it remains ridiculous given the inevitable and inherent fallibility of humanity. Utopia, not meant to be a real place, has, unfortunately, found an all too often material existence.
As King Henry (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) intimates, those in positions of power need to be feared. A little fear keeps this tired old human race in line. Yes, face it, Capitalism is a necessary evil; an economic policy in keeping with our pitiful human inclinations. And yes, as painful as it is, religious intolerance is probably going to happen in the foreseeable future. And yes, the poor shall always be with us. And NO, I’m not a cynic, and nor was King Henry, I am a realist. I’ll concede that More was not exactly an imbecile, but only a slower wit could miss the dangerous ramifications of producing a blueprint (intentional or not) for an impossible and intangible world.
Anne
