A cogent literary reference

A German-speaking pastor of my acquaintance just sent me the following:

As I see things unfolding in the run up to the election, I am reminded of a radio play by Max Frisch (a well-known Swiss author), Biedermann und die Brandstifter. The play is known as The Firebugs in English. In form, it resembles a Greek tragedy (there is a chorus-- the fire department-- which shows the moral implications of decisions which are made).

Biedermann is a run of the mill middle class man in a city plagued by arsonists. The arsonists' M.O. is to insinuate themselves into homes, set up shop in the attic and then set the place on fire.

One of the arsonists shows up at Biedermann's home. There are indications of who he is (he has a horse's foot). Biedermann takes him in anyway. The fellow sets up in the attic.

He then brings in his friend. They fill the attic with canisters of gasoline. Biedermann's feelings of guilt over against lower class people are used again and again to encourage him to ignore what he knows is happening. He purposely ignores what is happening before his eyes, ears, and nose. He is uneasy about the canisters which smell like gasoline, but allows himself to be convinced that they are for perfume production.

In the end, the two arsonists ask Biedermann for matches. He hesitates, but in the end gives in. The whole city goes up in flames. Biedermann and his wife end up in hell where they meet the arsonists: Mephistopholes and the Devil. It was clear from the start who they were. Biedermann and his wife chose to suppress what was obvious.

The play is like a snapshot of what is going on here in the USA.

Life imitates art

While I reject any implication that Barack Obama is either the devil or Mephistopholes, I certainly agree that- the efforts of the media to confuse us aside- we who are about to elect him president will have no basis whatsoever for saying after the fact that we didn't know that we were electing the most extreme Leftist who has ever been chosen by a major party to run for the office, in combination with one of the most Leftist Congresses our country has ever had.

But we're choosing to hand them the matches anyway.