Magic Thinking: Past and Current
“La Grande Magia,” a Neapolitan postwar play, blurs the line between illusion and reality, highlighting how we often prefer to entertain comforting illusions instead of facing the hard truths. This theme feels vividly relevant today. As we observe with astonishment the current US-American political events, the parallels seem too close to ignore. Like the characters in “La Grande Magia,” who try to make sense of misconceptions, we seem to be living in times where misinformation and fear have taken hold, contributing to not only individual beliefs but also making us question the future of democracy.
Recently, Teatro Bellini introduced ”La Grande Magia” as part of its “Trilogia Napoletana”, featuring a play by Eduardo De Filippo. De Filippo, one of the most iconic playwrights, actors, and directors of the Neapolitan postwar period, is a central figure of 20th-century Italian theater, capturing the spirit, struggles, humor, and complexity of Neapolitan life during times of war, poverty, and social change.
Illusion Meets Reality
Written in 1948, “La Grande Magia” is a theatrical comedy that explores the theme of illusion, blurring the line between reality and fiction. The story is set in a seaside hotel where a group of vacationers, including Calogero Di Spelta and his wife Marta, are staying. Marta, unhappy in her marriage and planning to run away with her lover, seizes the opportunity to disappear during a magic show performed by the magician Otto Marvuglia.
Calogero, a jealous man, suspects that the magician orchestrated Marta’s disappearance. To avoid complications, Marvuglia gives Calogero a box, claiming Marta is inside, and warns him that if he opens the box, he must accept whatever he finds without turning back. Calogero, trapped in doubt and fear, avoids opening the box for years, preferring to cling to the illusion that his wife is still with him rather than face the painful truth that she may have left him.
The play delves into the choice between reality and illusion. Eduardo De Filippo masterfully portrays how people sometimes prefer self-deception to confronting painful truths. “La Grande Magia” offers a profound reflection on human relationships and the lengths people go to protect themselves from life’s disappointments. The dark comedy deconstructs facts on stage, presenting them as a game of perception where illusion and reality are constantly interwoven.
Political Parallels
This interplay of illusion and reality struck me during the recent U.S. election campaign. To the astonishment of many, a convicted criminal, civilly convicted sex offender, and a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, incited a violent coup, and perpetuated over 30,000 documented falsehoods during his presidency, was re-elected as the 47th president of the United States. This individual’s rhetoric—racist, misogynistic, and abusive—spreads conspiracy theories and echoes fascist sentiments, such as likening immigrants to poison in the nation’s bloodstream.
Yet even more alarming was the Democratic Party’s and Kamala Harris’s failure to convince the electorate. Exit polls revealed that more Americans than ever believe they are economically worse off than four years ago, hoping Trump might bring change. Ironically, even among those deeply concerned about democracy, half were Trump voters—evidence of how deeply his falsehoods about a stolen election and a broken system have taken root. Trump capitalized on fears—of immigrants, economic insecurity, and institutional distrust. His female voters, too, rejected established norms and institutions, signaling a fundamental breakdown in the shared foundations of American society.
A Broader Look
Immigration, like gun rights and abortion, remains a deeply divisive issue in the United States. Despite Harris’s strong advocacy for women’s reproductive rights, her message failed to resonate widely. She hoped to mobilize women across party lines after the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning national abortion protections. Yet, while women voted for Harris in the majority, she garnered no greater support than Joe Biden had four years earlier.
Surprisingly, Trump also gained significant traction among groups traditionally aligned with the Democrats. For instance, his support among Latino Americans grew markedly, particularly in swing states like Michigan, where he nearly doubled his backing among this demographic.
The widespread dissatisfaction in the country undercut Harris’s calls for change. Identified with the Biden administration, she struggled to distance herself from the status quo. This dissatisfaction has been the subject of countless analyses over the years, yet the evolving discourse on the future of democracy warrants deeper exploration.
Historical Context
One lens through which to understand this shift is Richard Rorty’s “Achieving Our Country” (1999). Long before Trumpism, Rorty predicted that globalization would lead to declining income levels for three-fourths of Americans, reduced social mobility, and entrenched economic dynasties withdrawing into suburban fortresses. Rorty critiqued the Democratic Party for becoming the party of privilege rather than representing the majority. He attributed this to two factors: first, the party’s failure to address rising inequality after the 1970s. Second, the “New Left’s” emphasis on societal rather than social policy. This shift distanced the Left from the working class, once its core constituency, and aligned it more with elite academia and professional middle classes.
Over time, the Left has adopted elements of neoliberalism, embracing market-driven competition as a path to progress. Welfare state paradigms have shifted from providing safety nets to enforcing economic productivity, often at the expense of the less fortunate. This shift has left many workers feeling abandoned, making them susceptible to the siren songs of populist demagogues who promise to champion their interests.
Avoiding Calogero’s Trap
The lesson is clear: no policy can endure if it opposes the interests of the majority. Without a concerted effort to shape globalization through social policy, democracy itself may be at risk. The Left must rediscover how to represent workers while upholding social justice, avoiding the trap of populism or indecisiveness on critical issues. Since no policy can be pursued against the interests of the majority over the long haul. Otherwise, the majority will look for what they believe to be persons and organizations that will represent their interests. This is known as Democracy.
As my mentor Heinz Kleger once reflected, the Left must emphasize societal cohesion while addressing the pathologies of democracy. The fight against discrimination remains vital, but so too is restoring the ties that bind society together. Recent terrorist attacks and rising intolerance underscore the need to defend constitutional freedoms and uphold human rights. If the Left fails to offer compelling answers to economic and social challenges, it risks falling into the same trap as Calogero in De Filippo’s play. Even when confronted with truth, it may dismiss it as “fake news,” clinging to illusions while reality slips away.
Gianni D’Amato is a Professor at the University of Neuchâtel, the director of the nccr – on the move, and the Swiss Forum for Migration and Population Studies (SFM).
