There is Definitely a Bear.
We need to talk about the bear.
In late October, during the last days of the 1984 presidential campaign, incumbent President Ronald Reagan released a last-push television ad designed to suggest the foreign policy weakness of opponent Walter Mondale. The ad was called “Bear in the Woods,” and within days, it became one of the most effective presidential campaign ads in history.
The Washington Post called it “commercial by parable” and said it was an “extraordinarily effective way to sell Reagan’s peace-through-strength message.” There was one small set-back for the Reagan team, though. Some folks in the focus groups weren’t quite sure who or what The Bear was supposed to be. Were they supposed to be afraid of environmentalists? The Soviet Union? Gun Control? Walter Mondale?
Turns out, it didn’t matter. Fear was the point and fear sells. Reagan beat Mondale with 58.8% of the popular vote. (Spoiler Alert: Russia was The Bear).
There is a bear in the woods. For some people, the bear is easy to see. Others don’t see it at all. Some people say the bear is tame. Others say it’s vicious and dangerous. Since no one can really be sure who’s right, isn’t it smart to be as strong as the bear? If there is a bear.
The message here is that you may not see the danger that could be right under your noses. Or maybe it’s that you should listen to the people who say they see the danger even if you can’t. Perhaps there isn’t any danger at all, but we should be hyper-vigilant — you know, just in case. It could be that you see “DANGER” flashing in big neon signs everywhere, but everyone else is walking around saying “It’s fine. Everything’s fine.”
Is there a bear?
Is my own message as confusing as Reagan’s was 37 years ago?
Probably. Because this is not the time for parables.
Believe in truth. To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights. — Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny https://www.timothysnyder.org/
(Spoiler Alert Part II: There really is a bear. It may still be Russia).
For those first encountering my work — and most of you are new to my brain — let me introduce myself. The fancy introduction talks about how I’m a professor and scholar whose expertise is in political rhetoric and the Cold War. In truth (which is a concept I actually believe in), I’m a writer who sees bears.
In fact, I was raised to see bears and to scare them away if I could. My mother worked in politics; my father was a preacher. And, no, I have no idea how their marriage worked given those odds, but it did, happily, for over 50 years. I think it was because at the center of both of their worldviews was the old-fashioned ideas of community and care for others. There was never a question as to whether those they helped somehow deserved it or not; Why would that even be a calculation? It’s both un-Christian (anti-religious if you prefer) and impractical. The world just works better when people aren’t having to always run away from danger.
I’m the only-child result of that union, so I see the world in a really interesting way. On the one hand, I observe and then collect information, holding the pieces in mind-castle rooms until one suddenly connects to another, making clear a corner of a larger whole that may not become fully coherent for weeks, months, or even years. It’s a skill that leaves me suited for both political and philosophical processes.
And on the other hand, I ramble. Any good preacher’s kid would, right?
Ask my students and they’ll surely tell you that words tend to spill out of my face in seemingly random order before suddenly landing on something meaningful. It’s not a sign of brilliance — more just an indication of verbal panic. I call it “word vomit.” I’m desperate to have things make sense, frantic to put all the pieces together. I need to tell you about the bears.
That’s why I’m starting this journey of words. That’s why I’m starting The Zero Point.
Now, don’t get me wrong — I’m not much of a religious person; I’m not sure I ever was (sorry, daddy), so I won’t be preaching at you. I’m also aware, if my own social media experiences are any indication, that most well-reasoning people have a deep disdain for political conversations, even while they sometimes engage in them. Hopefully I’ll have something to say that doesn’t make you want to turn the channel.
Don’t turn the channel. There’s definitely a bear.
In The Zero Point (the title’s meaning will become clear at a later time), I want to have conversations that are meaningful and matter-full about our democracy and how we got here from where we were in the past. I want to talk about the way we live our lives. About our communities and how we care for one another. About how to manifest strength when all we feel is shaking ground.
I’m going to talk about language and how our intentional words, both political and mundane, are guiding our material circumstances far more than we realize. I’m going to talk about the language of fear, the language of deconstruction, and the language of reconstruction. I’m going try to connect the pieces I’ve been holding onto and hope for a sense of clarity.
I hope you’ll stay on this road with me for a bit.
Works Cited
Riney, Hal. “Bear in the Woods.” (1984) YouTube, uploaded by Andre Morgado, 2007, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpwdcmjBgNA
Schram, Martin. “Reagan Aids Bullish on ‘The Bear’ Ads.” The Washington Post. November 2, 1984 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/11/02/reagan-aides-bullish-on-the-bear-ads/aecf20e4-780b-49ac-8d08-07e93002798e/ January 8, 2022.
Snyder, Timothy. On Tyranny. 1st edition. Crown, 2017.
