THE LAND OF PROPAGANDA IS BUILT ON UNANIMITY
The quotation which follows is from Ignazio Silone’s novel, Bread and Wine, which was a moving exposition of life under Fascism in Italy. The conversation between a young woman and an anti-Fascist priest takes place in a small Italian town at the end of the invasion of Ethiopia by Italy. During the night, anti-war and anti-Fascist slogans had been written on walls and steps in the town.
Bianchina told Don Paolo she couldn’t understand why there was such a lot of fuss about a few inscriptions on the wall.
Don Paolo was surprised, too. He tried to explain it.
“The Land of Propaganda is built on unanimity,” he said. “If one man says, ‘No,’ the spell is broken and public order is endangered. The rebel voice must be stifled.”
“Even if the voice is that of a poor, solitary sick man?”
“Even then.”
“Even if it belongs to a peaceful man who thinks in his own way, but does nothing evil apart from that?”
“Even then.”