The Power of Certitude, Mindlessness, and Destruction: Discussion of Era A. Loewenstein's “The Allure of Fascism and ‘the Appointment in Samarra’”1

A Folk Tale of Two Wolves

An old Cherokee man told his grandson, “My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth.” The boy thought about it, and then asked, “Grandfather, which wolf wins?” The old man quietly replied, “The one you feed.”2

Era's richly engaging, humble, and very personal paper offers much for us to think about during today's exceptionally troubling times, which as she notes are characterized by the “manic speed” of movements dominated by “fascistic states of mind … drawn toward endless mobilization of destructiveness.” Like Hanna Segal (2006), Era advocates that, as analysts treating patients, we must not confuse analytic neutrality with our responsibilities as citizens that demand that we do not allow ourselves to be neutered. She goes on to employ the Arab fable of “The Appointment in Samarra” (Maugham, 1933) to suggest that, just as we cannot escape death, we cannot escape fascism, especially since fascistic states of mind reside within each of us. I will subsequently particularize this idea by suggesting that fascist

mental states are intrinsically tied to the death drive itself. Before expanding on several of Era's thoughtful ideas, however, I want to note that she astutely recognizes that “fascism may