The boiling frog metaphor relates a story about how to boil a frog alive without it noticing until it is dead. As the story goes, you simply need to gradually heat up a pot of water with a frog in it and the frog will not even react when the water finally boils.
It is also called as the boiling frog syndrome when applied to a particular group of people or entire nation that seems to be unaware of the gradual changes leading to a precarious social situation.
As a cautionary tale, it tries to remind people to be aware of even the gradual changes that could lead to seriously undesirable consequences. It is a cautionary tale about creeping normality that is generally harmful to society.
Typically, it becomes too late to react and prevent something evil from occurring when it is gradually introduced.
Modern and most recent history is full of examples of the boiling frog metaphor – from Nazi Germany to Khmer Rouge-dominated Cambodia. For instance, before the Holocaust or the systematic mass murder of more than six million Jews occurred, a series of legislation was passed by the Nazi regime that gradually took away the basic human rights of the Jewish population of Germany.
Even in strong democracies like the United States, there is the threat of the creeping normalcy of evil such as the general apathy about gun-related violence. At the time of writing, another mass shooting recently occurred in the United States, killing at least 50 people in an Orlando gay bar.
In a similar manner, the US political scene is not very promising. There are a lot of indications that many Americans are supporting xenophobic, racist and authoritarian policies.
Donald Trump becoming the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is just one of the many indications of the boiling frog syndrome in American society. More voters may still prefer Clinton over Trump based on the latest polls but Clinton also has her own proverbial skeletons in the closet.
The political aspect of voters’ preferences is a reflection of a larger problem in American society. The general attitude of Americans seems to be regressing back to pre-civil rights movement era, which is another sign of the boiling frog metaphor.
Racism and xenophobia seem to be the overriding prejudices that are creeping back into the American culture. These can be largely blamed on the way some media outlets report the news.
For instance, there is always the emphasis on the religious beliefs and race of individual suspects when their alleged crimes are reported.
Another indication of the boiling frog syndrome in American society is the increasing anti-intellectualism being promoted by religious leaders and right-wing conservative politicians. Indications of this can be found in education policies such as creationism to be taught in public schools.
Thomas White eloquently wrote in one of Huffington Post political article about the consequences of anti-intellectualism:
“If we can ignore or disregard overwhelming scientific evidence, what is to stop us from denying the overwhelming evidence that universal health care saves lives and saves money? Or denying that economic inequality is keeping tens of millions of people in poverty and government programs can alleviate some of the pain? Or denying that the prison system is racist and counter-productive? Nothing. And so we deny.”
Anti-intellectualism is perhaps the worst indication of the boiling frog syndrome in America. It has made rational discussions and the pursuit of scientific facts as taboos. As a result, anti-vaccination movements and climate change denial took a foothold in public policies and culture.
The writings are on the wall.
Featured Image: A Screenshot of a frog in a pan from a YouTvbe video.
