Introduction
In "Fantasyland," author Kurt Andersen takes readers on a captivating journey through American history, exploring the nation's long-standing tendency to embrace fantasy over reality. From the early days of colonization to the present, Andersen argues that Americans have consistently shown a willingness to push aside facts in favor of more appealing, though often delusional, beliefs.
The book presents a thought-provoking analysis of how this predisposition for fantasy has shaped American culture, politics, and society. Andersen suggests that the current era of "alternative facts" and "fake news" is not a new phenomenon, but rather the culmination of centuries of magical thinking and self-delusion.
The Seeds of Fantasy: Early American Colonization
Gold Fever and English Ambitions
Andersen begins his exploration of American fantasy with the early days of colonization. Following Christopher Columbus's accidental discovery of the Americas in 1492, European powers quickly became enthralled with the prospect of untold riches in the New World.
Spain's successful plundering of gold from the Aztec and Inca empires sparked intense jealousy in England. The English court, eager to claim its share of American wealth, began to indulge in grandiose fantasies of gold-laden ships sailing up the Thames.
This fantasy led to a series of ill-fated expeditions commissioned by the English monarchy. Sir Walter Raleigh, a prominent aristocrat, went so far as to present Queen Elizabeth I with a report filled with baseless claims about the abundance of gold in North America. Despite the lack of evidence, the queen was persuaded to launch several gold-seeking missions.
The Tragic Reality of Jamestown
The stark contrast between fantasy and reality became evident as these English expeditions met with disaster. The first two attempts resulted in widespread death among the colonists, with entire groups perishing in their fruitless search for gold.
Undeterred by these failures, King James I continued to pursue the fantasy of American riches. He sent more colonists to establish a permanent settlement on the east coast of North America, resulting in the founding of Jamestown in Virginia.
The Jamestown colonists faced a harsh reality far removed from their golden dreams. Half of the settlers died miserable deaths before they finally found a viable product to ship back to England: tobacco. This marked the beginning of a pattern where American fantasies collided with often brutal realities.
The Rise of Mormonism: A Quintessential American Fantasy
Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon
Andersen points to the birth of Mormonism in the early 19th century as a prime example of America's inclination towards fantasy. In 1830, a young New Yorker named Joseph Smith claimed to have been visited by an angel who revealed the existence of a previously unknown biblical text.
According to Smith, this text was inscribed on golden plates buried near his home. He claimed to have found and translated these plates, resulting in the Book of Mormon. This new religious text presented a fantastical narrative of ancient Israelites sailing to America in the sixth century BC and establishing a civilization later visited by Jesus Christ himself.
The Appeal of a New American Religion
The author argues that the rapid growth of Mormonism demonstrates Americans' willingness to embrace fantastic narratives. The idea that their land could be considered as holy as Jerusalem, worthy of a personal visit from Jesus, held immense appeal for many.
Within the first decade of its founding, Mormonism attracted nearly 20,000 followers. This number nearly doubled in the following years, eventually leading to the establishment of Utah as a Mormon state in the mid-nineteenth century.
Andersen suggests that this embrace of a new, distinctly American religion reflects a broader cultural tendency to favor appealing fantasies over more mundane realities.
Dark Fantasies: Slavery and White Supremacy
The Myth of Benevolent Slavery
As Andersen's historical tour continues, he explores some of the more disturbing fantasies that have taken hold in American culture. One particularly shocking example is the persistence of the idea that slavery wasn't all that bad for African Americans, even decades after its abolition.
In 1895, thirty years after the end of the Civil War, a white American named Nate Salsbury created a theme park in Brooklyn, New York, dedicated to romanticizing slavery. This delusional attraction featured a massive re-enactment of plantation life, with hundreds of African Americans paid to act out a fantasy version of slavery.
Shockingly, this display was praised by publications like The New York Times for its depiction of the supposedly "happy, careless" life of Southern slaves. Salsbury's show even toured the American Northeast, perpetuating this harmful fantasy to thousands of spectators.
The Rise of the Ku Klux Klan
The early twentieth century saw the emergence of another grotesque fantasy in the form of the Ku Klux Klan's twisted version of white supremacy. As African Americans began to establish themselves in previously all-white neighborhoods, the KKK experienced a surge in popularity between 1910 and 1925.
Andersen notes that the KKK's fantasies extended beyond notions of racial superiority to include elaborate costumes and fantastical titles like "Imperial Wizard" and "Grand Goblin." By the early 1920s, an alarming 5 percent of the white male population had joined this organization.
The author points to the 1915 film "The Birth of a Nation" as a significant piece of KKK propaganda. This movie, which glorified the Klan, became the first film to be screened at the White House, further legitimizing these dangerous fantasies.
The 1960s: A Decade of Mind-Bending Fantasies
The Rise of Drug Culture
Andersen's exploration of American fantasies takes a psychedelic turn as he delves into the cultural shifts of the 1960s and 1970s. This era saw a massive increase in recreational drug use, particularly on college campuses, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality for many young Americans.
The author provides striking statistics to illustrate this trend. In 1965, less than a million Americans reported having smoked marijuana. By 1972, this number had skyrocketed to 24 million. The increase was even more dramatic among college students, with only 5 percent admitting to marijuana use in 1967, compared to a majority just four years later in 1971.
Andersen notes that this trend has had lasting effects, with Americans today smoking two to four times more marijuana than their Northern European counterparts.
The Psychedelic Experience and Its Aftermath
The use of psychedelic drugs like LSD also became widespread during this period. Andersen reports that approximately 32 million Americans have used psychedelics at some point in their lives – a number large enough to form the second-largest religion in the country if they were to unite.
This explosion in drug use had profound effects on American culture. The mind-altering experiences induced by these substances often extended beyond the immediate "trip," influencing users' perceptions of reality in their everyday lives.
As a result, there was a noticeable increase in interest in mysticism, magic, and anti-rationalism among college students. By 1969, the New York Times Magazine was reporting on students' growing fascination with séances, UFOs, witchcraft, and tarot cards.
The Infantilization of American Culture
Adults Embracing Childhood Pursuits
Andersen identifies a significant shift in American culture during the 1980s and 1990s, where adults began to embrace activities and interests traditionally associated with childhood. This trend has continued and even accelerated in recent decades, leading to what the author describes as a state of perpetual adolescence for many Americans.
Examples of this phenomenon abound. Adults began participating in Halloween festivities with increasing enthusiasm, while people in their forties could be found dancing alongside teenagers at music festivals. The baby-boomer generation and subsequent cohorts have effectively extended their youth well into middle age and beyond.
The Rise of Adult Fandoms
The 1980s saw a marked increase in adults engaging with entertainment traditionally aimed at children or teenagers. Comic books, once the domain of young readers, found that 50 percent of their market was now composed of adults. Similarly, superhero movies began attracting a significant adult audience.
The video game industry, which initially marketed action-packed games to teenagers pretending to be adult heroes, now finds its primary market in men in their thirties. This shift has transformed gaming into a multi-billion-dollar industry catering largely to adults reliving or extending their childhood experiences.
Changes in Fashion and Workplace Culture
This trend towards infantilization has also affected adult fashion and workplace norms. In the 1990s, "schoolgirl chic" became a popular style for women, featuring elements like knee-high socks and backpacks. Men's fashion moved away from formal suits and ties towards more casual, youthful attire like polo shirts and jeans.
Even the workplace has been transformed by this cultural shift. Many modern offices now feature beanbag chairs, foosball tables, and video game consoles, blurring the line between work and play. This change represents a dramatic departure from the more formal and structured work environments of previous generations.
The Gun Fantasy: A Dangerous Delusion
The Proliferation of Firearms
One of the most concerning fantasies Andersen identifies in contemporary American culture revolves around guns and their perceived necessity for personal protection. Despite a significant decrease in legitimate reasons for gun ownership, such as hunting, the number of firearms in circulation has increased dramatically in recent decades.
In the 1970s, the average American gun owner possessed just one firearm, and 30 percent of the population identified as active hunters. Today, these figures have shifted dramatically: the average gun owner now has three to four firearms, while only 15 percent of Americans claim to hunt.
The Myth of Personal Protection
Andersen argues that the primary reason given for this increase in gun ownership – personal protection – is largely based on fantasy rather than reality. Surveys conducted over the past few decades show that claims of guns being essential for personal safety have doubled since the 1990s. However, during the same period, the actual likelihood of encountering a dangerous criminal has been halved.
The author points to New York City as a prime example of this disconnect between perception and reality. Despite having some of the strictest gun control laws in the country, New York has seen an 82 percent decrease in the likelihood of being murdered since 1990.
This disparity between the perceived need for firearms and the actual crime statistics underscores Andersen's argument that the idea of needing a gun, especially an automatic weapon, for personal safety is yet another dangerous, delusional fantasy embraced by many Americans.
Conclusion: America's Enduring Love Affair with Fantasy
As Andersen's historical tour comes to a close, he leaves readers with a sobering reflection on America's long-standing relationship with fantasy. From the earliest days of colonization to the present, Americans have repeatedly shown a willingness to embrace comforting or exciting delusions over harsh realities.
This tendency has manifested in various ways throughout the nation's history:
- The misguided belief in easy riches that drove early colonization efforts
- The rapid acceptance of new religious narratives like Mormonism
- The disturbing fantasies of benevolent slavery and white supremacy
- The widespread embrace of mind-altering substances in the 1960s
- The infantilization of adult culture in recent decades
- The persistent and dangerous delusions surrounding gun ownership
Andersen argues that this propensity for fantasy is not a recent development but a fundamental aspect of American culture that has been present since the nation's inception. The current era of "alternative facts" and "fake news" is, in his view, merely the latest manifestation of this long-standing trend.
The author's work serves as a wake-up call, urging readers to recognize and critically examine the fantasies that permeate American society. By understanding the historical roots of these delusions, Andersen hopes to encourage a more clear-eyed approach to addressing the challenges facing the nation today.
Ultimately, "Fantasyland" presents a compelling argument that America's future success and stability may depend on its citizens' ability to distinguish between comforting fantasies and sometimes uncomfortable realities. Only by acknowledging and confronting these deep-seated tendencies can the nation hope to build a more rational and sustainable future.