Subversive fiction

Fiction is a powerful tool for portraying truth, and this is why fictional movies have such power. They affect you on a deeper level than mere fact. But it is also for this reason that fictions can be so subversive. In his book Intellectual Morons, Daniel Flynn describes why fiction has been central to utopians and social engineers throughout the ages

"Fictional expression is so appealing to Utopians precisely because anything, no matter how ridiculous, can be made to seem realistic....What fails in real-world practice is often an unmitigated success in film, on the stage, or in the pages of a novel. ...the cultural message might be subtle, and as a result it can have a greater impact. Propaganda can be particularly effective in entertainment because people are supposed to suspend reality when they watch sitcoms, movies, plays, and other dramatic performances. With enough theatrical reptition, the abnormal becomes normal, and far-fetched ideas seem plausible."

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