Sphinx

There is a small, rather marginal community, struggling to survive in the face of the pressures of the modern world, heavily dependent on attracting tourists. There is a series of odd and sometimes alarming occurrences, which most people ignore – but a few argue that there is a pattern to them and actually they are signs that the community is faced with an existential threat. The music becomes ominous.

And then there is Denial Guy. Nothing to see here, folks. Just rumours spread by a few self-centred malcontents who want to undermine their own community, and some disaffected tourists angling for a refund. Everything is absolutely fine, and any suggestion that it isn’t will discourage visitors.

Maybe he’s entirely sincere, just complacent and myopic, or simply terrified of change. Maybe he likes the attention from the local newspaper, as it sets him up as the heroic defender of communal values against troublemakers who don’t respect tradition. It doesn’t matter; either way, he can prevent anything being done until it’s too late by raising questions about the necessity of doing anything at all.

No, this isn’t about anyone in particular. If it was, I might be expected to name names, rather than just offering vague insinuations about fifty-something subversives and angry graduate students in the expectation that enough of them will get cross about this and thereby out themselves.

And the one thing we know from the movies about Denial Guy is that reasoned argument gets nowhere, and impassioned protest simply confirm him and his supporters and the press in their belief that he is indeed the voice of reason and common sense, being cancelled by a mob. If the community is to be saved, we just need to get on with things, and ignore him.