Do Societies Need Villains to Stay United?

Every society tells stories about who it is. Just as importantly, it tells stories about who it is not. Heroes define ideals, but villains define boundaries. They give shape to fear, disagreement, and uncertainty. Without them, identity can feel blurred.

Shared enemies simplify complex realities.

Societies are made of different interests, values, and priorities. Agreement is rarely natural. But the moment a common threat appears, differences begin to shrink. Disagreements feel less urgent when something larger feels dangerous. A villain creates urgency, and urgency creates cohesion.

This pattern appears throughout history. External threats often strengthen national unity. Internal crises produce moral campaigns. Cultural anxieties find targets. These villains may be real, exaggerated, or symbolic. What matters is the role they play. They turn scattered concerns into a shared narrative.

Villains also provide moral clarity. Complex problems become easier to understand when framed as conflict between good and bad. Ambiguity disappears. Nuance becomes less necessary. People feel certain about where they stand, and certainty is comforting.

Media and technology accelerate this process. Attention rewards conflict. Outrage travels faster than agreement. When engagement increases around controversy, villains become easier to produce and harder to abandon. Once a group or idea is cast as a threat, it can anchor identity for long periods of time.

This does not mean societies consciously invent enemies. It means they are drawn to stories that create unity through contrast. Villains offer a focal point for shared emotion and collective purpose. The danger is that unity built on opposition often requires the threat to remain.

So do societies need villains to stay united? Perhaps not permanently. But history suggests that the presence of a shared adversary makes unity easier, faster, and more emotionally compelling. The real challenge is learning how to build cohesion without needing someone to fear.