Firefighters and Presidents

Scully and Mulder have already had their near death experiences - Scully in 'One Breath' and Mulder in 'The Blessing Way'. In 'Apocrypha', AD Skinner gets his. The 'dynamic duo' are now a Trinity - Skinner as Father, Mulder as Son and Scully as the Holy Spirit.
Skinner is the authority that seeks to impose order and justice; he says as much in this episode. "A woman was murdered. I mistakenly thought that we could bring the man who committed that crime to justice." He tries to deflect the deeper meanings Mulder would apply to his actions, "I think you're perceiving from a mistaken impression, what I did, I did it because it's my job." But we know Skinner well by now and are not fooled. We know that by doing what he did, he has chosen sides, accepted his role in the great drama being played out.
The X Files would have us believe that the 'truth' is out there, while all the time obfuscating that truth, perspectivising it. The truth that Mulder searches for isn't the same truth that keeps Scully by his side. We saw, in 'Revelations' that they do not perceive the world in the same way. And Skinner is probably sincere when he says he was just doing his job, even if it isn't the whole truth.
The idea of 'perspectivism' entered Philosophy with Friedrich Nietzsche who is, knowingly or not, a huge influence on the show. I suspect knowingly, which would explain Napoleon 'Neetch' Manley in 'The List'. For all the parallels that can be drawn between Scully and Mulder - both lose a sister, both have near-death experiences, both lose a father - so a parallel can be drawn between Mulder's 'return' after three days and Neetch 'returning' after the same time period. Which, worryingly, suggests that Neetch's actions are justified, unless they are supposed to make us aware of the fine line Mulder walks between good and evil. It's all a matter of perspective.
A perspectival truth cannot, by definition, be out there. If it was only the 'truth' that was being sought we wouldn't have kept watching for nine seasons. After all, the show makes it pretty clear that there are aliens out there. We, the audience, are brought into the show to learn what Mulder knows and it's not long before we accept that he has a hold of the truth very few others have. If this was all we were looking for, the X Files should have lasted for a single season.
Maybe we should question the 'truth' that is being looked for. Not that there are aliens who have been here a "long, long time", but an evil that resides in the heart of human beings.
The greatest evil is that there are people who work against the best interests of all. In the X Files, the Syndicate is the embodiment of evil not because it conspires with aliens but because it conspires against the well being of humanity. In this sense, the conspiracy theorists have it right. While the constructions of their theories may be fanciful, they are based on the over-riding sense that those in power do not have the best interests of humanity at heart.
It is an evil that we call down upon ourselves. We don't want the responsibility of making decisions beyond the mundane, so we elect others to make these decisions on our behalf, expecting them to do the right thing. How many of us would return the money if the cashier in a shop or restaurant gave us too much change? There is absolutely no evidence to show that human beings will do the right thing in extraordinary circumstances. If you are American, you are probably thinking of firefighters and 9/11. But, like Skinner, they were doing their job. They were not in a position to choose, having already decided to be firefighters.
A President, on the other hand, must make individual choices on a daily basis. The choices he makes will be based entirely upon his sense of right and wrong. Being a President isn't like being a firefighter. The latter has decided to give his life to a single purpose that will occasionally mean a literal giving of life. A President, Prime Minister, Business Man only has him/herself to think about. Most will consider how they will be perceived by history and make difficult decisions based on their own understanding of right and wrong. But what happens when we get a leader who disregards history? Who only sees what is right for himself?
I think Americans are discovering the answer to this question and hopefully it will teach them that evil doesn't come with horns and a pitchfork. It comes with a man who values only what makes him rich and powerful.
We have ways of dealing with evil men. We only need to realize that the evil is amongst us and then have the will to do something about it. The firefighters of 9/11 gave their lives because that was the role they choose for themselves. Politicians have also chosen a role. It remains to be seen whether they have the bravery to live up to it as those brave souls on 9/11.

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