On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.9.6

9f. Western civilization appears determined to destroy itself. Two World Wars were fought to try and kill it. When a third orgy of mass destruction became became impossible,[10] it lapsed into decadence to finish the job. Its exhaustion is showing. Stronger civilizations are vying to edge its prominence out. Internally, strong cultural trends are attempting to deliver the coup de grace without an actual coup d’etat.[11] As a result, Things simply Fall Apart on Their Own. In the age of the declining state, a slow descent does allow for the possibility of mitigation by those aware of its passing. One can be blind but still have sight.

[10] Civilization should not be confused with the world.   Some things go too far.

[11] At least, the alternative would be quicker. A sure sign of decadence is the complete inability to get things over in a timely manner.

Happy New Year.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.9.5

9e. Order is sought by the majority. People like things calm, but will resist external attempts to maintain it. Authoritarian behavior should not be confused with discipline. A line has to be drawn somewhere. The peace may be kept either above or below. At the very least, one can do a small part. The worst instincts of the herd are found within Shadow. Their power can only be driven. Stampedes sweep away all. Individuals can be collective. Tyranny does not exclusively fill a need. Guidance is not predation.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.9.4

9d. When it comes down to it, the political division between Left and Right, a remnant from the French Revolution, is drawn among false lines. One might argue that the true demarcation is between authoritarian, and non- or even anti-authoritarian. No matter the uniform, authoritarianism is tyranny. Unfortunately, few professing a love of freedom seem to understand this reality. The Left aligned itself with communism. Even after the Soviets destroyed the only Spanish Republicans, it continued to do so. Now that oppressive ideology is mostly dead, like the depression that follows the death of a family member, the Left appears dormant or dead. Of course, the embrace of fascist thinking by the Right is no better. How can authoritarianism lead to freedom? It cannot. Ultimately, in the fight against all tyranny, the only lines worth drawing is among those believing they should control others, and those whom do not. This distinction applies to systems, institutions and even individuals. Advocacy does not require force. All other things will sort themselves out. Time will determine the difference between truth and what is merely the product of yet another false ideology.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.9.3

9c. On the other hand, the Right is also guilty of attempting to hold onto a dead past. By doing so, ironically, it undermines its own values. The world changes. In the past, before mass communications, those not wishing for such changes could more easily opt out. In the current era, the alternative was seemingly limited to Backlash. However, by engaging in such a tactic, the resultant noise simply reminds everyone about what they disliked so much about the past in the first place, and thereby provides an incentive to stamp it out once and for all. Unwinnable, culture wars are detrimental for defenders of the old guard. In these battles, by its failure to compete through adaptation, tolerance for its values is eroded to the point of demolition. Like an octogenarian slugging it out with a teenage street gang on its terms, the herd cultural conservative, being a product of something older than mass communications technology, can never win against a trend nurtured by mass communications will come up short. Inevitably, unless the fight is defined on its own terms, the weak perish. In the process, perhaps in desperation to hold onto something, the Right has turned to the very corporations that produce that which it finds so objectionable, and, like a starving cat, laps the spoils of its own demise. By worshiping the consumerist market, a false god if there ever was one, the Right reduces its ideals to reactionary broadcast filler for corporate advertising. No wonder the political Right has been divided and devoured by plutocrats and fascists.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.9.2

9b. The past often lives far longer than deserved or warranted. The continuing fixation on economic references long deceased is one such case. For example, social realities of the 19th Century were held by Marxists long after those social classes had ceased. In the West, the bourgeoisie and the proletariat were once distinct and at odds. Over time, it could be argued, much of that distinction has become blurred. The middle class once owned and passed on property to its descendants. Now, mortgaged to the hilt, most properties are owned by the bank. If you can’t burn it to the ground, then it isn’t owned. Yet, the middle class still often behaves as if it is separate from the working class, and as if the corporations bleeding it dry share a common interest with itself. By still insisting on this artificial division, the political Left helps perpetrate this great error and fractures itself in the process. Even worse, the Left believes that things like lifestyles are more important than economic reality. No wonder the political Left has accomplished nothing in forty years. 

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.9.1

9a. Among the greatest errors consuming those ensconced in the Technical Morality is the inability to comprehend social and cultural issues in any terms beyond the rational and technical. This flaw views struggle as nothing more than a matter of competing economic or political interests. Its judgements are based solely on utility and competence in carrying out goals towards those ends. It therefore fails utterly in comprehending and judging those whose aims are driven by higher (or lower) considerations. Maximum Advantage is never all-encompassing. Lest one be defeated utterly by being transformed into a robot, This Modern Warrior Archetype must never believe it to be so. 

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.8.23

8y. Ideology represents a failure to regard the world on it own terms. As if it were a movie screen, a Verbal World is projected upon reality. Like a movie, it adherents appreciate the feeling of being able to slip into fantasy. However, in this case, the film never ends, and those viewing things otherwise are regarded with suspicion. The ideologue knows the truth, and everyone else is wrong. For this reason, hostile towards critical thought, this type easily slips into the realm of the fanatic. As such, ideology is a cultural disease vector better inoculated against by engaging the world as one finds it. Those failing to do so are little better than meat, and should be treated accordingly (which is what their masters would do anyway).

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.8.22

8x. At best, ideology is a fantasy; at worst, it is a dead end lie. Regardless of justification, ideologies are always motivated by control (or anti-control is a few cases). One way or another, the powerless provide eager fertilizer. A sucker is born every minute. This Modern Warrior Archetype has no need to be such a Chump. By doing so, an example may be set for other. The goal is to eliminate the plague of ideology forever. Those persisting are the real enemy.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.8.21

8w. False populism is akin to fly paper. While offering nothing, it snares and immobilizes. The elite has found this approach very useful in harnessing discontent and channeling it for their own ends. Ideology is an excellent means of purveying falsehoods. A world of degrees and difference is transformed into a bipolar lie. While economically bleeding the nation dry, by creating division, these false populists would have one believe that they stand on the same side as those being ground down. Politics is the art of deflection. Your problems are not caused by someone choosing to live differently. Know your enemy.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.8.20

8v. This Modern Warrior Archetype must operate under the media radar. Its focus is pure bile. Anything within its camera lens is reduced, debased and eventually absorbed. In this feeble reality, serious discussion is relegated to the status of entertainment, or exploited for the purpose of fear mongering. The public eye swells the ego. Expect nothing from clowns.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.8.19

8u. Popular culture is easily portrayed as the will of the people. They consume it, so they must want it. In actuality, in almost all cases, it is a reflection of the media. It’s on, so it is watched. History and real culture are inconveniences to the machine. Popular culture may be used as a substitute, and as a means to facilitate forgetting. By distracting the herd through meaningless diversion, the past is effectively eliminated. Of course, by doing so, as witnessed from time to time, terrible Backlash may be provoked. Massive destruction is seen as the surest means to ending the chatter. Not everyone lies down and passively swallows decadence.

On This Modern Warrior Archetype Part Six.8.19

8t. Consumerism is an effective means of blunting dissent. Any anti-establishment messages are simply deadened by buying their sources. An entire charade is created as a means to the end of selling the latest in hip rebellion. In addition, a false populism is created and may be exploited to Maximum Advantage by reflecting it back the from the consumerist mirror. The Spectacle is ongoing. The formula is simple: look at that haircut, listen to that music, buy those cloths, but don’t think about reality (and certainly don’t do anything beyond play acting). Hence, what was once an expression of dissatisfaction with the state of the world becomes yet another fashion accessory for Chumps. In this context, a rebel is just a slave who thinks they are free. Selling out only makes things worse. Lest one become just another fad, This Modern Warrior Archetype must be constantly aware of this situation and avoid falling into the trap of popular culture. The less seen, the better.