#FIGHT BACK AGAINST MODERN DAY FASCISM

[sowhatifiliveinfukuoka]

© Bob Moran

[dcdreamblog]

@terriwriting That's actually a great question. I assume you're thinking of "The Phantom of the Fair" Very mysterious that one. Though he's known as "The First Supervillain" in many respects his actual story is unclear even to this day. I can share what I know though.

This is probably the clearest photo ever taken of the man, from very early on the morning of April 30th, 1939 taken by a photographer from the New York Globe-Leader. The photographer assumed it was some kind of statue only "it" vanished when he went to take a second picture. No one was prepared for what would occur during the opening ceremony conducted by then mayor Fiorello La Guardia

Another photo, this time from the Planet capturing the moment where the Phantom dropped in on La Guardia, causing a panic in the crowd and taking the microphone The Phantom spoke the now famous works "Men and women of New York City—this World's Fair is now declared officially haunted by the Phantom of the Fair!" before vanishing back into the rooftops despite the best efforts of the NYPD

Now you would THINK that he would instantly be marked for arrest but World's Fairs aren't cheap so Mayor La Guardia, in his infinite wisdom, treated the guy like a publicity stunt for the next several days.

A photo of the Phantom taken on the evening of May 3rd, 1939 as a spotlight is pointed up at the building. No attempt is made to apprehend the Phantom It wasn't until the visit of the UK's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth that the Phantom made a move. Somehow "reprogramming" the mechanical marvel Elektro in the other room and sending it to attack the royal couple.

The police escort was caught totally flat footed and the royal couple was nearly smashed beneath the robot's heavy iron boot until...

The appearance of two strange men. One in an inhuman gas mask and the other in a blood red cloak. Courtesy of the Gazette Up until that point "The Sandman" and "The Crimson Avenger" were considered myths, legend, yellow journalism crafted by a New York in the midst of the Great Depression and an organized crime spike. A modern day Spring Heeled Jack. But there they were. Their fight with the rampaging Elektro and the Phantom lasted for upwards of two hours across the interiors and rooftops of the Fair's central buildings. In the end the broken robot was left sprawled across the dance floor of the central hall and the Phantom was nowhere to be found.

Now this one, taken after the defeat of the Phantom by a photographer from the Planet is one of my favorite shots in history. Beneath this picture, a reporter would coin the term "Mystery Man" and it is at that very moment that the age of the superhero is born. The Sandman and The Crimson Avenger had made themselves known as not just specters in the dark but honest to god crime fighters known the world over. This is the photograph that christened an era. Within the next year we would move from "Yellow Journalism" to the foundation of the Justice Society. As for the Phantom, no one really knows what happened to him. but there are two popular theories. The historically attested theory and the one that was unquestioned for the longest time is that The Phantom was a Nazi saboteur attempting to assassinate King George VI on American soul to alienate the two nations and remove a powerful symbol against fascism (possibly attempting to secure the throne for Edward VIII who was more sympathetic to the German cause) In the early 90s however historian Matt Wagner put forward a theory connecting the Phantom to a man named Gerald Zimmerman as the suspect in a series of anti-queer hate crimes that occurred near the fairgrounds in the days leading up to the Fair itself. The crimes, as one can expect of anti-gay killings investigated in the 1930s, were never conclusively solved but circumstantial evidence and modern psychological analysis of the Phantom and Zimmerman gives the theory some legs. As a historian myself, I can't make conclusive proof one way or another. Rest assured the Fairground has LONG since been scoured for every single scrap of proof that might grant us insight one way or the other Perhaps the Phantom was one last Penny Dreadful style unsolved mystery to open the door to a newer age. When these "Mystery Men" would, for once and always, step out of the shadows as the world sat balanced on a knife's edge.

[goingrampant]

Performative Stormfront Haters

I've complained a few times about what I call "performative Stormfront haters", and I want to highlight them for a moment to explain what I mean and why they should be considered a social problem tied into other social media harassment problems that get talked about more frequently. In 2020, during the release of The Boys season two, a bunch of keyboard warriors decided it was their moral obligation to harass actress Aya Cash for her role in the series as Stormfront.

Stormfront is a superhero/-villain character, who is introduced as someone who appears to be a likable feminist but is revealed to be a mass-murdering racist, ultimately revealed as a literal Nazi from WWII as a metaphor for fascism enduring to the modern day. It's generally a more serious take on the general themes surrounding the Hydra reveal in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Cash portrays the character in a compelling "love to hate 'em" way, brings some nuance to the character where Stormfront is somewhat sympathetic at the same time she's hateful, and is largely responsible for how cathartic it feels to see the character get beaten up at the end of the season. Cash did her job as an actor well and brought life to season two's main villain. And then a bunch of dorks decided it was a good idea to send her hate for portraying a Nazi in a television show.

At the time, antifa was a big pop culture trend with both supporters and detractors really making themselves known. Some of the George Floyd protesters were visibly antifa, and the right-wing media ran with that to fearmonger. Choosing a side and making it known who you support was popular on social media, a bit like competing football teams. Some people who admired antifa decided to act as antifa by taking what they saw as direct action against platforming of Nazis by harassing Aya Cash for playing a Nazi. This is not what antifa typically does (because it's stupid), owing to the lack of direction and effective propagation of ideology. They were just kind of aping antifa tactics observed second-hand instead of following examples taught in antifa groups. There was a bit of a runaway golem problem, where everyone just jumped on the bandwagon, becoming online haters because it's easy, and ended up acting more like Nazis in harassing some innocent person whose sole crime was participating in the performance of a story they didn't like, as with the online white supremacist harassment of the actors of color who performed in Star Wars.

What their actions ape at is antifa identifying actual white supremacists--people who actually truly believe in white superiority and try to promote it--and get them fired from their jobs, evicted from their apartments, and kept out of the public eye. They're going after actual, real Nazis and fighting the good fight in keeping them from rising to power. What the performative Stormfront haters did was encounter a Nazi character on a television show, feel angry at Stormfront's reveal because that's how the drama was written, then look up who played her on IMDB and treat this random actor like she's a real Nazi that they managed to track down, and subject her to harassment to get her to back out of portraying Stormfront--a character in a season already shot and being released--which is not remotely helpful, actively makes the world worse, and points at extreme confusion over what was actually going on. They were probably a bunch of children (in spite of the show's mature rating), jumping on a bandwagon, thinking they were crusaders for justice fighting the good fight against Nazis, while really acting like a violent mob harassing someone who was actually acting in an antifascist capacity for portraying a Nazi villain in a narrative designed to show how the character was evil.

Aya Cash's response was to publicize being ethnically Jewish, something that she clearly wouldn't have done if she hadn't been called a Nazi by this mob of haters. Though Reform Jews would accept her as patrilineal Jewish because she was raised with the religion and most people would accept her at least being ethnically Jewish, she doesn't practice the religion as an adult and didn't claim the label until she felt she needed to do so defensively, to stave off the mob. It was ultimately this, as well as support from co-star Antony Starr (Homelander), to stop the haters' momentum. Calling a Jewish woman a Nazi and trying to get her to quit acting in the name of fighting Nazis does tend to make you look more like the Nazi, so it worked... but it also put Cash in an awkward position where she now casts herself as Jewish when she's uncomfortable with the label, saying in an interview, "I guess I'm Jewish now," with an ambivalent gesture.

This is strikingly similar to cases in which closeted actors and creatives are harassed by queer audiences for being straight and daring to portray queer characters, often causing them to come out before they're ready. The only thing that will stop the mob is declaring an identity they're cool with. In fact, only a few months before the harassment of Aya Cash reached its peak, another Jewish woman, Becky Abertalli, author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, posted a Medium article, "I know I'm late.", in which she came out as bisexual and described how painful it was reading thinkpieces about how she never should have portrayed queer characters because everyone could tell she was straight and inauthentically rendering the characters through a straight woman's distorted lens. Of course, Abertalli was always bi and authentically representing the characters as queer, even if no one recognized it.

Aya Cash, meanwhile? Kind of obviously ethnically Jewish, which points at the performative Stormfront haters just plain not understanding what was actually going on. I mean... look at her.

In modern America, pale Ashkenazi Jews are typically considered white. The only exceptions come from contrasts with white supremacists, who at most ever consider them "lesser white" and usually as some variant of Asian race "infiltrating" whiteness, with strong influence from Nazi ideology. In this case, Nazism is present as a pervasive theme evoked but not literally rendered with actual neo-Nazi involvement, so Aya Cash kind of floats at the boundary of white and non-white. She was essentially harassed for being (too) white, so she argued that she was not, in fact, white. And that was effective, so "I guess [she's] Jewish now." In theory, she's a white-passing Jewish woman under the perception that Jews are a separate race. It all just points at how stupid and arbitrary racialism is.

I'd argue that her harassment is somewhat of an inverse of the harassment of the Star Wars actors of color, Kelly Marie Tran and John Boyega. In that case, Nazis induced insecure racists to harass them to try to get them to quit and keep Star Wars white-centric. In this case, wannabe antifa members harassed who they perceived as a white woman portraying a Nazi to keep television Nazi-free in their warped understanding. It points at a similar psychological phenomenon of mob justice surrounding racialism. In a way, it represents a midpoint between the harassment of Star Wars actors of color and closeted queer creatives.

That, and also anti-shippers, who don't have a firm grasp on fiction vs. reality. Antis, who are largely young teenagers who consider themselves progressive warriors for justice, harass people who write edgy fanfic under the belief that it points at dangerous identities behind the writing. They think--or profess to think--that anyone who writes non-con is the type of person who would rape someone and that it is their duty to harass them off the Internet and engage in antifa-like actions of getting them fired, etc. for what their activities in the development of fictional narratives are thought to indicate about them being a danger to society. The harassment of Aya Cash is similar to this phenomenon but with a more racialized bend.

To be quite clear, it wouldn't matter if Aya Cash were the Aryaniest Aryan to ever Aryan, as with Charlize Theron's portrayal of in-universe film Stormfront. Cash portrayed a fictional character, and it should have been understood as mere fiction. The narrative can be critiqued, and there are a few things in the portrayal of Stormfront that I find deeply flawed, but fiction should not be taken as a 1:1 indication of the creatives' viewpoints. Otherwise, every actor who portrays King Lear would be investigated as a psychopath gouging out people's eyes, right? This is not a recognized aspect to criminal investigation because it's silly. I believe literal children absorbed a distorted understanding of what antifa does and misapplied it to feel good at being bullies. Like, does any of this make any sense at all when you really dig into it?

Performative Stormfront hate has had a lasting impact on the The Boys fandom. People are compelled to make a big show about how much they hate Stormfront. People who express liking the character without peppering their descriptions with hate for what she actually does in the story are viewed with suspicion as potential Nazis. Most tellingly, there's an Emperor's New Clothes attitude where people are extremely hesitant to describe the character as hot when the show goes to great lengths to portray her as such. Of course, she's hot. They cast Aya Cash, who's known for her erotic role in You're the Worst, gave Stormfront an enhanced bust and emphasized bush, and showed her having sex in every position, including in midair with her superpowers. You find her hot because you watched a television show portraying her as hot, not because you're actually a Nazi. Learn some media literacy, my God.

This is fandumb to the extreme.

[the-jam-to-the-unicorn]

Address by Zelenskyy on the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II

“They break into your house. They come to kill, burn, execute. They don't spare anyone – the elderly, women, children… They are beasts…”

These are the memories of the Nazi occupation survivors. 

And these are the memories of the Russian occupation survivors. The same horrors, the crimes of the same monsters. 

80 years ago, millions of Ukrainians fought to defeat Nazism forever. But today, Ukrainians are once again standing up to evil, which reemerged, returned, and wants to destroy us again. It’s an army of a fiend that kills, tortures and wipes peaceful cities and villages off the face of the Earth. This evil is called Russian fascism, or RF for short.

A witness to this is this basement in the village of Yahidne in the Chernihiv region. The ruscists herded all the villagers into it and kept them there for almost a month. All of them. 350 people, all the children of this village, 80 girls and boys, the youngest of whom was a month and a half old. Everyone in the world can understand what Putin's Russia is by imagining themself here, in this basement, among these people, without light, food, water, medicine, and air, in a room with less than a meter per person. They slept seated. They went outside only once. They ate 200 grams of soup a day. The men were stripped naked in the freezing cold to find Ukrainian tattoos. 10 of the hostages died here. It was forbidden to bury them. Another 17 people were killed by the ruscists. In any corner of the world, that’s known by the same word – hell. When entire villages are burned down, when there are mass executions, when people are put against a wall blindfolded to be killed – in any corner of the world, that's known by the same word – Nazism. If that's not Nazism, then what is that? 

And everyone on Earth knows history and remembers how to fight Nazism. It’s done with humanity united to oppose Hitler, not with buying oil from him or attending his inauguration.

Yahidne, a village that survived the hell of the RF, is just one example. It's just one village, but it reflects the essence of Putin's vision of the world, his real goals. And his goal is to force underground all those who want to live freely, to force a whole village into the basement, and then another one, and then the whole of Ukraine, and finally, force the whole world into the basement. For the RF, these are just stages of their morbid plan to imprison freedom in a ghetto, in a concentration camp called the "Russian world," and to export Russia's main asset – barbed wire – worldwide, by repeating the same scenario Hitler created 80 years ago: swallowing the lands of others step by step and testing the world’s reaction. And when the reaction is spineless, the Nazis keep going. Appeals, resolutions, and half-sanctions don't stop them. And the only question Putin is concerned about today is: Who's next?

Russia has officially approved a list of states that cannot feel safe and called it a “List of Unfriendly States.” Tellingly, it almost completely coincides with the list of the states of the Anti-Hitler Coalition. Those who defeated Nazism are enemies for modern Russia: the countries of the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and almost fifty states in total. They are free, democratic and independent, which in the modern Kremlin ideology means “dangerous.” And therefore, they are targets.

The world didn't see the threat, the world slept through the revival of Nazism – at 5 a.m. on February 24, 2022. And today, everyone who remembers World War II and has survived to this day is experiencing déjà vu. The Battle of Kyiv, bombing of Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro, mass graves, blockade of ports, plundering and seizure of grain, tortures, executions, deportation of children, filtration camps, and colonies for captives. Russia has brought pages from textbooks about World War II back into the headlines of the world's media. Russia has brought the terrible past back into the daily news, proving with each new crime that Nazism has revived. Just this time it has a new label: “Made in Russia.”

Recently, our society was moved by a photo of a man at the grave of his grandson who died at war. The father of this man was killed by the Nazis. His grandson's life was taken by the Russian occupiers. This is just one of the millions of examples that put the sign of equality between Nazism and modern Russia.

Today, Hitler's ideas are voiced in Russian. Nazi crimes are committed under the Russian flag. The difference is merely formal. The new Wehrmacht that invaded Ukraine wears a double-headed eagle on its sleeves. Kalibrs and Kinzhals are the new V-weapons, MiGs and Su-aircrafts are the new Luftwaffe, a Z symbol is the new swastika, and Yunarmiya is the new Hitlerjugend. There are dozens of similar parallels and hundreds of similar emulations.

And if the modern Kremlin resembles the Third Reich in everything, its end should be identical, taking place in the new Nuremberg – in the city of The Hague.

And like in 1945 this can only be ensured by a united free world, the world united in Anti-Putin Coalition, the world that can stop Moscow Nazis through actions, not words, and prevent the new evil from spreading to the entire European continent and, subsequently, to the entire world, the world capable of helping Ukraine defeat Russian Nazism, helping itself, and proving its commitment to the words “Never again!”, so that “Never again!” becomes relevant again.

Dear Ukrainians!

The residents of the village of Yahidne were held here for 27 days. On March 30, 2022, the village was liberated from the ruscist invaders. On April 19, it was demined by our military forces. This symbolizes that history is repeating itself, and everyone who came to destroy us will eventually have to flee from Ukrainian land. A part of our territory is still occupied, and some of our people are held in captivity, which means that our battle continues. And today, on the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism, as we commemorate the millions of Ukrainians who fought and gained victory together with other nations, we keep believing and we bring a new day of a new victory closer.

When the expulsion of the Nazis from Ukraine, we read about in the history textbooks, will happen in real life. And the event of the mid-twentieth century will be repeated and become part of the history of the 21st century, the history of our joint victory over Russian evil.

Greetings on the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II! 

Glory to Ukraine!

[roobylavender]

i mean most abusers do love the people they abuse. abuse isn’t something done with intention or malice half the time, it’s done by people thinking they’re doing the right thing. bruce’s love and need for control are constantly in conflict with each other and that’s why the robins are stuck waging a war against him. i feel like a big part of a dysfunctional parent-child dynamic is feeling trapped by your parent’s love. Even if you hate it, it’s still canon that Bruce has been historically bad with dealing with his kids. Half of them don’t even feel comfortable calling him dad cuz the relationship seems so undefined or shaky. In Dick’s case i feel like he has no grounds to oppose robin and his vigilantism because Bruce (deep down) loved having someone like dick around to fight crime with. They both refer that time as “the good old days” so it’s not like Bruce was truly opposed. It’s only when the actual reality of that negligent and naive behaviour materialises that he realises he fucked up (robin year one eg). Then he treats Dick in such a cold manner that Dick believes if he’s not robin, he’s not wanted. This has been a pattern since the golden days so no it’s not ooc for Bruce. Yes the natural conclusion to all the modern day tension should be for both parties to meet and resolve their issues but Bruce is still the abuser at the end of the day, and even though Dick’s self sacrificing nature might easily forgive him, on a textual level it should be clear that a true resolution between the two would need Dick to dig deeper, and for Bruce to be ready for rejection from his son.

i don’t disagree with that assessment of abuse like it’s absolutely true, but my problem is i don’t think the cold or controlling behavior is really a consistent enough pattern until we move into post-crisis canon. for several decades dick and bruce have a great rapport with each other bc that’s what everyone knows they’re supposed to have. like i don’t think most writers from the golden or silver age if asked that they intended to write bruce as an abuser would agree and say yes, and that distinction to me is impt, bc sure, we can take what we’re reading on a surface level and project our own experience or modern understanding of relationships onto it, but i don’t think that should happen to the extent authorial intent is superseded bc then you start to enter territory where you’re divorcing narrative from genre conventions. if we go by the assumption that bruce is an enabler and abuser for allowing dick to be a hero for so long without purported attention paid to his safety then that establishes practically every hero within the universe possessive of a sidekick as an abuser. and i do get that some people are interested in following that thread like esp in post-crisis we see that exploration a lot but ig for me personally it’s kinda like the thing that breaks the camel’s back and withholds the entire genre from actually allowing itself to explore more pertinent issues. not to say abuse isn’t a pertinent issue, it absolutely is and i do think there’s ways it can still be explored, but the primary reason the genre was established in the first place was in response to fascism. obv the engagement with that wasn’t necessarily complex early on but it’s incredibly impt to the development of the genre and as we can see in a modern context how that response to fascism or lack thereof is conveyed can be incredibly influential in terms of facilitating support or not for fascist government. so my issue is like, yes, it’s impt for bruce’s faults in these relationships to be addressed to a constructive and worthwhile extent, but i also think writers have gone so drastically far in curating those faults in the post crisis era that it’s effectively restricted the scope of the stories they’re allowed to tell, bc they’re more focused on individual instances and relationships within this world than they are on any form of commentary that reflects the operations of the world at large in relation to regulation of crime

[leeloooonfire]

I hate living like this.

I hate capitalism and fascism and that I have to defend my believes that we should not have to live like this!

Its not right to have to work against my body, my mind, against nature and everything that's natural only to fit into a society that makes us sick and tired and wanting to die.

Its not right that we have to pay for water and housing. Or that we grade people on how much they can contribute to capitalism from a very young age and everything is centered around money and success. You cannot tell anyone that you like to write without them questioning why you haven't published a book and if you've published a book, you're questioned if it makes good money and if you can live off it. That is fucking disgusting. We're conditioned to produce and produce and to work for others without having enough to cover our basic needs, but there's neither the time nor the energy to find a new job, because we work overtime on 6 to 7 days a week and are even too tired to brush our teeth on our free day. There're basically no accommodations for people with special needs and if there are the people in charge are disgusting and assholes about it. (Personal example: I work for a university and for people who have disadvantages due to mental or physical illnesses there is the option to give them extra time during exams or f.e. a laptop, and my colleagues are such assholes about it. I hate it.)

Its also not right that there's money, billions, to bomb people in Gaza and to feed into A.I. (which is horrendous for our nature, same for the bombs and war and the genocides that are being committed around the world) so it can produce art, but there's no money to help the poor and sick or to fund education or economic changes to bring climate change to a stop. The world is burning and drowning and wildlife is dying but Germany decided to bring back nuclear energy and buy 'clean' oil/gas from 'somewhere in africa'. Like wtf?!

It is vile that we all have to fight against the -isms and -phobias again and again only for the states and countries to develop back into racists believes, the left becomes more right and slavery is having a comeback - even if its a modern version. It becomes illegal to have no home (in some states) in the US. That means these people can be put into prison where they're made to work for companies for basically no income which means that they cannot put some back for the time they're released which means that they have extra trouble to find a home and a job which means again, due to homelessness being illegal, that they can be send back to prison. This is modern slavery. And it's unfolding right in front of our eyes.

It is not right to live like this. And I am so sick of this.

And still I have to get up every single shitty day to go to work where my boss and my colleagues and the state boosts about being good people because they help others with disadvantages to live through a gruelling educational system these young people leave with horrendous debts only to make fun of these people behind closed doors because they have a crippled arm and cannot write with a fucking pen or are blind and need a special PC, or have adhd or autism and need a silent room with little to no people inside.

And then I get into trouble because I'm not smiling enough.

Why should I smile when I see this world and think: oh we are fucked

[liberty1776]

I try to look at both sides of arguments so it is interesting to see how leftists think. Here Michael Steele speaks with Rachel Maddow about her new book, "Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism." The pair discuss how they think modern-day efforts to undermine democracy have a prequel dating back to before and during World War II when an ultra-right authoritarian movement tried to steer our nation toward an alliance with the Nazis. Rachel describes how members of congress got involved in spreading Nazi propaganda, how Henry Ford spread anti-semitism throughout the U.S and Germany and the figures who made sure we saved ourselves from ourselves. It seems that these two are not seeing that it is the political left today that is much more authoritarian and like NAZIs than the modern right and Trump suporters. To me it seems Biden and his gang are much more anti freedom and a greater danger to American freedom than the modern right and even MAGA Trump supporters. The anology they are trying to make seems to be not only wrong, but opposite of the truth. American Leftism today is much more supportive of racism and tribalism and authoritarianism and more fascist, than the modern conservative right. This whole video seems to be just leftist propaganda. But in the name of freedom of speech it is worth hearing their nutcase conspiracy theories even though they are saying the opposite of the truth. They are ignoring all the leftist election fraud and the truth of what happened on January 6. This video has a very biased liftest point of view. It is not isolationalism to not want to support the actual fastists in Ukraine and Israel. Non interventionism was the advice of America's founding fathers. Russia and the Palestians are not the danger it is Ukraine and israel that are selling the lies to the American people, not Russia or Palestine. It is the the Leftists telling us they are strong enough and speek of the MAGA people are the danger. It is the Left that wants to end your status as a citizen. The dangers Maddow presents come more from the left than from the right. MS MBC seems like just a propaganda arm of the Democrat party.

[ecoamerica]

Apply or nominate: https://ecoamerica.org/american-climate-leadership-awards-2025/

Calling all organizations, individuals, and small businesses successfully engaging Americans on climate! Showcase your creativity and climate solutions by applying for @ecoamerica’s 2025 American Climate Leadership Awards. You can win $1K - $50K by submitting your efforts for consideration by a stellar line-up of judges and individuals leading on climate. It’s quick and easy to submit your application or nominate inspirational climate leaders. Apply or nominate today!

[bean-na-farraige-agus-foraoise]

Do you have any particular resources for “Eostre” being Bede’s own creation? I know there’s no other attestation and that there are debates among scholars as to this hypothetical goddess’s existence, but if you have the time/energy, I’d love to see more resources on it being definitively a joke / fake from Bede, rather than just a possible goddess we know very little about.

It’s more the use of basic logic, so I’m just going to spell out my argument. I only have one direct quote so one citation, because again, my argument is based on logic and the way one ought to approach medieval sources that then get picked up by 19th century scholars. (I also discussed this at length with an old professor of mine who focuses on medieval theology so much of this is from my notes rather than like textbooks).

I first look at the author, Bede himself. He, like most historians of his day, is not exactly known for being accurate- his other most famous history, the  Ecclesiastical History of the English People is just chock full of propaganda, omissions, and his own personal agendas- he literally avoids talking to native Britons as he’s heavily biased against them. Bede has also been described as having “often used figures of speech and rhetorical forms which cannot easily be reproduced in translation, depending as they often do on the connotations of the Latin words (1)"- which in companion with the propaganda and his own personal agendas makes it very likely that someone unfamiliar with Bede’s writing style like... perhaps a certain German, possibly one by the name of Grimm, would take what he said at face value without taking into account any of the historical and ecclesiastical influences on Bede’s writing. 

The work that Eostre originates in is known as The Reckoning of Time, and focuses on one of Bede’s favorite topics... calendars. And I don’t want y’all to say that I’m making Bede out to be an idiot, because he isn’t, what I’m saying that the man is significantly more reliable as a scientist and a linguist than as a historian. The Reckoning of Time, written in 725, discusses things that a lot of modern day people think that those in the middle ages couldn’t possibly know such as an explanation of how the spherical Earth influenced the changing length of daylight, of how the seasonal motion of the Sun and Moon influenced the changing appearance of the new moon at evening twilight, and a quantitative relation between the changes of the tides at a given place and the daily motion of the Moon.

But the thing with Eostre is that the arguments made by proponents of Eostre’s reality don’t seem to add up. They argue that Eostre is a survival of the goddess  h₂éwsōs, who has a set mythology and role, she is the bringer of dawn, an opener of the doors of heaven, and a goddess of light- and while I have no linguistic scruples with the possibility that linguistically Eostre evolved from h₂éwsōs I do think that there are some issues with this argument. Eostre has no such role and indeed, according to proponents of her existence, like Grimm, has an entirely different role as a goddess of spring, of rebirth, a theme that by the first century AD was associated with Easter (aka several hundred years before we see Eostre being attested, and over a thousand years separated from Grimm’s claims). The associations with Easter and rebirth are what brings the rabbit and the egg into the picture. Furthermore when constructing an image of Eostre, Grimm and Holtzmann the individuals most responsible for the modern view of Eostre, just kinda..... pull aspects of goddesses from other cultures- they pull a little bit from Aphrodite, snag an aspect or two from Freyja. And in fact one of the most popular myths surrounding Eostre, that she turned a bird into a rabbit and that’s why the Easter rabbit lays eggs, was once described as “one of the oldest myths in the world” despite it being a recent fabrication as of 1900. 

Several older texts that mention Ostara such as the Althochdeutsches Schlummerlied announced in 1859 by Georg Zappert is considered a forgery. Grimm, Zappert, and Holtzmann were looking were a common thread of Germanic connection on which to build a German national mythology. Germany would not be a unified state until 1871 and was instead a region of disparate and often un-unified small states that were frequently invaded by larger nations, such as France. A German national mythology and a German national history came to be key points in the unification of Germany, and later became a focal point of German fascism. 

Furthermore much of the arguments in favor of Eostre seem to rely on what appear to me, to be flimsy linguistic claims that were only thought up in relation to Bede’s posited goddess Eostre and Grimm’s claims of Eostre’s importance in Germany despite his.... making up the things about her..... but I digress- many of the things that are held up as “proof” of Eostre’s existence seem to come from hypothetical linguistics, it’s very much an attempt to connect certain sounds and popular German names to a figure who’s existence was not mentioned prior to Bede’s work, who was popularized by a German nationalist, and then whose holiday was taken and used in what was asserted to be a survival of ancient religion (Wicca- as published in Gardner’s Witchcraft Today) just four years prior to the discovery of the artifacts that are shown as proof of Eostre’s existence in 1958. And while many of these inscriptions have been attributed to Eostre, many of the inscriptions are also incomplete, and several of them have been attributed to a social group rather than a deity. Claiming that a deity exists because you see what is believed to be a linguistic connection to their name (which again was not attested to until the 8th century) is just.... it’s like the Danu situation for Gaelpol all over again. Basing linguistic studies off of hypothetical goddesses with highly debatable origins just doesn’t feel like proof to me. 

But back to Bede, Eostre is not the only deity he just creates while writing The Reckoning of Time. And Eostre is not the only deity that Grimm grabs up as being a real Germanic figure who is otherwise unattested- Rheda is also just brought into existence and shoved into a similar situation as Eostre- made into a fertility goddess because of which month Bede ascribed them to and preconceived notions of what would be celebrated at that time of year based on over a thousand years of Christian influence and associations already held with the Easter holiday. Also, Grimm does the same thing to Rheda that he does to Eostre, in that, because nothing is given of her, he pulls aspects from other deities to flesh out her character- giving her similarities to the Roman Mars. 

And even beyond Bede’s writing- some arguments have posited that the age in which Bede was raised (shortly after the conversion was completed) would have allowed him to talk to people about aspects of religion that would have not have fully died out. Which is fair, but one must also keep in mind that Bede was sent to live in a monastery when he was 7 years old, and that he and the Abbot who raised him were among the only survivors of a plague that struck when Bede was 14. This was not a life that allowed for much other than ecclesiastical education- and Bede cites local pagan authors in his his other writing, but none of them discuss Eostre or Rheda. It seems to me as though when writing The Reckoning of Time, that Bede, who was also discussing Greek and Roman cosmology and mythology might have seen the space for a goddess of spring in Anglo-Saxon mythology and just filled in the gaps utilizing the Germanic word for Easter as his base (remember, Bede was a linguist). 

But beyond this, it’s important to me that people remember that medieval monks were human. They were political beings, they were capable of having a sense of humor, they had agendas- Bede’s agenda was calendars, but it was an agenda nonetheless. And historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, they all have agendas, they have opinions, things that influence their arguments- don’t just take what they say at face value but examine why. 

But I raise the bar to you now- why do you believe in a hypothetical goddess, what evidence do you have that says she’s real? 

Ultimately my only dog in this fight is historical literacy and accuracy because I don’t follow the Germanic gods, I’m a Gaelic polytheist. It doesn’t matter to me what gods people follow even if I think they don’t exist, that’s not my fight- but seeing people claim that a holiday was stolen from a hypothetical deity really grinds my gears- particularly when those arguments are coming from people who couldn’t give me a single academic argument for their stance that hasn’t been disproven a thousand times over. 

1. Colgrave, Bertram; Mynors, R.A.B. "Introduction". Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969).

[thedandeliongarden]

You raise a lot of valid issues, and make a lot of good points, but I think there is an elephant in this room:

The problem at the moment is a pretty thorny one, and it stems from the conflation of anti-zionism with anti-semitism.

I’m not jewish, and I won’t profess to have any direct connection to judaism or such. But I did have a well-seated respect for jewish culture that I have recently lost

I’m gonna assume anyone calling me antisemitic stopped reading at this point

See, I was pretty firmly of the belief that the culture of discussion, argumentation, and celebration I’ve read about over the years was completely immune to the intrusions of fascism as an ideology

Unfortunately, the actions of israel as a colonial and fascist state that have been in the global spotlight recently have pretty thoroughly disabused me of those notions.

There’s only so many palestinian children you can see dead, only so many hospitals bombed, ceasefires broken, brutality and dehumanisation you can see unleashed by the IDF before you have to come to a new conclusion:

Jewish culture is just like any other - vulnerable to power hungry morons, fear mongering, and ideas of supremacy.

So jewish culture is just like every other (reasonable) culture in my worldview now.

And this isn’t a new thing either - it’s the nakba again.

I read an interesting statistic about modern day germany recently: that some 30% of the folk arrested for anti-semitism recently have been jewish, despite only making up around 1% of the general population. Why? Because germany currently considers anti-zionism to be anti-semitism

Israel has a fascism problem.

My heart bleeds for jews caught in the wave of anti-semitism this is fanning the flames of, and even with a fair few of the ones I follow spouting zionist bullshit I haven’t and won’t turn my back on them. Not when it’s so painfully clear how fiercely many jews are fighting for the very soul of their culture against the fascist tide.

Palestine should be freed from this colonial project and a unified, secular state made that celebrates both histories and cultures. So no. I do not stand with israel. You shouldn’t either. But be dam sure I stand against anti-semitism still.

On being Jewish, and traumatized (It’s been 5 months and I want to talk):

Judaism is a joyous religion. So much of our daily practice is to focus us on the things that are good. I know that there’s a joke that all our holidays can be summed up as “they tried to kill us. We survived – let’s eat!”, and you might think that holidays focused on attempts at killing us might be somber, but they’re really not. Most are celebrated in the sense of, “we’re still here, let’s have a party!” When I think about practicing Judaism, the things I think about make me happy.

But I think a lot of non-Jews don’t necessarily see Judaism the same way. I think in part it’s because we do like to kvetch, but I think a lot of it is because from the outside it’s harder to see the joy, and very easy to see the long history of suffering that has been enacted on the Jewish people. From the inside, it’s very much, “we’re still here, let’s party” and from the outside it’s, “how many times have they tried to kill you? Why are you celebrating? They tried to KILL YOU!”

And I want to start with that because a lot of the rest of this is going to be negative. And I don’t want people to read it and wonder why I still want to be Jewish. I want to be Jewish because it makes me happy. My problem isn’t with being Jewish, it’s with how Jews are treated.

What I really wanted to write about is being Jewish and the trauma that’s involved with that right now.

First, I want to talk about Israeli Jews. I can’t say much here because I’m not Israeli, nor do I have any close friends or family that are Israeli. But if I’m going to be talking about the trauma Jews are experiencing right now, I can’t not mention the fact that Israeli Jews (and Israelis that aren’t Jewish as well, but that’s not my focus here) are dealing with massive amounts of it right now. It’s a tiny country – virtually everyone has a friend or family member that was killed or kidnapped, or knows someone who does. Thousands of rockets have been fired at Israel in the last few months – think about the fact that the Iron Dome exists and why it needs to. Terror attacks are ongoing; I feel like there’s been at least one every week since October. Thousands of people are displaced from their homes, either because of the rocket fire, or because their homes and communities were physically destroyed in the largest pogrom in recent history – the deadliest single day for Jews since the Holocaust ended. If that’s not trauma inducing, I don’t know what is.

And there is, of course, the generational trauma. And I think Jewish generational trauma is interesting because it’s so layered. Because it’s not just the result of one trauma passed down through the generations. Every 50-100 years, antisemitism intensifies, and so very frequently the people experiencing a traumatic event were already suffering from the generational trauma that their grandparents or great grandparents lived through. And those elders were holding the generational trauma from the time before that. And so on.

And because it happens so regularly, there’s always someone in the community that remembers the last time. We are never allowed the luxury of imagining that we are safe. We know what happened before, and we know that it happened again and again and again. And so we know that it only makes sense to assume it will happen in the future. The trauma response is valid. I live in America because my great grandparents lived in Russia and they knew when it was time to get the hell out in the 1900s. And the reason they knew that is because their grandparents remembered the results of the blood libels in the 1850s. How can we heal when the scar tissue keeps us safe?

I look around now and wonder if we’ll need to run. We have a plan. I repeat, my family has a plan for what to do if we need to flee the country due to religious persecution. How can that possibly be normal? And yet, all the Jewish families I know have similar plans. It is normal if you’re Jewish. Every once in a while I see someone who isn’t Jewish talk about making plans to leave because they’re LGBTQ or some other minority and the question always seems to be, “should I make a plan?” It astounds me every time. The Jewish answer is that you need to have a plan and the only question is, “when should I act?” Sometimes our Jewish friends discuss it at play dates. Where will you go? What are the triggers to leave? No one wants to go any earlier then they have to. Everyone knows what the price of holding off too long might be.

I want to keep my children safe. When do I induct them into the club? When do I let my sweet, innocent kids know that some people will hate them for being Jewish? When do I teach them the skills my parents and grandparents taught me? How to pass as white, how to pass as Christian, knowing when to keep your mouth shut about what you believe. When do I tell them about the Holocaust and teach them the game “would this person hide me?” How hard do I have to work to remind them that while you want to believe that a person would hide you, statistically, most people you know would not have? Who is this more traumatic for? Them, to learn that there is hatred in the world and it is directed at them, or me, to have to drive some of the innocence out of my own children’s eyes in order to make sure they are prepared to meet the reality of the world?

And the reality of the world is that it is FULL of antisemitism. There’s a lot of…I guess I’d call it mild antisemitism that’s always present that you just kinda learn to ignore. It’s the sort of stuff that non-Jews might not even recognize as antisemitic until you explain it to them, just little micro-aggressions that you do your best to ignore because you know that the people doing it don’t necessarily mean it, it’s just the culture we live in. It can still hurt though. I like to compare it to a bruise: you can mostly ignore it, but every once in a while something (more blatant antisemitism) will put a bit to much pressure on it and you remember that you were already hurting this whole time.

On top of the background antisemitism, there’s more intense stuff. And usually the most intense, mask off antisemitism comes from the right. This makes sense, in that a lot of right politics are essentially about hating the “other” and what are Jews if not Western civilizations oldest type of “other”? On the one hand, I’ve always been fortunate enough to live in relatively liberal areas so this sort of antisemitism has felt far away and impersonal – they hate everybody, and I’m just part of everybody. On the other hand, until recently I’ve always considered this the most dangerous source of antisemitism. This is the antisemitism that leads to hate crimes, that leads to synagogue shootings. This is the reason why my synagogue is built so that there is a long driveway before you can even see the building, and that driveway is filled with police on the high holidays. This is the reason why my husband and I were scared to hang a mezuzah in our first apartment (and second, and third). For a long time, this was the antisemitism that made me afraid.

But the left has a problem with antisemitism too. And it has always been there. Where the right hates the “other”, the left hates the “privileged/elite/oppressors.” It’s the exact same thing, just dressed up with different words. They all mean “other” and “other” means “Jew.” It hurts more coming from the left though. A lot of Jewish philosophy leans left. A lot of Jews lean left. So when the left decides to hate us, it isn’t a random stranger, it’s a friend, and it feels like a betrayal.

One of the people I follow works for Yad Vashem, and a few weeks ago she mentioned a video they have with testimonies from people who came to Israel after Kristallnacht, with an unofficial title of “The blow came from within.” The idea is that to non-German Jews, the Holocaust was something done by strangers. It was still terrible, but it is easier to bear the hate of a stranger – it’s not personal. But to German Jews, the Holocaust was a betrayal. It wasn’t done by strangers, it was done by coworkers, and neighbors and people they thought were friends. It was done by people who knew them, and still looked at them and said, “less than human.” And because of this sense of betrayal, German survivors, or Germans who managed to get out before they got rounded up, had a very different experience than other Holocaust victims.

And I feel like a lot of left leaning Jews are having a similar experience now. People that we’ve marched with or organized with, or even just mutuals that we’ve thought of as friends are now going on about how Jews are evil. They repeat antisemitic talking points from the Nazis and from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and when we point out that those ideas have only led to Jewish death in the past they don’t care. And if someone you thought of as a friend thinks of you this way, what do you think a stranger might think? Might do?

The Jews are fucking terrified. I’ve seen a post going around that basically wonders if this was what it was like for our ancestors – when things got bad enough to see what was coming but before it was too late to run? And we can see what’s coming. History tells us that they way people are talking and acting only leads to one place. I’m a millennial – when I was a kid the grandparents at my synagogue made sure the kids knew – this is what it looked like before, this is what you need to watch out for, this is when you need to run. I wonder where to run to. It feels like nowhere is safe.

I feel like I’ve been lucky in all this. I don’t live in Israel. I have family and acquaintances who do, but no one I’m particularly close to. Everyone I know in real life has either been sane or at least silent about all of this (the internet has been significantly worse, but when it comes to hate, the internet is always worse). I live in a relatively liberal area – there’s always been antisemitism around anyway, but it’s mostly just been swastikas on flyers, or people advocating for BDS, not anything that’s made me actually worry for my safety. But in the last 5 months there have been bomb threats at my synagogue, and just last week a kid got beat up for being Jewish at our local high school. He doesn’t want to report it. He’s worried it will make it worse.

I bought a Magen David to wear in November. At the time it seemed like the best way to fight antisemitism was to be visibly Jewish, to show that we’re just normal people like everyone else. Plus, I figured that if me being Jewish was going to be a problem for someone, then I would make it a problem right away and not waste time. I’ve worn it almost constantly since, but the one time I took it off was when I burnt my finger in December and had to go to urgent care. I didn’t think about it too much when I did it, but I thought about it for a long time after – I didn’t feel good about having made that choice.

The conclusion I came to is that the training that my elders had been so careful to instill in me kicked in. I was hurt, and scared, and the voice inside my head that sounds like my grandmother said, “don’t give them a reason to be bad to you. Fight when you’re well, but for now – survive.” It still felt cowardly, but it was also a connection to my ancestors who heeded the same voice well enough to survive. And it enrages me that that voice has been necessary in the past. And it enrages me that things are bad enough now that my instinct is that I need to hide who I am to receive appropriate medical care.

I wish I had some sort of final thought to tie this all together other than, “this sucks and I hate it,” but I really don’t. I could call for people to examine their antisemitic biases, but I’m not foolish enough to think that this will reach the people who need to do so. I could wish for a future where everything I’ve talked about here exists only in history books, and the Jewish experience is no longer tied to feeling this pain, but that’s basically wishing for the moshiach, and I’m not going to hold my breath.

I guess I’ll end it with the thought that through all of this hate and pain and fear, we’re still here. And we’re still joyful as well. As much as so many people have tried over literally THOUSANDS of years to eradicate us, I’m still here, I’m still Jewish, and being Jewish still makes me happy.

Am Yisrael Chai.

[luimnigh]

Not to rant about a game I haven't played yet, but from what I've seen of it from videos, I am absolutely in love with Watch Dogs Legion's escalation system.

In almost every other open-world game set in the modern day (or close enough to the modern day), the enemies pull out guns at the slightest provocation. You get wanted by the police, and they'll shoot you.

However, Legion is set in London. Police in the UK are majority unarmed. Gun control laws are much stronger. Even gangs have trouble getting guns in the UK.

So Legion instead outright tells the player that this branch of Dedsec uses guns (even stun guns) as a last resort. You're given a full tutorial on melee combat, right at the start of the game, as it expects you to mostly make use of melee throughout. You don't get the same level of tutorial for the firearms.

And it encourages this with the escalation system.

So long as you don't pull out a gun, your enemies won't start fights with their guns out. They'll engage you in melee combat.

(Admittedly, they'll pull out batons and other melee weapons when most player characters are stuck with hand-to-hand, but still.)

However, the AI weighs up the threat the player poses, and if they start to dominate the fight, the enemy will decide it's worth the risk to escalate the fight and they'll pull their guns.

And it's not just against the player, I've seen gameplay where NPC Civilians start fighting back against an enemy and when it got to four-on-one the mercenary started opening fire.

They honestly didn't have to put that system in place. In Legion, the police in London have been completely replaced by a PMC, Albion. The government in-game is engaging in fascism. They'd be totally justified in just having a shoot-first system like most similar games, like previous games in the franchise even.

But it would make it feel less like London.

And there's just a certain je ne sais quois to that.

[maddie-grove]

The Top Twenty Books I Read in 2020

My main takeaways:

I’m glad that I set certain reading goals this year (i.e., reading an even mix of different genres and writing about each book I read on this tumblr). I feel like it really expanded my horizons.

There are a lot of proper names on my Top 20 list this year, which possibly means something about identity? That, or I just tried to read more Victorian novels. 

Be horny, and be kind.

Now...

20. The White Mountains by John Christopher (1967)

In a world ruled by unseen creatures who roam the countryside in tall metal tripods, all humans are “capped” (surgically fitted with metal plates on their heads) at age fourteen. Thirteen-year-old Will Parker looks forward to becoming a man, but a conversation with a mysterious visitor to his village raises a few doubts. This early YA dystopia has gorgeous world-building (notably a trip to the ruins of Paris) and expert pacing. The choices Will has to make are also more surprising and complicated than I ever anticipated.

19. What Happened at Midnight by Courtney Milan (2013)

John Mason wants revenge on his fiancée Mary after she skips town following her father’s death...apparently with the funds that her father, John’s business partner, embezzled from their company. When he tracks her down, though, she’s working as a lady’s companion to the wife of a controlling gentleman who refuses to pay her wages, and John’s fury turns to sympathy and curiosity. This is a smart, well-plotted Victorian-set novella about a couple who builds a better relationship after a rocky start.

18. Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (1943)

It’s 1773, and fourteen-year-old Bostonian Johnny Tremain has it all: a promising apprenticeship to a silversmith, the run of his arguably senile master’s household, and...unresolved grief over his widowed mother’s death? When a workplace “accident” ruins his hand and career, though, he must “forge” a new identity. Despite its jingoism and surfeit of historical exposition, I fell in love with this weird early YA novel. It’s a fascinating, heartbreaking portrayal of disability and ableism, and, to be fair, Forbes was just jazzed about fighting the Nazis.

17. Something Happened to Ali Greenleaf by Hayley Krischer (2020)

After universally beloved jock Sean Nessel rapes starry-eyed junior Ali Greenleaf at a party, his queen-bee friend Blythe Jensen agrees to smooth things over by befriending his victim. Ali knows Blythe’s motives are weird and sketchy, but being friends with a popular, exciting girl is preferable to dealing with the fallout of the rape. This YA novel is a complex, astute exploration of trauma and moral responsibility.

16. The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein (2017)

Rothstein details how the federal U.S. government allowed, encouraged, and sometimes even forcibly brought about segregation of black and white Americans during the early and mid-twentieth century, with no regard for the unconstitutionality of its actions. He brings home the staggering harm to black Americans who were kept from living in decent housing, shut out of home ownership for generations, and denied the opportunity to accumulate wealth for generations. It’s an impactful read, and I was honestly shocked to learn Rothstein isn’t a lawyer, because the whole thing reads like an expansion of an excellent closing statement.

15. My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf (2012)

In this graphic memoir, Backderf looks back on his casual, fleeting friendship with future serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, a high school classmate who amused Backderf and his geeky friends with bizarre, chaotic antics. Backderf brings their huge, impersonal high school to life, illustrating how the callousness and cruelty of such an environment allowed an isolated, troubled teen to morph into something much more disturbing without anyone really noticing. It’s a work of baffled, tentative empathy and regret that stayed with me long after I finished it.

14. Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (1876)

Gwendolyn Harleth, beautiful and ambitious but with no real outlet, finds herself compelled to marry a heartless gentleman with a shady past. Daniel Deronda, adopted son of her husband’s uncle, finds himself drawn into her orbit due to his helpful nature, but he’s also dealing with a lot of other stuff, like helping a Jewish opera singer and figuring out his parentage. I love George Eliot and, although this bifurcated novel isn’t her most accessible work, it’s highly rewarding. The psychological twists and turns of Gwendolyn’s story are a wonder to experience, and Daniel’s discovery of his past and a new community is moving.

13. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth (2004)

The Roths, an ordinary working-class Jewish family in 1940 Newark, find their quiet lives descending into fear, uncertainty, and strife after Charles Lindbergh, celebrity pilot and Nazi sympathizer, becomes president of the United States. This alternate history/faux-memoir perfectly captures the slow creep of fascism and the high-handed cruelty of state-sanctioned discrimination, as well as the weirdness of living a semi-normal life while all of that is going on. Also: fuck Herman and Alvin for messing up Bess’s coffee table! She is a queen, and she deserves to read Pearl S. Buck in a pleasant setting!

12. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (1850)

Young David Copperfield has an idyllic life with his sweet widowed mom and devoted nursemaid Peggotty, until his cruel stepfather ruins everything. David eventually manages to find safe harbor with his eccentric aunt, but his troubles have only begun. Although the quality of the novel falls off a little once David becomes an adult, I don’t even care; the first half is one of the most beautiful, funny, brilliantly observed portrayals of the joys and sorrows of childhood that I’ve ever read.

11. The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve by Stephen Greenblatt (2017)

Greenblatt examines the evolution and cultural significance of the story of Adam and Eve from the Bible to the modern day (but mostly it’s about Milton). I can’t speak to the scholarship of this book--I’m not an expert on the Bible or Milton or bonobos--but I do know that it’s a gorgeously written meditation on love, mortality, and free will. Greenblatt brought me a lot of joy as an unhappy teenager, and he came through for me again during the summer of 2020.

10. The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg (2019)

Self-conscious seventeen-year-old Jordan is mortified when his widowed mother hires Max, an outgoing jock from his school, to help out with their struggling food truck. As they get to know each other, though, they realize that they have more in common than they thought, and they end up helping each other through a particularly challenging summer. This is an endearing, exceedingly well-balanced YA romance that tackles serious issues with a light touch and a naturalness that’s rare in the genre.

9. Red as Blood by Tanith Lee (1983)

In nine wonderfully lurid stories, Tanith Lee retells fairy tales with a dark, historically grounded, and lady-centered twist. Highlights include a medieval vampiric Snow White, a vengeful early modern Venetian Cinderella, and a Scandinavian werewolf Little Red Riding Hood. Fairy tale retellings are right up my alley, and Lee’s collection is impressively varied and creative.

8. A Room with a View by E.M. Forster (1908)

Unnerved by an impulsive make-out session with egalitarian George Emerson on a trip to Florence, young Edwardian woman Lucy Honeychurch goes way too far the other way and gets engaged to snobbish Cecil Vyse. How can she get out of this emotional and social pickle? This is an absolutely delightful romance that gave a timeless template for romantic comedies and dramas for 100-plus years.

7. My Ántonia by Willa Cather (1918)

Jim Burden, a New York City lawyer, tells the story of his friendship with slightly older Bohemian immigrant girl Ántonia when they were kids together on the late-nineteenth-century Nebraska prairie. It was a pretty pleasant time, give or take a few murders, suicides, and attempted rapes. This is one of the sweetest stories about unrequited love I’ve ever read, and it has some really enjoyable queer subtext.

6. Mister Death’s Blue-Eyed Girls by Mary Downing Hahn (2012)

In 1956 Maryland, gawky teen Nora’s peaceful existence is shattered by the unsolved murder of her friends Cheryl and Bobbi Jo right before summer vacation. Essentially left to deal with her trauma alone, she begins to question everything, from her faith in God to the killer’s real identity. Hahn delivers a beautiful coming-of-age story along with a thoughtful portrait of how a small community responds to tragedy.

5. The Lais of Marie de France by Marie de France, with translation and introduction/notes by Robert Herring and Joan Ferrante (original late 12th century, edition 1995) 

In twelve narrative poems, anonymous French-English noblewoman Marie de France spins fantastically weird tales of love, lust, and treachery. Highlights include self-driving ships, gay (?) werewolves, and more plot-significant birds than you can shake a stick at. Marie de France brings so much tenderness, delicacy, and startling humor to her stories, offering a wonderful window to the distant past.

4. Maus by Art Spiegelman (1980-1991)

In this hugely influential graphic novel/memoir, Art Spiegelman tells the story of how his Polish Jewish parents survived the Holocaust. He portrays all the characters as anthropomorphic animals; notably, the Jewish characters are mice and the Nazi Germans are cats. I read the first volume of Maus back in 2014 and, while I appreciated and enjoyed it, I didn’t get the full impact until I read both volumes together early in 2020. Spiegelman takes an intensely personal approach to his staggering subject matter, telling the story through the lens of his fraught relationship with his charismatic and affectionate, yet truly difficult father. 

3. At the Dark End of the Street by Danielle L. McGuire (2010)

McGuire looks at a seldom-explored aspect of racism in the Jim Crow South (the widespread rape and sexual harassment of black women by white men) and the essential role of anti-rape activism led by black women during the Civil Rights movement. This is a harrowing yet tastefully executed history, and it’s also a truly inspirational story of collective activism.

2. In for a Penny by Rose Lerner (2010)

Callow Lord Nevinstoke has to mature fast when his father dies, leaving him an estate hampered by debts and extremely legitimate grievances from angry tenant farmers. To obtain the necessary funds, he marries (usually!) sensible brewing heiress Penelope Brown, but they face problems that not even a sizable cash infusion can fix. This is a refreshingly political romance with a deliciously tense atmosphere and fascinating themes, as well as an almost painfully engaging central relationship.

1. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (1814)

Fanny Price, the shy and sickly poor relation of the wealthy Bertram family, is subtly mistreated by most of her insecure and/or self-absorbed relatives, with the exception of her kind cousin Edmund. When the scandalous Crawford siblings visit the neighborhood, though, it shakes up her life for good and ill. I put off reading Mansfield Park for years--it’s practically the last bit of Austen writing that I consumed, including most of her juvenilia--and yet I think it’s my favorite. Fanny is an eminently lovable and interesting heroine, self-doubting and flawed yet possessed of a strong moral core, and the rest of the characters are equally realistic and compelling. Austen really made me think about the point of being a good person, both on a personal and a global scale.

[nightfall-1409]

No I'm coming in here and swinging for Guernica you do NOT submit Guernica without talking about it!

Standing in front of this piece it is huge and imposing. it's 11 and a half feet tall and over 25 feet wide, and the details of it are disturbing, well suited to its style of cubism and surrealism making the gore and violence visceral as people and animals scream and cry together in a discordant body. At the time Picasso was living in Paris, having left Spain during the Spanish Civil War, with the country on a descent into Fascism.

Guernica, the subject of the painting, was a quiet and small town in the heart of Basque country, a culturally important city, and was perceived by the nationalists (fascists) as both the heart of the resistance and as a threat to their Spanish ideal. And in 1937, the Nazi's bombed the town to ruin. Most of the men were fighting for the Republicans and weren't in the city, leaving mostly women and children. It was market day, most of the town was gathered in the city, and the roads and bridges were destroyed, leaving people unable to flee. Considering the nearest military target on the outskirts of the town went completely unscathed in the attack, the annihilation of this town was considered a terror bombing.

George Steer, a journalist who took an eyewitness account of the attack described it as such: "Guernica, the most ancient town of the Basques and the centre of their cultural tradition, was completely destroyed yesterday afternoon by insurgent air raiders. The bombardment of this open town far behind the lines occupied precisely three hours and a quarter, during which a powerful fleet of aeroplanes consisting of three types of German types, Junkers and Heinkel bombers, did not cease unloading on the town bombs weighing from 1,000 lbs. downwards and, it is calculated, more than 3,000 two-pounder aluminium incendiary projectiles. The fighters, meanwhile, plunged low from above the centre of the town to machine gun those of the civilian population who had taken refuge in the fields."

It is a piece of black and white and grey but it needs no color to reflect the horror captured here, he considered using red but decided against it, and I can understand his point, it makes it that much more stark to sit with, that much harder to differentiate the figures. The living and the dead scream in dismembered and disembodied pieces, their skin breaking apart more akin to statues breaking and cracking. a woman screams up at the sky with her face disfigured with grief as she holds a limp baby on her lap— the only piece of the image that is still and motionless. A woman's head stretching vainly out of a burning building with one of her hands shown in a position clawing at a window sill, the other elongated with a light over the scene depicting the mass of bodies, the horse in the middle that you can't quite define its body shape, a broken sword in the foreground of the shot and a bird with a bloody wing in the background, war and peace and death and death at the hands of fascism, and his antifascist sentiment both made it and much of his and other's modern art loathed by them and their sympathizers at the time (and today), and also he personally prevented it from being placed in Spain until the establishment of democracy and liberty in the country.

I've no doubt that the Goya piece might end up taking this round given its status as a Tumblr Favorite. But Guernica is my favorite of Picasso's works and if you're ever in Madrid a trip to the Reina Sofia to visit many of his artworks (and a whole load of other modern artists!) is absolutely a must, standing there with the effects of war staring at you back, a piece big enough to demand a hallway just to fit it.... fucks me up.

SET SIXTEEN - ROUND ONE - MATCH FIVE

"Saturn Devouring His Son" (c. 1819–1823 - Francisco Goya) / "Guernica" (1937 - Pablo Picasso)

SATURN DEVOURING HIS SON: There's a lot in this painting that's just OUGH. The look of desperation and sheer hunger in Saturn's face. The strength of Saturn's grip on his son. The fact that his son is a man, not a baby, which foregoes the theme of harm to the innocent often seen in remakes of this myth. The head being bitten off first, as if to perhaps save his son the fear and pain of slowly being eaten alive. In this painting, Saturn is showing a sort of primal fear and desperation that makes me feel a bit queasy. There's so much emotion here, and it's an emotion that is hard to describe. It feels like a last-ditch effort, like if he just does this one atrocity, it will be worth it. He needs it to be worth it. What if he is eating his son for nothing? What if the blood never washes off his hands, even though it is gone? (@orbleglorb)

GUERNICA: [no additional commentary] (@emilysidhe)

("Saturn Devouring His Son" is a 1819-23 mixed media mural transferred to canvas (originally painted on the wall of his dining room) by Spanish artist Francisco Goya during one of the darkest periods of his life. It measures 143.5 cm × 81.4 cm (56.5 in × 32.0 in) and is displayed at the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

"Guernica" is a 1937 oil on canvas anti-war painting by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. It measures 349.3 cm × 776.6 cm (137.4 in × 305.5 in) and is located at the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid.)

[tes-trash-blog]

🌙 hmm... an age old question but opinion on the whole Imperials Vs Stormcloaks fiasco Skyrim tried to feed us?

*cracks neck*

Goodbye follower count, I’m going in!

I’m going to preface this with a confession: In my first ever playthrough of Skyrim (2014), I did side with the Imperials. On my second, I sided with the Stormcloaks. Since then, I have done three more playthroughs on the Stormcloak side, and three more on the Imperial side. In four more still my Dragonborn was neutral, slaying Alduin without ever taking a side. In my playthroughs, especially the ones after 2016, I’ve developed my own opinions about the Imperials and Stormcloaks alike.

In order to better articulate my opinion, we must first briefly examine four factors: the American landscape in which Skyrim was conceived, Skyrim itself and its portrayal of the Imperials and Stormcloaks (and the Thalmor), and Umberto Eco, the usage of terms like “fascism” and especially “Nazism” in American popular culture, and how this all relates to the Imperial/Stormcloak fiasco.

So let’s get started.

Part 1: Thanks, Obama.

In 2008, Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States. It was a landslide victory against Republican runner John McCain, a conserative who frequently brought up his service in the Vietnam War (and his time as a prisoner of war) during his campaign, as well as his years of service in political office. In a move to make his (very white, very male) campaign seem more inclusive in the face of the frontrunners of the Democratic campaign (Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama), he appointed Sarah Palin as his VP. She was the only conservative woman who agreed to be his running mate, as all three  conservative women in the Senate already said no, and the Republicans couldn’t find a black conservative.

(I’m not making this up.)

Anyway, come 2008, the conservatives lose their goddamn minds because Bush’s reign of actual terror was over, a Black man is now President and Whiteness is in peril. This was before the term “triggered” became a popular sneer in the conservative dictionary, but “snowflake” was used a lot. Come 2009, the Tea Party emerges. And now we get to the crux of my, uh, observation.

For the young, uninitiated, or non-Americans who are thinking “What the fuck is wrong with America”, the Tea Party Movement was/is a rash of hardline rightwingers who, still licking their wounds from a sound beating by the Democrats in the 2008 election, sought to rebrand themselves. With some bootstrap lifting and millions of dollars in funding from media tycoons such as the Koch brothers, the Tea Party made its official debut in 2010 after the signing of the Affordable Healthcare Act. Their message was simple: It’s time to take America back from the lazy, the entitled, and the “uppity”. What was really just a rehash of a song and dance that’s been turning its ugly white head since at least 1964 gained something of a stranglehold on America, in spite of its relatively small size of active members. It hit all the notes: a populist movement rooted in the perceived threats to their faith, their culture, and their social and economic capital.

They also believed shit like this:

For instance, Tea Partiers are more likely than other conservatives to agree with statements such as “If blacks would only try harder they could be just as well off as whites,” and are more likely to disagree with statements like “Generations of slavery and discrimination have created conditions that make it difficult for blacks to work their way out of the lower class.” (Williamson, 34)

Like I said. Since 1964.

What made the Tea Party different from the other conservative temper tantrums was one thing: Internet access. All of a sudden, these angry white men had an outlet for voicing their rages, and an open recruiting forum for other malcontents and disaffected youths. I’m not implying the Tea Party had anything to do with Gamergate, nor that Gamergate had anything to do with the rise of the alt-right or whatever these tennybopper neo-Nazis are calling themselves now, but I am saying those circles at least touch in a Venn diagram.

“But tes-trash-blog! What do the machinations of American politics have to do with Elves?” you may ask. Well dear reader, this leads me to..

Part 2: Hey, you! You’re finally awake!

Skyrim was an overnight hit. On release, The Elder Scrolls 5 generated 450 million dollars on its opening weekend alone. This game sold for around 20 million copies, not including Special Edition, VR, or Switch, and continues to see an average of around 10,000 players a week 9 years later (Steamcharts).

And 20 million people see one thing first: A strong, noble Nord in captivity, telling you that you’re on your way to be executed by the Imperials, who are in bed with a scary, sneering bunch of High Elves dressed in black.  20 million people already were told who was the clear bad guy in this game, and it wasn’t the strong, noble Nord in captivity. I’ll be going into this more into Part 3, but suffice to say, the Imperials were already coded as Bad Guy by association. The Imperials decided to execute you, the player. They shot a man in the back because he ran from his own execution. He stole a horse, which was a crime punishable by death in those days. The game doesn’t tell you that part, and is content to say that Lokir was killed because he was in the same cart as the Stormcloaks.

Speaking of Imperials, the Third Empire is written as obtuse, corrupt, uncaring, and cruel. The Septim Dynasty is wrought with scandal and intrigue, plagued by conflict, and powerless to do anything about the Oblivion Crisis that almost ended the world. They flat out abandoned Morrowind and Summerset to better protect their own, offered no help during the Void Nights that destabilized the Khajiit, and worst of all, signed a treaty outlawing Talos worship. That is the crux on which the Stormcloak/Imperial conflict lies. These damned outsiders telling these humble Nords what to do and what not to do. They’re corrupt, lazy, and know nothing of the hardships these people endure, and now the nanny state Empire is telling them they don’t have the freedom to worship what they want? How dare they!

Going further, in the seat of Imperial power in Skyrim is none other than Jarl Elisif, a young widow who relies heavily on the advice of her (overwhelmingly male) thanes, stewards, and generals. She’s weak, thinks mostly of her dead husband, and is written as someone who overreacts to scenarios; the “legion of troops” to Wolfskull Cave over a farmer reporting strange noises, banning the Burning of King Olaf in the wake of her husband’s murder via Shout come to mind. Compare and contrast that to the seat of Stormcloak power, Windhelm. Ulfric spends his time pouring over the map of troop movements and discussing strategy when he’s not delivering his big damn “Why I Fight” speech. Elisif is weak, Ulfric is strong. The Jarl of Solitude is even told to tone it down during the armistice negotiations in Season Unending. She’s chastised by her own general. The first thing you see in Solitude is a man being executed for opening a gate. The first thing you see in Windhelm is two Nords harassing a Dark Elf woman and accusing her of being an Imperial spy.

Both are portrayed as horrific, but only one has bystanders decrying the acts of the offender. Only one has a relative in the crowd proclaim, “That’s my brother [they’re executing]!” The best you get with Suvaris is her confronting you about whether or not you “hate her kind”. Even a mouth breathing racist would be disinclined to say “yes” when confronted with the question of whether or not they’re racist, but that’s how the writers of Skyrim think racism works.

I acknowledge that this was an attempt at bothsidesism, but the handling was.. clumsy.

Part 3: Ur-Fascism, Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Bash The Stormcloaks

And now we move on to Umberto Eco, fiction writer, essayist, and writer of the famous essay Ur-Fascism. In short, Eco summarizes 14 separate properties of a fascist movement; it’s important to stress that this should not be treated as a checklist if a piece of media is fascist, or if a person is actually a Nazi, or to say “X is Bad Because Checklist”. It’s frankly impossible to even organize these points into a coherent system, as fascism is an ideology that is, by its nature, incoherent.

With that in mind, let’s run down the points:

1. “The Cult of Tradition”, characterized by cultural syncretism, even at the risk of internal contradiction. When all truth has already been revealed by Tradition, no new learning can occur, only further interpretation and refinement.

2. “The Rejection of Modernism”, which views the rationalistic development of Western culture since the Enlightenment as a descent into depravity. Eco distinguishes this from a rejection of superficial technological advancement, as many fascist regimes cite their industrial potency as proof of the vitality of their system.

3. “The Cult of Action for Action’s Sake”, which dictates that action is of value in itself, and should be taken without intellectual reflection. This, says Eco, is connected with anti-intellectualism and irrationalism, and often manifests in attacks on modern culture and science.

4. “Disagreement Is Treason” – Fascism devalues intellectual discourse and critical reasoning as barriers to action, as well as out of fear that such analysis will expose the contradictions embodied in a syncretistic faith.

5. “Fear of Difference", which fascism seeks to exploit and exacerbate, often in the form of racism or an appeal against foreigners and immigrants.

6. “Appeal to a Frustrated Middle Class”, fearing economic pressure from the demands and aspirations of lower social groups.

7. “Obsession with a Plot” and the hyping-up of an enemy threat. This often combines an appeal to xenophobia with a fear of disloyalty and sabotage from marginalized groups living within the society (such as the German elite’s ‘fear’ of the 1930s Jewish populace’s businesses and well-doings, or any anti-Semitic conspiracy ever).

8. Fascist societies rhetorically cast their enemies as “at the same time too strong and too weak.” On the one hand, fascists play up the power of certain disfavored elites to encourage in their followers a sense of grievance and humiliation. On the other hand, fascist leaders point to the decadence of those elites as proof of their ultimate feebleness in the face of an overwhelming popular will.

9. “Pacifism is Trafficking with the Enemy” because “Life is Permanent Warfare” – there must always be an enemy to fight. Both fascist Germany under Hitler and Italy under Mussolini worked first to organize and clean up their respective countries and then build the war machines that they later intended to and did use, despite Germany being under restrictions of the Versailles treaty to NOT build a military force. This principle leads to a fundamental contradiction within fascism: the incompatibility of ultimate triumph with perpetual war.

10. “Contempt for the Weak”, which is uncomfortably married to a chauvinistic popular elitism, in which every member of society is superior to outsiders by virtue of belonging to the in-group. Eco sees in these attitudes the root of a deep tension in the fundamentally hierarchical structure of fascist polities, as they encourage leaders to despise their underlings, up to the ultimate Leader who holds the whole country in contempt for having allowed him to overtake it by force.

11. “Everybody is Educated to Become a Hero”, which leads to the embrace of a cult of death. As Eco observes, “[t]he Ur-Fascist hero is impatient to die. In his impatience, he more frequently sends other people to death.”

12. “Machismo”, which sublimates the difficult work of permanent war and heroism into the sexual sphere. Fascists thus hold “both disdain for women and intolerance and condemnation of nonstandard sexual habits, from chastity to homosexuality.”

13. “Selective Populism” – The People, conceived monolithically, have a Common Will, distinct from and superior to the viewpoint of any individual. As no mass of people can ever be truly unanimous, the Leader holds himself out as the interpreter of the popular will (though truly he dictates it). Fascists use this concept to delegitimize democratic institutions they accuse of “no longer represent[ing] the Voice of the People.”

14. “Newspeak” – Fascism employs and promotes an impoverished vocabulary in order to limit critical reasoning.

I did copy and paste the list from Wikipedia, but you can read the full essay here. It’s 9 pages long. You can do it, I have faith in you.

You may notice that you can’t really shorthand these concepts, or at least not in an aesthetically pleasing way. However, you can point to the most infamous of fascist regimes and take their aesthetic instead. You see it in Star Wars with the Empire (hmm) and the First Order, in Star Trek with the Mirrorverse and the Cardassian Dominion (hmm), and in the.. Oh, it’s on the tip of my tongue..

Oh, yeah. The Thalmor. They dress in dark colors, are a foreign power trying to exert their influence on the downtrodden Nord, enact purges, and scream about Elven superiority. The Thalmor express every surface level perception of a Nazi in American popular culture. TVTropes has already pretty well covered this ground in their Video Games section of A Nazi By Any Other Name, so I won’t go too much into here seeing as I’m already at the 2000 word mark. Suffice to say, it’s hard to think Bethesda wasn’t trying to make the player associate the 4th Era Altmer with the 1930’s German.

And in doing so, they accidentally created a group that is.. Well, you’ve read the essay or at least the 14 points. Try and tell me how many of them don’t apply to Nordic culture. What grabs me the most are points 9, 11, and 13: life is a perpetual struggle in which you must emerge victorious, a culture of Heroes impatient to die in a glorious fashion, and the Common Will that is enacted and reinforced by one strongman leader. You see these elements in play in Nord culture, in Stormcloak ideology especially. I, for one, hear what Galmar really means when he says “We will make Skyrim beautiful again”. I hear the echoes in George W Bush’s speeches and McCain’s campaign when Ulfric talks of duty and service, of “fighting because Skyrim needs heroes, and there’s no one else but us.”

It’s less of a dog whistle and more of a foghorn if you ask me. And to go back to part 2, this is a message that 20 million played. Not all of them are Stormcloak stans, but that compelling message was still present. Americans love being a strongman hero in their media; we eat that shit up. The setup was enough: you’re a lone hero about to be executed by milquetoast Imperials and Nazi-coded Thalmor. The story was enough: a strong man rebels against a system gone awry, one that seeks to destroy his way of life. 

It was enough to compel a “fashwave” artist to take on the monkier Stormcloak(Hann). It was enough that Skyrim was lauded as a “real” game instead of say, Depression Quest, and to justify ruining a game developer’s life over it.

It was enough that when Skyrim came out in 2011, the game did not do so well in Germany because of these elements, because the game was written for you to be sympathetic towards these very white, very blond and Ayran-coded Nords. I can’t speak for the popularity of the game now in Germany, but when I lived there, there were a few raised eyebrows among my age group about the message of the game.

I think about that a lot, especially when the tesblr discourse heats up about the Stormcloaks. I see how visibly upset people get when someone throws shade at Ulfric. The talk of “it’s just a video game” and “lul get triggered” starts to look less like passive dismissal and shoddy trolling and more a kind of funhouse mirror to how they really think.

I can’t lie, it reminds me so much of 2009, of these angry people screaming racial slurs on the Internet because there’s a Black president or posting sexist screeds because Michelle Obama wanted kids to have access to healthy meals. It reminds me of the kid in my sophomore class who said he was going to “take out” Obama on his inauguration day. He was 15 years old then. He’s a father now.

Hell, it reminds me of right now, of Republican Senators demanding civility and tone policing as they kowtow to an actual fascist. The Stormcloak in the Reach camp “had to do something” about the Empire telling him and his what to do, and the neighbor I used to dogsit for had to do something too. I don’t watch his dogs anymore. When I told him I wouldn’t, he tried to make himself the victim and say I was getting political about dog sitting. It’s just two dogs. It’s just a video game. All political messages are just imaginary, snowflake.

But it’s really not, is it now?

TL;DR and Sources

TL;DR: The imperials are portrayed as weak and effectual, as the bootlicker to the Thalmor, and the writers were so busy trying to make one side look bad and weak they inadvertently made actual fascists.

Even though this is pretty long, this really only scratches the surface of the.. Well, everything. In all honesty this is just a very condensed version of my opinion. Big shockeroo, there.

Do keep in mind that this isn’t a condemnation of Skyrim. Lord knows I love that game, or I wouldn’t have this blog. This also isn’t a damning of people who play the game and side with the Stormcloaks, or think Ulfric is hot, or don’t like the Thalmor or what have you. You do you, fam. You do you. This is my observation and opinion on one aspect of the game, just with some tasty sources to better paint a picture of where I personally formed my opinion.

This also isn’t to say that I’m trying to draw a 1:1 comparison between The Elder Scrolls and reality, or that Ulfric is obviously a McCain/Trump/Hitler expy, but Skyrim is, like all things, a product of the minds that created it. Skyrim didn’t happen in an apolitical vacuum, and apolitical stories about war simply do not exist. Anyone who tells you otherwise is simply reinforcing the status quo, and it is our responsibility as people who consume this media to question it, and that status quo they so dearly wish to hang on to.

Also, Elisif hot.

Sources:

Eco, Umberto. “Ur-Fascism”. The New York Review of Books. 1995. https://www.pegc.us/archive/Articles/eco_ur-fascism.pdf>

Williamson, Venssa, Skocpol, Theda and Coggin, John. “The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism”. Perspectives on Politics, Volume 9. March 2011. https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/williamson/files/tea_party_pop_0.pdf>

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Steamcharts.com https://steamcharts.com/app/72850>

Schreier, Jason. “Bethesda Ships 7M Skyrim, Earns About $450M”. Wired. November 16, 2011. https://www.wired.com/2011/11/skyrim-sales/>

Hann, Michael. “‘Fashwave” - synth music co-opted by the far right”. The Guardian. December 2014. https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/dec/14/fashwave-synth-music-co-opted-by-the-far-right>

[davidshawnsown]

COMMEMORATIVE MESSAGE IN HONOR OF THE 76TH VICTORY DAY, THE 71ST EUROPE DAY AND THE 110TH BIRTHDAY OF NAVAL AVIATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Ladies and gentlemen, to all the people of the United States of America and Canada, to all our remaining living veterans of the Second World War of 1939-1945 and of all conflicts past and present and their families, to our veterans, active servicemen and women, reservists and families of the entire United States Armed Forces and Canadian Armed Forces, and to all the uniformed military and civil security services of the Allied combatants of this conflict, to all the immediate families, relatives, children and grandchildren of the deceased veterans, fallen service personnel and wounded personnel of our military services and civil uniformed security and civil defense services, to all our workers, farmers and intellectuals, to our youth and personnel serving in youth uniformed and cadet organizations and all our athletes, coaches, judges, sports trainers and sports officials, and to all our sports fans, to all our workers of culture, music, traditional arts and the theatrical arts, radio, television, digital media and social media, cinema, heavy and light industry, agriculture, business, tourism and the press, and to all our people of the free world:

To all of you whenever you are all over the world, our greetings of peace and goodwill as we celebrate as one people the 76th year of the Victory Day in the Eastern Front against Nazism and Fascism in the Second World War in Europe and Northern Africa, the 71st Europe Day and the 110th year anniversary of the beginning of Naval Aviation in the United States of America, one of the greatest days ever in the history of the whole of humankind, celebrating the day in which millions rejoiced all over the world marking the end of a long and bitter struggle against the Axis Powers in much of Europe and northern parts of the African continent.

We celebrate today with the happiness and joy even more so due to the fact that millions are already vaccinated against the COVID-19 pandemic which had cancelled most of the festivities last year, and has already led to the deaths of millions of people, including some of the few remaining living veterans of the Second World War. While remembering the heroic generation of the 20th century, our thoughts go to the heroic generation of the 21st century – the millions of frontline medical and healthcare workers and professional staff, the well as all those in the manufacture of vacciness and critical much-needed medical equipment, supplies and uniforms, and all our essential economic workers of public and private enterprises and utility companies. They are the very people that we honor today, together with the millions who died from this disease all over the world and the survivors and their families and loved ones.

As the happiness of this day is beginning to return, we once more remember the reason why we celebrate today. This was the very day 76 years ago, just as the final major Allied operations were underway in Prague, where the Soviet Army, joined by Czech resistance fighters, were already advancing on the city, when the Soviet Union, thru All-Union Radio, on midnight of this day, Moscow Standard Time, offically declared the conclusion of the Second World War in the Eastern Front after 5 years, 8 months and 8 days of long war thru a formal declaration by the Supreme Commander of the Soviet Armed Forces, People’s Commisar of Defense and General Secretary of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) Marshal of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin, officially informing the Soviet Armed Forces, the People’s Comissariat of Internal Affairs, and the people of the Soviet Union, the very country among the four major countries of the Allies that had lost millions more lives during the war in Europe ,that on the night of May 8, 1945, in the ruined German capital city, Berlin, the armed forces of Nazi Germany, thru representatives of the Wehrmacht, officially surrended to representatives of the armed forces of the Allied Powers in a formal ceremony officially ending the Second World War in Europe and Northern Africa, ending thus a long and painful confict that cost millions of lives in deaths and injuries, both military and civilian, devastated cities and industries, and a ruined Europe that bore witness to the defeat of the Axis Powers, first in Italy and then in Germany with the overthrow of the Axis governments of these countries, hereby marking this day, May 9, as Victory Day – the day following the official conclusion of hostilities of the Second World War in these parts of the world, a day both of remembrance and celebration, of the millions who died during the war, and of the millions who fought till the day of its conclusion in this continent, even as the war would not end in the Asia-Pacific till the summer. Thus, today, Victory Day, is a day in which millions all over the world remember the millions of men and women who died during the Second World War and the living heroes of that conflict in this part of the world. The Soviet Union in particular suffered even more than the Allies of the western countries, with millions more of the civilian and military dead than every other country of the Allies combined, with more battlefields in Eastern Europe and many of its cities damaged. Thus today for the Russian people and the peoples of the former Soviet Union today is more importantly one of the greatest holidays, sharing today the victory won in this continent with millons all over the world, as it today celebrates the termination of combat actions in the European Theater of Operations of the Second World War.

Today marks for millions all over the world a day of remembrance and celebration of the heroic greatest generation who fought during the Second World War on the side of the victorious Allies, in particular the millions among them who died in the battlefields of the war, in both conventional and unconventional combat operations, in the land, air and sea, in rural, urban and industrial areas, as members of the armed forces and paramilitary organizations, and the Allied sponsored resistance organizations in occuiped Europe, against the military power of the Axis nations, and the idelogies of their governments and peoples, as well as political organizations of these countries, as well as all the civilian and young dead of this long war, including those who perished in air bombing operations and Axis reprisals for supporting resistance fighters, among others. It was the tyranny and suffering of the people of these countries, and the countless abuses of human rights, including the Holocaust in Nazi Germany which targeted Jews, Gypsies and countless other minorities, that forced the millions in the Allied Nations to fight hard to bring victory against the Axis Powers, thru military and political means. It was these millions of men and women of the military, paramillitary, law enforcement, emergency and rescue organizations of the Allies, that glorious and greatest generation, assisted by the fighting men and women in the underground resistance and with the full financial and economic support by their countries, governments and peoples, that made this historic victory possible 76 years ago, and today, more than ever before, we thank them for their service and dedication in the fight against international fascism and far-right radicalism, for the defense of their countries and peoples and of human rights and democracy, and for their contributions for the great victorious conclusion of this war. Today, to these very people we today honor the conclusion of this long and painful war that has changed human history forever with the deepest gratitude.

Without a doubt, as the happiness of this day is beginning to come back after a whole year under this global pandemic that has claimed the lives of even some of the living veterans left of the millions who served during this war, we look back on the days of glory that made this war memorable, the glorious battles and unconventional operations in which millions fought during the 5 year long global conflict, the days in which millions worked in factories, shipyards and farms to support the men and women in the frontlines, the reserve formations and resistance organizations, and the many concerts made by artists and musicians to entertain those working in the frontlines and military bases. It was indeed the great day these men and women waited for, fought for, and worked hard for. This was the day that millions risked their lives for, and millions died for. And this was the very day the suffering of millions throughout much of Europe had come to an end, and the long days of peace would by now begin in a war-torn continent, beginning thus the work of rebuilding so much that had been destroyed by this horrible chapter of modern history.

Indeed, this official announcement of Moscow meant that today, May 9, the original Victory in Europe Day, marks the official day that after 5 years, 8 months and 8 days of warfare marked by millions of deaths all over much of Europe and parts of Northern Africa, the suffering of even more people than ever before, and the economy and infrastructure scarred all over the countries where the war was fought, with the war now over and the Axis powers finally surrendered to the victorious Allies, the people of much of Europe where the war had directly affected their way of life now celebrated with joy, happiness, and with tears in their eyes knowing that their suffering has come to an end and the fascist enemy had finally been defeated, and thus the road had opened for the promise of peace and reconstruction. Therefore, on this very day, we remember the victories of the Allied forces in Europe and North Africa that really led up to the victorious end of the conflict in this part of the world on May 8 and 9, 1945, forever remembered as that great victory over the forces of fascism and imperialism in those places in the world where it took root during the 1920s and 1930s, especially during the years of the Great Depression. Even through yesterday, May 8, is earmarked as Victory in Europe Day in much of Europe, the US and Canada, the holiday celebrations marked today in much of the former Soviet Union except for the Baltic republics of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, and in Israel, Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania, honor the very victory the world achieved against Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and their allies and sympathizers, and the people behind them, the very victory won at a very hard cost of millions of dead and injured, and destroyed infrastructure and industries in much of Europe itself and in parts of Northern Africa, save for neutral Spanish Morocco, as well as sunk merchant shipping and naval vessels in the Mediterranean, the Arctic and the Atlantic.

We cannot forget once more the battles and military operations fought by these millions of men and women of the military forces and paramilitary organizations of the Allies, in many of the great battlefields that today are memorials to the millions of the military servicemen and women who died during the five years of war that has become part of human history. These are in addition to the memorials found in many cities all over the world, which remember the millions who served during this conflict and those who lived up to the end of this long global war. These are the very people who were the very reason why we celebrate this great victory today, for it was because of their proud dedication to duty, their discipline, determination, courage, firmness, and bravery, both in the battlefield and in military labor, that they helped to win this war in all its theaters, and today, as we celebrate with deep joy, we reflect upon the people who made this day happen, for their countries, peoples and for all of the human race, having defeated, even at the cost of their lives the forces of international fascism. Today, only a few live out of the millions serving during the very day of the end of the war in Europe, both in the military and paramilitary organizations and in the resistance organizations. Many of these veterans, who worked in many sectors of our society, and have even been involved in sports, culture and the arts, and even in mass media, left behind the memories of their wartime service to their country and people, and many of them were awardees of state medals and orders for their service. Once more, we pay our tribute to these the men and women who are a part of this greatest generation who won this war and the military martyrs of this conflict, for it is because of them that won it we all celebrate today yet another anniversary of the victory won in Europe against the Axis Powers, as well as the dedicated home front economic workers who helped them thru economic production of goods, materials and vehicles for wartime service, and the men and women of the entertainment industry, culture and the arts, as well as athletes, who dedicated their time to help support those fighting in the frontlines and to raise war bonds to support military industry. Forever may their names be recorded in the annals of global history for their contribution to the great victory we honor today and for generation after generation.

The victory in Europe and Northern Africa that we remember today is that very legendary victory that cannot ever be forgotten due to the huge contribution of these millions of men and women whose lives were dedicated towards the goal of bringing this victory towards completion. Their stories of bravery, courage and determination to win the victory are the memories we honor today through books, films, television and other forms of media and art, in which we teach our future generations and our children the cost of freedom and liberty and the people who risked all to make it happen. It is through these forms we remember the great heroes and brave units that distinguished themselves during the course of the conflict, including the servicemen from Easy Company of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regt., 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, XVII Airborne Corps, United States Army, dubbed today as the “Band of Brothers” after the book about them by the late Stephen Ambrose, the vanguard unit of the airborne forces of the United States Army in the campaigns in Normandy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Southern Germany, in the 2014 film “Fury” by director David Ayer recalling the bravery of Allied tank crews in the final months of this war, including those under the 2nd Armored Division, the 8th Air Force of the current United States Air Force that fought in the war, whose stories are now adapted as a miniseries, and the recent Canadian TV drama X Company about the important role played by Allied intelligence and counter-espionage units and personnel. On this day of celebration for millions of people we once again send our greetings to the hundreds of thousands of men and women in active service and in the reserves in the armed forces, police, public security, forestry, border security, civil defense and emergency services of the Allied combatant countries and their families, our working people, agricultural workers and those working in science and technology, education, tourism, culture and the arts and in the mass media and the press and all our sportsmen and women, as well as our military and civil uniformed service veterans and their families, and the families of all who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for the defense of our principles and of our liberty and independence over the years since the conclusion of this war. By their legacy we therefore, once more on this very day, to pledge to forever honor their sacrifice and contribution to this great victory, work hard to defend the principles of independence and sovereignty and give all our time and talent in labor in times of war and peace for the sake of building a stronger, prosperous and independent world by building up our economy, improving education, help preserve the environment, promote culture and the arts, promote and protect the freedom of religion, promote a healthy lifestyle and a sporting way of life, and forever honor the places and people who are part of our history while maintaining readiness to instill in our future generations a spirit of preparedness to serve their country and people to the best of their ability and fight the evils that are still present in our world of today.

The memories of such great a historic victory, won at the cost of millions of lives, cannot be understated, for they form a great part in our history. How we cannot ever forget such a historic victory won against so fierce an enemy that was determined to destroy the human race and bring untold suffering to millions everywhere? Indeed we must never forget the huge cost of the great victory in which we celebrate on this very day in our history. No matter what the times may come and go, this history deserves to be remembered by all of us today and it will be carried on to our children and those coming after us. To these our remaining veterans today who are with us, we pledge once more to honor the legacy of this great victory, and that we, the generations of today, uphold the values they fought for.

Today, together with all the people of the United States of America, we continue to celebrate the 110th year anniversary of the beginning of naval aviation in the United States of America on the 8th of May 1911 in San Diego, and reflect on the sacrifices made by all our men and women who are a part of this great service. These naval aviators fought in two World Wars and countless other conflicts, have served in disaster relief and peacekeeping operations as well in addition to their contributions to public health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, and have produced countless awardees of gallantry awards and medals by the federal government for courage and bravery in battle. Many of these proud naval aviators and air crews served with distinction in military operations all over the world, and have been trained in speciality schools all over the United States, and have flown together with fellow aviators from our allies in NATO and around the world. Having thus become one of the symbols of our country’s commitments to national defense thru air and ground operations in support of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, and in coordination with their fellow service personnel of the Army, Air Force and Space Forces, they have become the flying protectors of the men and women of the seas, the protectors and inheritors of the glorious traditions of the naval aviators who fought for country and people, and the aerial defenders of sea transportation, maritime tourism and marine conservation. As one of the true examples of service for the nation, these aviators and air crews of our naval services have become part of the glory and honor bestowed by our country to the men and women of its Armed Forces. Always up there in the blue skies as the best of the best, these Top Guns are the elite of our naval forces, Marine units and coast guard vessels and detachments assigned all over the country, continuing a long tradition of excellence in national defense and security and in assistance to its people in times of need, as well as in deployments abroad. The naval aviation service, which turns 110 years this month, have become part and parcel of our country’s pride as members of her Armed Forces over the decades, symbols of our national sovereignity in her open waters and seas and defenders of international navigation and maritime security. United with the rest of the armed forces, together with the National Guard Bureau, the state defense forces and naval militias, and united with all Americans of every race and creed, in the fulfillment of their patriotic and internationalist responsbilities with the armed forces of NATO and our allied armed forces around the world, including the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces, they serve as the guarantees of our freedom and independence, of our overseas interests, of human rights and international democracy, and defenders of global friendship and cooperation against foreign and domestic ideological and political radicalism and terrorism.

Today we mark 71 years since the 1950 Schurman Declaration that formally paved the way towards the creation of what is now today the European Union. Having been born out of the ruins of a continent devastated by war, and with the aim of political and economic unity of the millions of this continent against external forces and towards the goal of shared progress and prosperity, today the EU, which has weathered both controversies and disasters, including that of the recent COVID-19 pandemic,and has shown that the unity of nations is key to achieving the goal of a democratic society and a prosperous civilation for all humanity. Today, this union is in grave danger of destruction, given the rising tide of disunity by groups that caused the very war upon which the idea was created in its aftermath in order that the European people will never again experience the horrors of warfare, and against the influx of both immigrants and refugees from the Middle East and North Africa. Today, as we honor this historic moment for the European continent and her people let us always be ready to defend it against its opponents and work towards a brighter future for the peoples of this part of the world, who have always longed for the peace and unity of this continent, and have prayed that never again shall the rages of war break again over the lands that were Western civilization first took root. May we hope that the union forged in the aims of uniting a continent economically and politically will continue on for decades to come.

Ladies and gentlemen, people of the United States of America and Canada and people of the free world:

On behalf of a grateful people, therefore I greet you all in this historic triple holiday anniversary – the 76th year anniversary of the great victory won in Europe and Northern Africa against the fascist Axis Powers, especially against Nazi Germany and the Italian Social Republic, the 71st of the anniversary of the Schurmann Declaration of 1950 and the 110th anniversary of naval aviation in the United States of America, a day of glorious celebration of peace, unity, progress and remembrance for the generations who forged the way towards this great world of freedom of the generations of today for the children of our tomorrow!

United in thanksgiving to our Almighty God for the victory we celebrate today, we once more thank our remaining living veterans of our greatest generation for the victory we celebrate today that was made possible by their hands, for it was because of all of them that humanity was liberated from the evilness of the Axis Powers, and because of their sacrifices and services to country and people, especially at the cost of million of lives, we celebrate today the anniversary of the great victory over Nazi Germany and the conclusion of the Second World War in much of Europe and northern Africa, yet another anniversary of the creation of the European Union and the 110th birthday of naval aviation in the United States. In particular, we remember the millions of military and civilian war dead, most especially those who died under captivity in Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, and the military war dead of the victorious Allied Powers. In addition, we today remember all those serving today as officers, warrant officers, and servicemen and women in the mililitary, paramilitary, law enforcement, civil defense and emergency organizations of the victorious nations of the Allied Powers, both active and reserve, including all the naval aviators of the United States celebrating their anniversary, and to all the veterans of these organizations, in particular, to all those of current conflicts. We also greet on this very anniversary the families and friends of all the martyrs of the war, and the surviving family and friends and loved ones of deceased veterans of the war, and to the working people and athletes of these countries. Even as the growing tide of evil may be rising again, united with the men and women of our NATO armed forces and the armed forces of our allies abroad in the performance of their patriotic, internationalist and military duties for the sake of the freedom and independence of the peoples of the free world, armed with the best and modern equipment, arms, vehicles, ships and aircraft, and united with the public security services and the hard work of our people of all sectors of society, no obstacle cannot be overcome, no problem can be left unsolved and no stone left unturned in our efforts to forever maintain the legacy left behind by these heroes of the Second World War, who fought at the cost of their lives to win the victory that we celebrate not just on this day but also every day of our lives!

May we forever uphold and keep alive the flame of the heroic generations that won this conflict in our hearts and minds and march onwards to the goal of a prosperous society and a better world for our future generations!

May we never forget as well the millions who suffered and died during these five years of global conflicts, and never forget to tirelessly fight so that the very ideologies that brought along this war will fade away forever!

Today and always, as we forever honor the memory of such great a generation of heroes, including those US naval aviators who became a part of this generation, who are the very reason for which millions today celebrate the great victory over the Axis powers in the European continent that is now part of our history, reflecting on the memory of the fallen of thus war, and honoring the heroes who risked their lives for this day to come, and paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and liberty against foreign and domestic radical aggression. We cannot let their memories be history. We must preserve their achievements in the fields of battle and labor. We will never forget their role in the victory we celebrate today. May we as one united people of the world never tire of honoring the memory of our heroic forebears and always work hard to be worthy of their sacrifices, most of all, for the sake of our present and for the future of our world and of all humanity. We will never forget their tireless sacrifices for the sake of the freedoms we enjoy today and always uphold what this victory truly means – a victory against the ever present forces of international fascism and far right radicalism!

And in conclusion, as we today mark this historic anniversary since the victorious conclusion of the Second World War in Europe and Northern Africa and the formation of United States naval aviation,as we today mark this day with remembrance and joyful celebration, may we who keep this sacred holiday and recall the millions who died to make this victory possible with respect and reverence especially for those who went before us shall be worthy of what they fought and died for, for building a world of peace, harmony and progress, a clean environment, and a brighter future for all our children and grandchildren - truly the very future that is truly worth defending and the very future our forefathers fought with their very own lives. With our greatest gratitude may we always and forever treasure in our hearts all those who have gone before us and have entrusted to us the spirit of defending our freedom and liberty in all those years from the beginning of the war up to the great victories in which we honor today, every day and in the years and decades to come! And may we forever cherish the victory won today, the very reason of the freedoms we live, and forever kindle the fire of victory that will enflame our memories both now and in the brighter tomorrow that is to come!

And as the men of Easy will always say: WE STAND ALONE TOGETHER!

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE MEMORY OF THE MEDICAL WORKERS AND PROFESSIONALS AND PERSONNEL OF UNIFORMED SERVICES WHO PERISHED IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC!

ETERNAL GLORY TO THE FALLEN AND THE HEROES AND VETERANS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN EUROPE AND NORTHERN AFRICA FROM 1939-1945!

ETERNAL GLORY TO ALL THOSE WHO GAVE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE FOR THE FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE OF OUR WORLD AGAINST FASCISM, NAZISM AND IMPERIALISM IN THE FIELDS OF BATTLE, THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS, AND IN THE HOME FRONT!

LONG LIVE THE VICTORIOUS ALLIES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN EUROPE, THE MEDITERRANEAN, THE ATLANTIC AND IN NORTHERN AFRICA!

LONG LIVE THE EVER-VICTORIOUS PEOPLE OF THE FREE WORLD AND ALL OUR SERVING ACTIVE AND RESERVE SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN AND VETERANS OF THE ARMED SERVICES OF ALL THE COMBATANT ALLIED COUNTRIES THAT HELPED WIN THIS GREAT WAR AGAINST FASCISM AND NAZISM, AS WELL AS ALL OUR ACTIVE AND RESERVE SERVICE PERSONNEL, CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES AND VETERANS OF THE POLICE, FIREFIGHTING, FORESTRY, BORDER CONTROL, CUSTOMS, EMERGENCY AND RESCUE SERVICES!

GLORY TO THE HEROES, FALLEN AND VETERANS OF UNITED STATES NAVAL AVIATION AND TO THE GLORIOUS ACHIEVEMENTS IT MADE TO THE NATION IT HAS ALWAYS SWORN TO DEFEND!

LONG LIVE THE ACTIVE AND RESERVE SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN AND VETERANS OF THE NAVAL AVIATION SERVICES OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY, UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS AND THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD!

LONG LIVE THE GLORIOUS 76TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN EUROPE AND NORTHERN AFRICA AND THE GREAT VICTORY OVER THE FORCES OF INTERNATIONAL FASCISM!

LONG LIVE THE GLORIOUS 110TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FORMATION OF NAVAL AVIATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

LONG LIVE THE 71ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE SCHURMAN DECLARATION OF 1950 AND THE FORMATION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION!

GLORY TO THE VICTORIOUS PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND CANADA AND HER UNIFORMED SERVICES!

GLORY TO THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND CANADA, DEFENDERS OF OUR FREEDOM AND LIBERTY AND GUARANTEE OF A FUTURE WORTHY OF OUR GENERATIONS TO COME!

And to the entire HBO War Fandom, especially the fans of Band of Brothers, who will celebrate for all time this day of victory over Nazi Germany:

LONG LIVE EASY COMPANY, 2ND BATTALION, 506TH PARACHUTE INFANTRY REGIMENT, 4TH BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM AND NOW 3RD BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM, 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION (AIR ASSAULT), XVIII AIRBORNE CORPS, UNITED STATES ARMY… THE “BAND OF BROTHERS”!

CURRAHEE! AIR ASSAULT! ARMY STRONG!

A HAPPY VICTORY IN EUROPE DAY AND HAPPY 110TH BIRTHDAY TO NAVAL AVIATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

HOOOAH! HOOYAH!

2300h, May 9, 2021, the 245th year of the United States of America, the 246th year of the United States Army, Navy and Marine Corps, the 127th of the International Olympic Committee, the 124th of the Olympic Games, the 103rd since the conclusion of the First World War, the 82nd of the beginning of the Second World War in Europe, the 80th since the beginning of the Second World War in the Eastern Front and in the Pacific Theater, the 76th since the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and the victories in Europe and the Pacific, the 74th of the United States Armed Forces and the 54th of the modern Canadian Armed Forces.

Semper Fortis

JOHN EMMANUEL RAMOS-HENDERSON

Makati City, PH

(Requiem for a Soldier) (Honor by Hans Zimmer)

(Slavsya from Mikhail Glinka’s A Life for the Tsar)

(Victory Day by Lev Leshenko)

(Last Post) (Taps) (Rendering Honors)

[canchewread]

Editor's note: this journal is original content (written by myself, of course) and has not appeared elsewhere online before today. I should also note that because this is both an opinion piece and an informal journal, my level of commitment to providing citations for the disingenuous wasn't particularly high; if you're looking for formally documented evidence that we're currently in the middle of a fascist takeover, I encourage you to check out my academic writing about the subject on ninaillingworth.com instead.

Journal 09/09/2020: Looking the Beast in the Eye

When I originally sat down to pen this journal, my intention was to call it something along the lines of “advice to a young leftist” which is probably in no small part, the reason why it's taken me three days to write this piece. This is because unfortunately I do not have very much good advice for a young leftist today in two-thousand and twenty, or at least much advice that isn't going to sound rather a lot like “quit before what you believe destroys your entire life.”

As I've written (extensively) elsewhere, we're in the middle of a fascist takeover that is more or less succeeding across the entire Pig Empire, and what passes for the liberal (read: capitalist) establishment in our respective nations seem quite content to try and appease the beast by feeding them the entire left and any marginalized group “uppity” enough to demand justice, equality or representation. There is not a lot of upside to being an open leftist right now and understanding what I know about both the history of fascism and the history of reactionary crackdowns in America, it's awful hard for me in good conscience to advise any young person to willingly subject themselves to the tender mercies of an uncaring state and its fascist cutout vigilante groups.

Let's talk a little bit about what that history, including very recent history, can tell us and why what it tells us isn't very good for the American left. Here in particular, we as both a class in American society and a people that believe in a more equal, compassionate and humane way of life, stand at the intersection of state power, class oppression and the homicidal revenge fantasies of a fascist political order that has seized power throughout much of the United States. The fact that this is not understood by our milquetoast Dem Soc allies and the bougie “progressive left” is completely irrelevant; as any Ferguson activist (who is still breathing) can tell you COINTELPRO never ended, performative liberal anti-racism stops well short of opposing police repression, and genteel society will respond to violent reprisals against activists by the reactionary right with either dead silence or some mild clucks of disapproval at best.

Are the liberals aware that when the increasingly fascist American right says “the left” they mean liberals and suburbanite Democrats too? On some level I'm sure they are, but clearly the threat of increased taxation and social programs for the poor terrifies them far more than the possibility fascism will progress to the point that they're next in front of the firing squad – I've been told the liberals of Weimar Germany felt much the same way during Hitler's rise; which merely demonstrates that the liberal capacity for coddling fascism if it's profitable knows few limits. Furthermore the nauseating truth is that many of your misguided and misinformed liberal allies in the working class simply don't understand that the fascist right always seeks to eliminate the militant left first simply because those are the people who're going to fight back when you start loading Muslims, Latinos and lanyard Democrats onto cattle cars.

This historical process of fascism of course intertwines with the American establishment's history of ruthlessly repressing, criminalizing and even murdering the left. As I detailed extensively in a prior essay called “The Inversion Perversion” the state's war against Americans who want a more equal society (in any number of ways) predates the rise of Nazi Germany, the American Civil War and as those who've studied colonial America might argue, even the foundation of the country. Between the mass deportations of anarchists, suppression of left wing literature through the mail, two Red Scares, anticommunism, Hoover's COINTELPRO war against the civil rights movement, the black power movement and the American student left, or all the way up to the Obama Department of Justice's ruthless oppression of the Occupy, Ferguson and North Dakota Pipeline protests, I could easily spend this entire essay demonstrating that when it comes to persecuting, destroying and yes even murdering the left, there is a long and storied history of bipartisan consensus in America – I see no reason or evidence to suggest that has changed much in our modern times.

In other words history, even recent American history, says that this story ends in a jail cell or a shallow grave for some of the folks reading this journal right now and I don't know how to sugarcoat that for anyone, let alone a young person with their whole life (such as it is) ahead of them. The plain, god-awful truth is that the American right wants you dead, and the center-right American liberal establishment simply doesn't care, just as it has never cared, because they also want the left destroyed and fear sharing their ill-gotten wealth more than they fear fascism. Furthermore, this same elite “liberal” establishment is actively engaged in splitting the component parts of the current American uprising up into acceptable and non-acceptable targets; that's why Joe Biden keeps yammering about police funding, anarchists and “looters.” Democrats in particular are doing this even as fascist militia vigilantes are starting to execute antifascists and protesters in the street, might I add.

Did I mention that it's a really bad time to be an open leftist, or even just someone who passionately feels cracker murderpigs shouldn't get away with murder because some fascist gave them a badge? And yet of course therein also lies the rub; just as there is danger in resisting the imposition of a fascist order there is also danger in refusing to resist.

Turning once again to history, we know that the fascist creep isn't going to stop itself until well after it has killed millions of people and destroyed everything about our lives that contains any meaning whatsoever. The reactionary backlash will not stop with silencing, arresting and/or killing teenage anarchists, African Americans protesting against racialized police violence or Portland soccer moms who've had enough fascism for a lifetime. The fascist mindset and method of societal control dictates that there must always been more enemies both within and outside of the state who represent both an abomination that should be destroyed and a threat to everything good and pure in the national character. Right now, the waking dragon of American fascism has cast a laser-like focus on those brave few Americans who are willing to physically resist the transformation of the country from a corrupt Oligarchy to an overt fascist police-state with rigged elections. Once that enemy is crushed and defeated, the beast will turn its eye to others – unions, teachers, and yes even Democratic Party politicians who've always been friendly to the fascist capitalist billionaires running much of the reactionary American right today.

Whether you choose to fight, hide or run, it has become crystal-clear clear to me that we are all headed towards dark days in the very near future and the only variable left to be determined is which segments of the audience reading this will be thrown onto the pyre first. What we know today as “Western Society” is blindly crashing through the kinds of barriers people who desire peace, comfort and security simply don't breech without expecting violence, bloodshed and a whole lot of rain.

Perhaps in light of all this my advice to the young leftist should be to harden oneself for the torrential downpour of violence, repression and yes death that lies ahead, regardless of whether or not you choose to resist the fascist creep. Perhaps the best thing I can offer a young person staring directly into the eye of this beast is the assurance that it is not their fault, that nobody in history has ever asked to be born into the war against fascism and that ultimately the fascists cannot win because fascism is a death cult that will eventually eat itself and has done so every single time before this one. Perhaps all I really have to share with you is the hope that in the darkness and despair that lies ahead of us you will remember my words and know that no matter how much they repress, terrorize and torture us, fantasy cannot be reality, slavery cannot be freedom and life cannot be death.

And that I think is the handle and the comfort I can offer those of you reading this who’re young enough to have a future beyond the fascist order; I have no optimism to sell you but I can make one promise that may help carry you through the bowels of the hell we are all descending into after all. It might not amount to much yet, but I promise you there will always only be four lights; no matter how many of us they murder to try and “prove” otherwise. Do not give these maggots the satisfaction of seeing your fear; know that at least some of you reading this will eventually dance on their graves and take whatever comfort you are able to, in that inevitability.

Never forget - one way, or another, the future is left.

nina illingworth

Independent writer, critic and analyst with a left focus. Please help me fight corporate censorship by sharing my articles with your friends online!

You can find my work at ninaillingworth.com, Can’t You Read, Media Madness and my Patreon Blog

Updates available on Twitter, Mastodon and Facebook. Podcast at “No Fugazi” on Soundcloud.

Inquiries and requests to speak to the manager @ASNinaWrites

Chat with fellow readers online at Anarcho Nina Writes on Discord!

“It’s ok Willie; swing heil, swing heil…”

[fontgoddess]

This is definitely on my list and moves up whenever I see people talk about it. Rogue One makes the original trilogy measurably better because it shows the stakes of the rebellion and the struggles of the everyday people. It added breadth and depth and greater meaning to every other Star Wars movie and wasn’t matched in story quality and metatextual commentary until The Last Jedi, the only other post-original-trilogy film I’ve seen that connected the Rebel struggle to contemporary politics and seemed like it wanted to actually intellectually and ideologically arm the audience for our modern day fights against fascism. (I’ve avoided actually watching the prequel trilogy due to the almost universal fan opinion that they suck.)

I read that Andor does the important anti-fascist storytelling too and adds back the character development and world building that was in the original Rogue One development before Disney bought Lucasfilm and turned what was planned to be a show into a movie instead.

I need to watch some fluff before I dive in thanks to the emotional strain of the seasonal darkness, but otherwise Andor is at the top of my list.

Just binge-watched my way through all of Andor. I haven't watched any of the Star Wars shows up until now, but I loved Rogue One, and I read rave reviews from people I trust that made me break down and watch it.

Literally the best Star Wars ever, IMO. Better than any of the movies.