Will this solve the problem?
Tuesday, 27Nov2018 Filed in: modern adult pagans
The problem is, no matter what my personal feelings, politics and paganism are getting mixed.
Paganism and heathenry will not come out of this looking well.
I'm good at politics. Much better than any amateur has any right to be. Politics is about controlling other people. That's a problem for me. I'm tempted. I'm really tempted. It would be so easy to stretch out my hand, say the words, and have people falling over themselves to do my will.
I'm not that person. I was never that person. But I was heading in that direction once.
What I am seeing is Spectacle. And virtue signaling, And guilt driving the "Fight Against Injustice." Demands that people's behavior must be changed For The Greater Good. Loud declarations that Dissent Must Not Be Allowed.
What I am not seeing is much actual harm.
When I see Spectacle, I have to wonder who is stage-managing it. You see, I've seen this game before. Many, many times. I know how it is played. I laid it out thirteen years ago.
Paganism and heathenry will not come out of this looking well.
I'm good at politics. Much better than any amateur has any right to be. Politics is about controlling other people. That's a problem for me. I'm tempted. I'm really tempted. It would be so easy to stretch out my hand, say the words, and have people falling over themselves to do my will.
I'm not that person. I was never that person. But I was heading in that direction once.
What I am seeing is Spectacle. And virtue signaling, And guilt driving the "Fight Against Injustice." Demands that people's behavior must be changed For The Greater Good. Loud declarations that Dissent Must Not Be Allowed.
What I am not seeing is much actual harm.
When I see Spectacle, I have to wonder who is stage-managing it. You see, I've seen this game before. Many, many times. I know how it is played. I laid it out thirteen years ago.
❝At this point, I've reluctantly accepted the theory that attitudes like this have something to do with the politics of victimhood. It's a very cynical conclusion and I would rather have another explanation, but I haven't found one that explains the behavior as well.
Under that value system, a person only has intrinsic worth if either they are personally victimized or are part of an oppressed minority.
Using that standard, someone can only earn worth if they sacrifice to benefit a victim or a group of victims. Oh, and intentions matter. If someone meant to sacrifice but hasn't quite followed through yet, they are still morally superior to someone who hasn't promised to sacrifice. And the amount that you personally have to sacrifice is inversely proportional to the amount of attention you can get focused on the problem.
Since intentions often matter more than results, solving the problem isn't as important as either defining your victimhood or showing the proper concern and sympathy. Whenever possible, the problem shouldn't be solved (and should be prolonged) just so people can stay victims or show compassion.
This introduces yet another politically elite class who derive their social worth by defining the victimhood of others.
If someone can define you as an oppressor, a person who either personally benefited from making victims of others or a member of a class who benefited from the unwilling exploitation of an underclass, you have no moral worth whatsoever. An oppressor can only redeem themselves by sacrificing everything they possess for the oppressed.❞
So when I see the Fight Against Injustice & Oppression, I have to ask.
Will this solve the problem?
Who benefits?
Who gets to choose?
Why does your enlightenment demand my sacrifice?
Yes, that's pretty selfish. As if the people who are marching aren't selfish. As if the people who want all Opposing Dogma forever sealed away aren't selfish.
Thou shalt not dissent.
The Moral Guardians® have taken for themselves the exclusive power to decide who will and will not be heard. Or read. Or even mentioned.
And if the self-appointed Moral Guardians® don't like what you say but don't have a reason to judge against you, one will be created. It's for the Greater Good you see. You must not be allowed to interfere.
So now I have a choice. One that I did not want. One that comes with temptations of power that those wannabes can never understand.
Do I take a stand?
Do I get involved?
Am I strong enough not to take the rule for myself?
The rule is enticing, I could do it. It would be so very easy. It would be for the right reasons. And I could solve all the difficulties with no effort. It wouldn't cost me anything directly. It would give me power and fame. These people are not thinking. These people don't want to think. They desire to be shielded from bad consequences. They want to serve even as they are told that they are taking the brave stand. I could depose the Moral Guardians®. I could hold off the problems for another decade or so.
But if I really believe in my "cause," I can't use force. I have to persuade. Short of seizing power that is not mine, short of violating myself, I have no other choice.
I can't play to win.
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