I shall need to read through this a few times but its very astute. Frank was right though wasn't he? A visionary well ahead of his time. Nice work Amantine.
Exceptionally well-written article, Amantine. Ever since my university years of the Sixties, I’ve thought of America as existing only in the geography of imagination. I also agree that the ideas/ideals of the Confederacy have never been adequately resolved.
Your reading and comment is deeply appreciated Paul thank you. It is an essay that took me several years to work through and it felt increasingly pertinent as events unfolded. The civil war is I believe a major national wound, the irresolute aftermath of which is sadly now playing out in unfiltered 'glory'.
Two points here that I think are particularly important. Aplogies for the long comment. But the dialogue is so essential--thank you for your thoughts.
1) The "cult of populist idolatry" has been a calling card of Americanism since at least the end of WWII, particularly with the rise of materialism & the basic philosophy that if we can just own the right things & look the right way (see: celebrities) we can be happy. Donald Trump is simply proof of the Shadow American Self that we've all been sold to pursue since that era: celebrity / wealth / power / VIP / business "success" i.e. deny any and all failures ... in short, what the worst of the USA has exported. The Obama years showed what a more positive cult of personality can look like, but the fact remains Americans have been brainwashed into assuming that the aspiration to be rich & famous is admirable instead of at the core of something resembling narcissistic personality disorder if not outright megalomania.
2) Fascistic theocracy. The second well-argued point here, to extrapolate from Zappa + the final Arendt quote, is that generally speaking, theocratic fascists (i.e. who believe their God is the only true God and their 'people' are the chosen people and everyone else better get in line w/ them [see: puritanism, orthodoxy, fundamentalism, etc.)--ethno nationalist God fearing zealots fundamentally believe they are doing the right thing, which justifies any manner of atrocities in the name of the right reasons. From a very practical level, you can't join ICE and wear a mask and kidnap people in the streets and ruin their lives if you believe it's wrong. What's most troubling to me is to your article's point, those who understand history already know everything you've illuminated, and yet where are the Montgomery Bus Boycotts? Where is Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters? MLK Jr? Nelson Mandela? We have yet to see a major humanistic populist reaction to what's happening. I reckon that's the culture of consumerist complacency--especially expressing outrage as a form of "resistance"--that Americanism has promulgated to extreme effect. Ari Aster's latest film, "Eddington" does a fantastic job of exposing the aburdity on all sides of the political spectrum. Thank you for your measured piece and analytical mind.
Thank you by turn Samuél for your own considered reply. I think too that within all of this there is a dynamic of a toxic political co-dependency, which is not necessarily unique to the United States, but is one amplified by the social bedrock of phantom-idolatory that is the cult of the 'American Dream'- itself constituting that emblematic model of the self made man in the glow of American-made success, regardless of the cost. During the latter part of the 20th Century, "cult of populist idolatry" cemented itself as a kind of cultural hallmark too as you elaborate - Cult leadership is traceable back to Augustus, notably presented to the masses in the most refined kind of propagandist iconography of his day- sculpted as a commanding warrior, yet amenable and approachable enough to be depicted barefooted - nothing sells as well as a likeable tyrant. Trump joins a veritable legion of such men-would be-leaders: Amin, Pinochet, Anastasio Somoza in Nicaragua who treated the country as his personal property, Silvio Berlusconi of course, also convicted, nonetheless a hero to an older generation of Italian men, in the main - the list is long across the globe. Cult always thrives even if it has a shelf life. In the case of Trump, since starting a conversation with Elizabeth Lamont @AppalledAmerican, the roots of this cult adulation runs deeper and darker than we, outside the country might assume... it's retaliatory too. (Maybe a second essay on this point) ...
I'll try and get to see Aster's film ...
As regards to the belief in being right fundamental to fascist theocracy and therein being right becoming its own 'raison d'etre' , again regardless of consequence is pretty much what we're witnessing play out in its most gruesome form of wars, as well as in various political theatres - where is the humanist push pushback indeed ?
Armchair outrage as resistance is mortifying to those of us with a grain of dissent in critical perspective or world view. Complacency I believe is only part of it. Apathy promulgated by the impact of a deeply subtle strategy of dehumanisation post 9/11 may well prove to be more profound than one might dare care to imagine ...
From Zappa to the Confederacy and John Winthrop . . . a tour de force.
At one point in 2023, I was in the hospital, delirious with sepsis. And the nurse later told me that I'd kept ranting about Reagan and Trump. Then she said, "Who is John Winthrop? You kept talking about him." Yeah. I bet I did.
It must have been a very difficult time Elizabeth. I trust you made a full recovery. It's fascinating how our subconscious takes over in moments of delirium. I hope Winthrop was a decent conversationalist :-)
Fascinating! I have to say I have never loved this country except maybe for a brief time after 911 but then Bush did his thing and I went back to being embarrassed. I've always wished to live in Europe but with 5 cats and non-citizenship, it seems impossible. Also love Hannah Arendt
I shall need to read through this a few times but its very astute. Frank was right though wasn't he? A visionary well ahead of his time. Nice work Amantine.
Exceptionally well-written article, Amantine. Ever since my university years of the Sixties, I’ve thought of America as existing only in the geography of imagination. I also agree that the ideas/ideals of the Confederacy have never been adequately resolved.
Your reading and comment is deeply appreciated Paul thank you. It is an essay that took me several years to work through and it felt increasingly pertinent as events unfolded. The civil war is I believe a major national wound, the irresolute aftermath of which is sadly now playing out in unfiltered 'glory'.
I agree. The Civil War is a wound that has festered for 160 years and I’ve lived through almost half of them.
Two points here that I think are particularly important. Aplogies for the long comment. But the dialogue is so essential--thank you for your thoughts.
1) The "cult of populist idolatry" has been a calling card of Americanism since at least the end of WWII, particularly with the rise of materialism & the basic philosophy that if we can just own the right things & look the right way (see: celebrities) we can be happy. Donald Trump is simply proof of the Shadow American Self that we've all been sold to pursue since that era: celebrity / wealth / power / VIP / business "success" i.e. deny any and all failures ... in short, what the worst of the USA has exported. The Obama years showed what a more positive cult of personality can look like, but the fact remains Americans have been brainwashed into assuming that the aspiration to be rich & famous is admirable instead of at the core of something resembling narcissistic personality disorder if not outright megalomania.
2) Fascistic theocracy. The second well-argued point here, to extrapolate from Zappa + the final Arendt quote, is that generally speaking, theocratic fascists (i.e. who believe their God is the only true God and their 'people' are the chosen people and everyone else better get in line w/ them [see: puritanism, orthodoxy, fundamentalism, etc.)--ethno nationalist God fearing zealots fundamentally believe they are doing the right thing, which justifies any manner of atrocities in the name of the right reasons. From a very practical level, you can't join ICE and wear a mask and kidnap people in the streets and ruin their lives if you believe it's wrong. What's most troubling to me is to your article's point, those who understand history already know everything you've illuminated, and yet where are the Montgomery Bus Boycotts? Where is Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters? MLK Jr? Nelson Mandela? We have yet to see a major humanistic populist reaction to what's happening. I reckon that's the culture of consumerist complacency--especially expressing outrage as a form of "resistance"--that Americanism has promulgated to extreme effect. Ari Aster's latest film, "Eddington" does a fantastic job of exposing the aburdity on all sides of the political spectrum. Thank you for your measured piece and analytical mind.
Thank you by turn Samuél for your own considered reply. I think too that within all of this there is a dynamic of a toxic political co-dependency, which is not necessarily unique to the United States, but is one amplified by the social bedrock of phantom-idolatory that is the cult of the 'American Dream'- itself constituting that emblematic model of the self made man in the glow of American-made success, regardless of the cost. During the latter part of the 20th Century, "cult of populist idolatry" cemented itself as a kind of cultural hallmark too as you elaborate - Cult leadership is traceable back to Augustus, notably presented to the masses in the most refined kind of propagandist iconography of his day- sculpted as a commanding warrior, yet amenable and approachable enough to be depicted barefooted - nothing sells as well as a likeable tyrant. Trump joins a veritable legion of such men-would be-leaders: Amin, Pinochet, Anastasio Somoza in Nicaragua who treated the country as his personal property, Silvio Berlusconi of course, also convicted, nonetheless a hero to an older generation of Italian men, in the main - the list is long across the globe. Cult always thrives even if it has a shelf life. In the case of Trump, since starting a conversation with Elizabeth Lamont @AppalledAmerican, the roots of this cult adulation runs deeper and darker than we, outside the country might assume... it's retaliatory too. (Maybe a second essay on this point) ...
I'll try and get to see Aster's film ...
As regards to the belief in being right fundamental to fascist theocracy and therein being right becoming its own 'raison d'etre' , again regardless of consequence is pretty much what we're witnessing play out in its most gruesome form of wars, as well as in various political theatres - where is the humanist push pushback indeed ?
Armchair outrage as resistance is mortifying to those of us with a grain of dissent in critical perspective or world view. Complacency I believe is only part of it. Apathy promulgated by the impact of a deeply subtle strategy of dehumanisation post 9/11 may well prove to be more profound than one might dare care to imagine ...
From Zappa to the Confederacy and John Winthrop . . . a tour de force.
At one point in 2023, I was in the hospital, delirious with sepsis. And the nurse later told me that I'd kept ranting about Reagan and Trump. Then she said, "Who is John Winthrop? You kept talking about him." Yeah. I bet I did.
It must have been a very difficult time Elizabeth. I trust you made a full recovery. It's fascinating how our subconscious takes over in moments of delirium. I hope Winthrop was a decent conversationalist :-)
Thanks Robert. Yes, he was.
Fascinating! I have to say I have never loved this country except maybe for a brief time after 911 but then Bush did his thing and I went back to being embarrassed. I've always wished to live in Europe but with 5 cats and non-citizenship, it seems impossible. Also love Hannah Arendt
Eleven!! And also proud of America when they elected Obama! Oh, I miss him!