GOG AND MAGOG: AMERICAN DILEMMA
HELP ENLIGHTEN YOUR FELLOWS. BE SURE TO PASS THIS ON. SURVIVAL DEPENDS ON IT.
Paul Edwards
Gog and magog helping the devil to take Jerusalem. Medieval illumination.
In the arcane mythos of Medieval Christianity, Gog and Magog were monstrous, demonic allies of Satan, striving with him to see mankind damned to perdition and eternal punishment in Hell.
Religious mythology, from the Greeks on down, has been utilized to provide easily interpreted moral imperatives for the guidance of vulnerable, credulous humans. Gog and Magog embodied the power of evil, as symbols of all that was corrupt, perverse, and destructive in human nature, and were dreaded as such.
Americans are short on mythology now, except for the sleazy, dirty joke of Exceptionalist bullshit, but the Gog/Magog model will serve well in describing one aspect of the waning days of this despicable, moribund empire: its governing political parties.
The Party of Gog is less a party than an agglomeration of the bitterly resentful. It’s the Big Tent of the furiously pissed off, an attribute common to all its devotees. Their sources of resentment are many, the causes are various, but a raging fury bonds them.
They’re a mix of economic and social classes, a broad range of education levels, predominantly white but not exclusively, sexist male in presentation but with an amazing number of white female adherents. In their rage, they embrace a range of what civil society deems odious, primitive prejudices, and they flaunt them openly with prideful hostility. It is clear that they have had to stifle their views for far too long, waiting for their time to shine.
Americans are short on mythology now, except for the sleazy, dirty joke of Exceptionalist bullshit, but the Gog/Magog model will serve well in describing one aspect of the waning days of this despicable, moribund empire: its governing political parties.
Americans are short on mythology now, except for the sleazy, dirty joke of Exceptionalist bullshit, but the Gog/Magog model will serve well in describing one aspect of the waning days of this despicable, moribund empire: its governing political parties.
At its top financially are the maverick billionaires who resent government impeding unfettered, unrestrained acquisition of wealth, who believe society should exist to enable unlimited privilege. Under them are many very wealthy of the Ayn Rand school, all reciting the mantra that government is the enemy. These upper echelons harbor deep animosity for the system in which they have done so well because they have not done better.
Under this favored few, there is a great mass who feel they’ve been denied what they deserve. Small businessmen, ranchers, professionals, commercial, industrial, or manufacturing workers who have lost jobs or been replaced, they form a vast army with minimum-wagers/part-timers struggling desperately to survive, and a mass of hillbillies and hicks with slim or no prospects.
The prejudices the wealthiest trumpet loudest are against all Democratic government or Social Welfare for the poor, sick, old, and disadvantaged, which is to say against society itself. This is hidden from the lower orders who are better off not knowing.
The lower groups—with some spillover from the wealthy—have simpler, more visceral biases. While the super-wealthy have to conceal their contempt for their working-class confreres, lower-income groups feel no need to hide their gross, vulgar hatreds. These include, but are not limited to, race hate, misogyny, and xenophobia, detestation of education, intellect, science, history, humanism, evolution, paleontology, and environmentalism. They vigorously support religious and cultural hate, brutal exploitation of nature and other nations, all weapons—personal and of war— war-making in general, violence as mediation, crudity, cruelty, a rabid un-Christian Christianity, and killing wild animals for fun.
The Party of Magog differs radically in membership and core tenets, but not in the dogged loyalty of its faithful. Their chief characteristic is a passion to feel morally righteous, and a mind-boggling credulity for virtuous pronouncements. This party functions on the imperial model with a slender elite controlling a mass of subjects. The guiding principle of its rulers is that people must be deceived, betrayed and cheated but constantly reassured of the Party’s integrity and good intentions. It claims other virtues but they are negligible and negotiable. Its only true aim is survival, power, control, and continuity of imperial policy.
Accordingly, its top financiers are from the dominant lords of the Billionaire Class, the Establishment, the anointed nobility of the Deep State, whose money is older than they are. Beneath the Barons of Finance, is a large section of millionaires of louchely liberal persuasion, whose tiny, acid hearts belong to The Empire.
Under this vast wealth, a huge, varied segment of our tattered, battered middle class forms the bulk of membership. These folks are ready—no, eager—to affirm whatever the politburo asserts, and ever poised to adopt the designated Enemy of the Moment. Education and status in this set runs down from the high octane professionals and academics, to legions of diplomates and the moderately educated, to high school grads in crappy jobs, and a multi-racial mass pursuing the non-existent American Dream.
The animating principle of the Party, beyond their own privilege, is to steal as much money as possible for the massive banks, corporations, and insiders of the American War Machine. Since Gogs and Magogs both worship Mars, they are united on looting the treasury for the War Machine of all the money that could be used for public good. Unity makes their work simple. Gogs boast it; Magogs bullshit about it. Both ignore its devastating effects on the American people that neither represents.
This then is American politics, 2021. Well, fine, you say, but what has any of it to do with medieval mythology? I’d offer this. Since even phony Christians no longer buy or obey the lunatic dogma of Christianity, and we have no effective catalog of holy nonsense to scare us, we must make do with political monsters. Is there any doubt now that our political parties have replaced the ancient horrors in their satanic determination to effect our destruction?
Gog and Magog live!
Paul at an Occupy WS demonstration in 2011
Paul Edwards is a genuine Renaissance man, gifted with many talents and participant in many events and struggles of our tormented times. Our colleague Jeff Brown, who did a fine interview with him, sums it up thusly: “Paul’s life story is worthy of a biography: a rebel youth growing up, traveling and working around the world and then a long career as a Hollywood writer. Through it all, he has never lost his lifelong wrath against US imperialism and global capitalism, while seeking social and economic justice for humanity’s 99%…”
The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of The Greanville Post. However, we do think they are important enough to be transmitted to a wider audience.
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ALL CAPTIONS AND PULL QUOTES BY THE EDITORS NOT THE AUTHORS
