The Archetype of the Tyrant
Rambling
Let my politics be only known as thus: I, above all else, stand against tyranny. Whatever mask it wears.
There is something of an authoritarian mob mentality that is all too common within people that regard themselves as fundamentally left or right. Little more than two sides of the same coin, both of these political dichotomies inevitably aspire to a grasp at total control of the individual by establishing narratives, or doctrines of what is subjectively considered noble and holy. And anyone who subjectively disagrees are sinners; people unworthy of partaking in what a prosperous civilization should be. In other words, a dogma is developed and deployed, lines in the sand are drawn, and tribalism takes hold.
Regardless of which side one observes, it can be clearly seen that the first step that is taken is an attempt at division. This is accomplished by placing great emphasis on the necessity for one to externally self-identify as an acceptable member of the tribe or collective. Most people will usually proclaim whatever label they emotionally identify with most.
This is where one will begin to hear statements like “As a ______, I believe ______.”
This unconscious maneuver convinces the individual to autonomously believe they are not an individual at all, but rather first and foremost, a member of a denomination of their respective political religion. Thereby defining their value to society based on one-dimensional reductivism, and manifesting a limitation of validity on when and how their voices may be heard; an act of devaluation of perspective. The natural course this takes is the emergence of tribes that become diametrically opposed due to their inability to engage in civil discourse, and will inevitably go to war with one another.
Should the concept of individuality ever be lost, then one can say for certain that tyranny has won.
A process which has been described by thought provokers such as Christopher Hitchens as identity politics, where once identified as a member of a tribe, one is required to agree with whatever the mob has deemed as doctrine. Failure to do so will result in being labeled heretic. Which often manifests in our postmodern era as some variation of an “ism”, “ist”, or “phobic; baptized as a bigot. Thus is the natural course that stems from the intentional separation and segregation of persons based on superficial means such as race, gender, sexual orientation, economic standing, etc. etc. etc. ad infinitum. There is no limit to the manner in which human beings can negligently find reason for dividing each other into separate groups.
In writing about this, I am reminded of an old Star Trek episode, whereby the characters stumble upon a planet locked in a perpetual race war. When further investigated, the two races at odds with one another appear to be identical, save for the fact that one race has black skin on the left side of their face, and white skin on the right side, whilst the opposing races has the same colors, only inverted from their opposites.
The inherent design of tribalism lies rooted in the pragmatic ideal of engaging in battle for battle’s sake; the heroic victory over evil. This combative mentality runs rampant in the psyche of the individual who has surrendered their will to a collective, and is the foundation of which their ideology is set: Us versus Them. No goals will ever truly be achieved, at least none that will meet their standards of utopia conjured by the delusions of their dogma. Like members of a hive mind, the individuals therein cannot see beyond their immediate task, and only continue to inject disrepute where mutual understanding and an attempt at coexistence could be found.
Perhaps the greatest asset of social mob-warfare is the weaponization of language control. This was exhibited towards art in the U.S. by right-wing religious zealots throughout the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 00’s. A shift happened during the early 10’s, whereby left-wing secular zealots began implementing similar measures. Regardless of right or left, language control always manifests itself in the same manner. The aggressors in question, will define what is deemed as unacceptable language, and thereby create a dogma. Anything that dares to fall outside that dogma is declared heretical and is meticulously attacked and ousted as blasphemy against the respective ideology.
The control of language is nothing new to human civilization. Once people have given up their liberty to speak their mind, tyranny encloses because there will be no one to speak against it, particularly if everyone just simply goes with the flow of things in fear of becoming the next pariah. A clear-cut demonstration of this today can be observed in present day North Korea, whereby aspects of language are not only prohibited, but rather compelled. And failure to meet the criteria of compelled speech leads to criminal punishment.
In the 20th century, language control was displayed during Stalin’s Soviet Union, Germany’s Nazi Propaganda machine, the Chinese Communist Party’s notorious suppression of critical language, and the US’s blatant overreach during McCarthyism. Other examples within the US can be observed in the War on Drugs, the War on Terror, and most recently during the Covid-19 pandemic, whereby it was closely considered to deem anyone unvaccinated as a second-class citizens. What all of these examples have in common, is the propagation of fear in order to create an other.
Once people have been given something to fear, they become easy to influence and manipulate.
The peddling of fear is the utmost valuable tool to any tyrant, who will always embark on veiling themselves in the golden silk of safety and security, whilst shrouding their enemies in the shadows of villainy and horror. One of the greatest examples of this is the Vatican’s dogmatic control over the entirety of the pre-American west and much of the near east for nearly a millennia, whereby through the methodology of language control, e.g. blasphemy laws, were implemented to silence critics. All the while doctrines of protection from a vengeful god were peddled, and the only means to be saved from this vicious deity was to swear allegiance to the priesthood clothed in golden silks.
“Fear is the source of all false perception.” –Aleister Crowley
What I haven’t outlined, is a specific character or individual for whom one can cast blame on for the perpetuation of tyranny. The reason for this, is that there is no one singular persona this malignancy can be thrusted upon. Sure, we tend to look back at history, and label men like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Kim Il-sung as examples of tyrants. But ultimately the origins of tyranny exist within ourselves, and our unwillingness to confront the dark natures that dwell within; our lack of shadow confrontation. Which ultimately leads to the projection of subjective categories onto groups of individuals, thereby counting them amongst the nefarious other, effectively dehumanizing them so that we may justify to ourselves any maltreatment that may come their way. It is precisely because of our banality in confronting our own inner tyrants, that we provide the environment for men like Hitler, Stalin, and Kim to rise in power over us.
Kings only have the power their subjects collectively project onto them.
The meat sac that holds your consciousness, one might even say your soul, is firstly and always yours. You who are reading this, are undergoing what can most simply be described as the human experience, and it is your fundamental and unalienable right to do what thou wilt with your meat sac, no matter how much damage you may inflict upon it (so long as you bring no willing or negligent harm to anyone else’s meat sac). What goes into your body, becomes a part of your body, and therefore it is your choice alone what that will be. What leaves your body, such a language, is an extension of your body, and therefore also yours, with all of the hubris that comes with it. The human experience is inalienable and insufferable to governance, and the path away from the individual being a token of sovereignty, is always the path to tyranny.
Also check out my first novel Chapel Perilous, now available in paperback and Kindle Unlimited.