Journey to the End of Childhood: Regrets about Past Admirations

In recent years, I have been on a "journey to the end of childhood," going back to reread authors and thinkers I admired in my teen and college years, and finding that many of them expressed despicable social views of racism, anti-Semitism, etc., that I either did not notice or naively forgave the first time I read their works. 

Louis-Ferdinand Céline, for example, is an author I thought so groundbreaking and brilliant, so wittily cynical, when I first read "Journey to the End of Night" and "Death on the Installment Plan" back in the early 1980s. Now I see the hatred toward humanity and toward Jews in particular, despite the admittedly fine writing style. I relate this to all the right-wing assholes of the world, then and now, who love the idea of "burning it all down" because, when they envision their dream scenario of world conflagration, they always assume that they will be safe and will survive to enjoy the supposedly wonderful new world that will rise from the ashes of a million crematoria, and that is the OTHERS who will suffer and be destroyed. 

It is also notable that many such asshole thinkers were often coddled geniuses able to cultivate their bilious ideas into works of literature, art or philosophy because others around them, whether parents, spouses or others, put up with their bullshit and gave them the kind of love and support that they themselves would never dream of providing to other struggling or suffering people--because when you are a superior being, it is beneath you to feel compassion for others! What can we learn from this? The important lesson, I suppose, is if you want to succeed as a writer or artist, be as much of an asshole as possible, and the world may well reward you!

Stand Together With Immigrants

We are now living in a harsh and frightening new world in which Trump is leading the way toward cruel and reckless authoritarian-Fascist-style government. This is the case not only in the USA, where Trump is now the head of the national government--or maybe co-head along with Elon Musk, who seems to have been given free reign to destroy or disable as many government agencies as possible--but also in other countries, where racist, Fascist and above all, anti-immigrant politicians and parties feel greatly emboldened by Trump's support for their Far Right causes.  It is overwhelming to even try to keep up with all the Fascistic things that Trump and his allies are doing. 

Here, I want to focus on one issue that is really key to 21st century Fascism: the relentless--and, it must sadly be conceded, to this point, very successful--demonization of immigrants. Whether it is Trump in America or Brexit in Britain or Orban in Hungary or the AfD in Germany, the immigration issue has been at the heart of their political messages, missions and successes. Due to how truly foundational this anti-immigrationism has been and remains for today's right-wing regimes, political parties and politicians, I think this is the central front on which to fight Fascism. So if you don't want Fascism coming to a country near you, support immigrants and immigration, because today's Fascist Pied Pipers believe that as long as they play the anti-immigrant tune, you will follow them right off the cliff into their Brave New Fascist World. Puncture their wildly inflated hate-dreams about immigrants, and they no longer have a leg to stand on.

Consider current public discourse and media messages. Any time an immigrant somewhere commits a violent crime, it gets HUGE media attention and supports the right-wing message that this is the #1 social problem facing societies today. The much larger number of violent crimes committed by "normal" (white) citizens is either ignored or rationalized, as are the factors of discrimination and hostility that may drive an immigrant to desperation and then violence. When a white man goes on a rampage, he is a sick person or lone wolf. No one says, "We had better deport those whites, because they are dangerous!" but if a dark-skinned or Muslim immigrant commits a violent act, many media sources and many politicians on the right side of the spectrum will say, "Enough is enough! We have to keep them out!" Every city I have lived in where there were lots of immigrants, their neighborhoods were often the most fun and interesting places in the city--great food, music, interesting goods, and kind people. So stand up for immigrants! They are not the enemy!! They enrich our world!!

This is hard, I know, because the right-wing has been building their anti-immigrant propaganda machine for decades, with the long history of anti-Semitism and anti-black racism as tried and proven models, and the voices speaking out for immigrants and immigration have all too often been too soft, too weak and too unsure of themselves. If you speak out FOR rather than AGAINST immigrants, you are going to encounter ridicule and anger. At first, many will laugh at what you saying and consider it ridiculous, but I am reminded of Mahatma Gandhi's words: "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, and then you win." If you are on the liberal-progressive side of the spectrum, the #1 thing to do to help stop the rise of cruel and hateful, Fascistic political movements like MAGA is to speak out FOR immigrants and immigration.

I also see this as a Pagan issue, even though I acknowledge that many ethnic-oriented Pagans in Europe and elsewhere may in fact embrace anti-immigrant thinking because they want to protect their ethnic culture and identity. Pagans may claim to represent the core of their respective nations, defined in ethnic terms and ancient traditions, but in terms of numbers, Pagans today are very small minorities. Like other minorities from African-Americans in the USA to Roma or Muslims in Europe today to Jews across history, they may easily be targeted and demonized--just as immigrants are. So, there is a simple political and mathematical logic in standing in solidarity not only with other minorities, but for the principle of a liberal society that respects and protects minorities--including immigrants.

If we look to Pagan mythology, there are many stories of different families or tribes of gods, like the different generations of divine beings involved in establishing Ireland or the Aesir, Vanir and others in Norse mythology. There is no single "divine ethnicity." If we look to history, we find that many European peoples have had their times of migration and coming to new lands, all the way back to the Indo-Europeans. The English language would not even exist except for immigration of the Angles and the Saxons to Britain. What immigrants are doing today, moving somewhere new to seek a better life, is nothing strange or wrong--it is something that has happened many times in the past. 

People move: a basic fact. Also a basic fact: when new people come to a place, it often happens that the ones already there are suspicious or hostile to the new arrivals. Some classic examples from American history are the hatred shown to Irish and Italian immigrants back in the 19th c. Today those two ethnic groups are loved and celebrated, but remember--there was a time when "No Irish need apply" and Italians were considered dirty, disgusting, criminal "wops." Woud America be better today if the anti-immigrant forces of the 19th c. had been successful in expelling all the Irish and Italian immigrants?

Rarely is a society improved by erecting barriers and blocking the movement of people. Such societies can become sick places of hatred and suspicion. Open societies tend to be more successful. Now that Trump seems determined to cut off immigration to the USA--except for white South African land owners, apparently--and to deport many who have immigrated in recent decades to the USA, it is very likely that the US economy will suffer as the society is deprived of immigrant muscle and brains. Much of America's food is picked or processed by immigrant laborers on farms or in factories.  Many restaurants and construction firms likewise rely on immigrant workers.  Many of America's hi-tech companies are led by immigrants or children of immigrants. Research at many universities depends on foreign students who come to study and often decide to stay and live, contributing their talents and expertise to America. Without their continuing presence and without new arrivals of others like them, America is likely to become stupider and poorer and to stagnate in general.

So, those are some arguments in favor of immigrants and immigration. If you deeply hate immigrants and want your society to be free of the "scourge" or "invasion" of immigrants, I am sure my words must strike you as woefully misguided at best and outright evil at worst. So be it. We are on different sides of this issue. If you are on the anti-immigrant side, you may be feeling very confident right now that your side is winning. If you consider it a victory to have ignorant, hateful leaders like Trump in office, you are indeed winning--for now. But I believe that your victory is only temporary. I believe that over time, love and kindness will win out over hatred and hostility. Am I misguided? Time will tell.

For those who see the value of love, kindness and diversity, whether you are Pagan or Christian, Jewish or Jain, Buddhist or Baha'i, atheist or agnostic, let me suggest a few steps to take in support of immigrants.

1. When you hear people saying negative things about immigrants, intervene. If they are talking about an actual case of something where an immigrant actually committed some crime or offense, make the important point that it was one person who did that thing--not all immigrants. Remind them that many "normal" citizens are violent or criminal as well.

2. Be kind to the immigrants in your community. They are under pressure and worried about hostility from "normal" people like you, never knowing when they will have to deal with expressions of hatred or the threat of violence--even mob violence. Patronize their businesses, chat with them and smile. 

3. Cultivate deeper awareness and greater compassion. I think if you reach inside yourself, you will find memories of a time when you were the outsider, the minority, the weird one that people laughed at,  were suspicious of, undervalued--or worse. Remember how hard it was to be in that position. Remember that when people are under stress, as immigrants, like other minorities often are, they do not always behave perfectly, but may crack under stress and become unpleasant or even antisocial. When you see someone like that, it may seem that they are crazy or dangerous, but remember--it was a long process that led them to that point. They may be reflecting back what they have been told to believe about themselves by those who hate them without even knowing them. Show them some kindness and respect, and they may again be able to let down their guard and relax a little. Being shown a little kindness can be like finding an oasis in the desert for those living in a hostile world where it feels like everyone is looking at them with suspicion.

Keep your mind clear, keep your heart open and make an effort to tune out the siren song of hate, so loud and so omnipresent in our world today.  

Remember, remember, remember: We all suffer, and we are all connected. Awaken your compassion and find the hidden strength there. You will feel better about yourself and better about others: these two things are connected. The diversity of human beings is the design of nature. Love diversity, love nature, for as you nurture others, you will be nurtured in turn. 

Stand UP for immigrants! Stand TOGETHER with immigrants! They are not the enemy!! They enrich our world!!

 

 

Facing the Gathering Darkness

As we face the new era in America, I want to urge everyone who understands the danger of Trumpism to make an effort to communicate with others about what Trump does and offer perspective on why and how it is bad or wrong. Do not let others think this is all "normal" or "just the way it is." If our worst fears are realized to even a small extent, this will be a new situation in America that will be very depressing and harmful for many people, not to mention the environment that we all depend on. Maybe there is no way , right now, to oppose or resist, but remember that the Trump movement depends on ignorance, misinformation, misplaced anger and blame. Anything you can do to offer a counter-narrative is worthwhile. It may not have any great effect right now or bear any immediate fruit, but think of the future--plant seeds, build awareness, advocate for humane values, and above all, support compassion for the suffering and concern for our shared environment. This is the foundation for a better tomorrow.

Ghoulish Fascination

 

"Ghoulish fascination"--that phrase popped into my mind tonight. I think it explains one strategy I am going to apply in order to preserve my sanity over the next four years of Trumpian anti-government. I say "anti-gov." because it seems to me that the mission of the Trump regime will be to dismantle the American government in as many ways as possible to make American society as dysfunctional, angry and cruel as possible, so that our billionaire overlords of the tech, finance and oil companies can create a new version of medieval feudal society where the great lords rule in splendor while the lowly serfs that form the bulk of the population suffer and squabble and the climate and environment turn more and more unstable and toxic. I see no effective resistance to Trump any time soon. He has control of the Congress and the courts, the media and universities are trembling with fear, and the tech tycoons are lining up to lick his anus. This horrible monster has won America, for now at least. I am finding it hard to watch the news. I watch some, and read some, every day, but I find I have to turn it off and put it away after just a few minutes or pages. This is where the "ghoulish fascination" comes in. I am trying to reset my mind to think of all of this as a movie that I am watching: "America--The Disintegration," or maybe "The American Story: from Shining City on the Hill to Shadowy Circus of the Damned." Free guns for everyone! I know there is little I can do to prevent this tragedy from unfolding, so I will watch, observe, and amuse myself with grim little jokes, when I can. 

 

I take inspiration from those in Eastern Europe who had to spend decades under the cruel absurdities of Soviet rule, who had to develop a kind of dual identity, one, an outer self that would play the part required by an absurd and violent government, and the other, their inner self which could rarely be expressed openly but had to be kept out of sight and shared only with those that they could trust. Jokes became a secret language of hope, like "They pretend to pay us, and we pretend to work." Someday the absurdity will run its course. Someday the Berlin--I mean Trumpian--wall will fall. Someday the madness will end, but what will be left of America? I am not sure. It does make me angry to know that Americans voted for this monster to be our monarch, even after they had been through his misrule once already, even after they had witnessed so many proofs of his unfitness, cruelty, ignorance, and absurdity. Well, as it is said in a famous book, "Forgive them, Lord, for they know what they do." But they did it. They embraced Fascism. "The land of the free?" Now THAT is a good joke! I will watch this shit show with ghoulish fascination, and try to laugh when I can.

The Political Pagan Performs A Political Autopsy

Well, dear friends, I was quite wrong in my prediction that Kamala Harris would win the election and ascend to the presidency of the United States. Instead, the worst case scenario has materialized with Donald Trump en route to a second term which looks to be even more cruel, stupid and destructive than his first one.   Many have been offering their ideas on what went wrong with the Harris campaign, so why shouldn't I offer my own diagnosis? 

I think the campaign suffered most of all from a lack of boldness, offering a bland but positive message of progressive values and a grab-bag of helpful but small-scale programs to help this or that group. These were some good ideas of how to make life better here and there, in various small ways, but lacking a larger narrative of why the American economy is not working well for many people. A little Bernie Sanders perspective might have helped: "I know you are hurting because we have an unfair economy of massive corporate profits for the few and bare survival for the many. I will stand with you and fight against this unfairness and inequality." 

I also think Harris should have spoken more about two particular issues, Covid-19 and Climate Change. By ducking discussion of Covid, Kamala Harris allowed people to avoid thinking about how chaotic and horrible Trump's "leadership" was during the Covid crisis. She also lost the opportunity to explain that the terrible price inflation that has been so hard for many people over the last three years was not caused by anything Joe Biden did, but resulted from the global, Covid-related interruptions in manufacturing and shipping that caused a worldwide inflation crisis--not only in America. In fact, Biden handled the inflation quite well, as it never got as bad as in many other countries, and has been on a steady downward trajectory over the last two years. Biden's team steered the American economy to a safe landing without causing a recession, as many had feared. 

By not placing more emphasis on the literally "burning issue" of Climate Change, she let Trump get away without having to defend his absolutely horrible environmental policies of the past and equally terrible proposals for the future, and she missed the chance to speak loudly and proudly about the very impressive achievements and forward-looking policies that she and Joe Biden put in place. As a college instructor, I know that even conservative students with a sweet spot for Trump do not like his lack of concern for Climate Change and are not enthusiastic about his awful environmental policies. 

I think if Harris had talked more about these issues, it would have given a lot more substance to her campaign, and while it might not have been enough to win it would have laid down a good foundation for future Democratic candidates--including, possibly, her. I think Kamala Harris is a very good speaker and campaigner with real charisma, and I would happily support her again, though I would of course require that she embrace all my political ideas 100%!

The Political Pagan predicts...Harris victory!

 

Friends outside the USA have been asking my view of the election about to take place. Here is why I think Kamala Harris will win this election--though I know I could be wrong:

 

1. Trump is no longer a new, exciting, political figure. Many people are very sick and tired of all the Trump-related drama and stress, and though many of his followers are extremely loyal, some percentage may be dropping away and may come over to Harris. All she needs is for 1% of Trump supporters to give up on the Orange Fuhrer and she will be the next president. There are signs that this may be happening.

 

2. Harris is a fresh, exciting political presence, and she has run a very skillful, disciplined campaign, succeeding in distinguishing herself from Trump, showing herself to be thoughtful, intelligent, warm and positive, and also warning people of the dangers of Trump. She has struck a good balance between offering something positive (herself and the kind of ideas she has for programs that could really help people) and warning about something very negative (Trumpian chaos and Fascism).

 

3. The abortion issue is a huge problem for Trump, and a huge advantage for Harris. In case you don't know this history, Trump made clear in the past that he wanted to put in place Supreme Court Justices who would overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion in the USA in 1973, and then went ahead and did exactly that, with Trump-appointed Justices overruling Roe in the 2022 Dobbs Case. In every election since 2022 where abortion has been an election issue, it has meant victory for the Democrats, who want to restore abortion rights, versus Republicans who have opposed abortion rights. I think this trend will again be a factor in this presidential election, and I expect that women upset about this abortion situation are going to turn out in large numbers to support Harris.

 

4. Trump's horrible rally at Madison Square Garden (MSG) last week was full of many awful, mean, insulting and racist statements toward many groups in America made by many speakers, and one in particular is proving hugely damaging to Trump. A comedian named Tony Hinchcliffe called the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage," and though he and others have tried to defend this as "just a joke," many Puerto Ricans and also other people of Latino descent are very angry, and this could shift hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of votes away from Trump and toward Kamala Harris. In the critical state of Pennsylvania, there are 300,000 to 500,000 Puerto Rican voters. If they all decide to vote for Harris, this could give her victory in the state, and then in the election overall.

 

5. Having spent time canvassing for the Harris campaign in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, I have seen the amazing, well-staffed campaign organization the Harris campaign has. I have heard that the Trump team does not have anywhere near the "ground game" that the Harris campaign has. I know that in some states, the Trump Republicans have outsourced their campaigning to outside groups such as Elon Musk-related group. I hear that these groups are not professional, not experienced, while the Harris campaign is highly professional and staffed with experienced pros. I think that this better campaign organization at the local level across the country will be a major plus for the Harris campaign, and could be decisive.

 

So, those are my reasons for optimism. There are also factors which could lead to a Trump victory, but I do not even want to mention them right now. I want to remain positive....