An interesting use of language is that of 'the authorities', in the sense of those who possess and administer worldly power. Attempting to lift the word out of the soporific of the everyday usage, it seems best to fit as a throwback to an ancient religiously stratified society. Those at the apex of power are The Authorities: the possessors of mysterious hidden knowledge denied to the lumpen masses, which encloses these Authorities within a circle of power. That knowledge which is within this circle is what places them above the profane, and by necessity invisible to the profane. One could imagine Borges writing a short story on a similar theme.
Bertrand de Jouvenel writes:
The phenomenon called authority is at once more ancient and more fundamental than the phenomenon called state; the natural ascendancy of some men over others is the principle of all human organizations and all human advances.
While an online dictionary leads us back to the prosaic in describing Authority as
a. The power to enforce laws, exact obedience, command, determine, or judge.
b. One that is invested with this power, especially a government or body of government officials.
What is the connection between Jouvenal's natural ascendency of some men over others, thus rewarding them with their Authority, and our modern wielders of worldly power in its various political and economic forms? Are these Authorities really possessed of a natural ascendancy over others? Certainly interesting to see these Authorities as the equivalent of the ancient priestly class described earlier.
07 July 2008
06 July 2008
05 July 2008
The Castles
Many brave knights, bound by allegiance to Truth, tried to storm that great edifice, the Castle of Stupidity & Falseness. However, all efforts have predictably floundered as stupidity and falseness are their own defence, against which truth is powerless. Needles to say, the inhabitants were convinced the often insanely convoluted edifices of their stupidity were the most profound of human formulations, and proof of their progressive genius.
Our devoted knights met with similar results at the close ally of the Castle of Stupidity- the Castle of Misery. These benevolent assailants imagined they would be greeted joyfully as they liberated the inhabitants of Misery from their walled domain, but no. The inhabitants had poured themselves into their bitterness, and in it lay their very existence. He who threatened to take it away was a liar, a denier of the very ground of reality. The inhabitants sneered at the knights, accused them of vapidity and laughed at their promise of a kingdom of profundity and love. They had the best of reasons justifying their unhappiness and ignorance. "This is existence. We have tasted it, it is real." The very existence of their misery was its own proof as the substance of existence, and to say otherwise pure escapism.
Eventually and reluctantly the knights of glowing countenance moved on once it became fully clear that their efforts were wasted, and that they were themselves beginning to be infected by the unhappy malaise. Though they were pleased to find the odd inhabitant of the castle join their number, their desertion attended to by howls of derision from the most loyal.
Our devoted knights met with similar results at the close ally of the Castle of Stupidity- the Castle of Misery. These benevolent assailants imagined they would be greeted joyfully as they liberated the inhabitants of Misery from their walled domain, but no. The inhabitants had poured themselves into their bitterness, and in it lay their very existence. He who threatened to take it away was a liar, a denier of the very ground of reality. The inhabitants sneered at the knights, accused them of vapidity and laughed at their promise of a kingdom of profundity and love. They had the best of reasons justifying their unhappiness and ignorance. "This is existence. We have tasted it, it is real." The very existence of their misery was its own proof as the substance of existence, and to say otherwise pure escapism.
Eventually and reluctantly the knights of glowing countenance moved on once it became fully clear that their efforts were wasted, and that they were themselves beginning to be infected by the unhappy malaise. Though they were pleased to find the odd inhabitant of the castle join their number, their desertion attended to by howls of derision from the most loyal.
03 July 2008
Unreliable Narrator
I'm sorry it offends anyone but I make no apologies for what I write here. One of these things below.
I suffer from a traumatic artistic and spiritual quandary. When I try to pour forth my thoughts in the form of the written word, I find to my dismay words and thoughts other than those desired being crystallised in physical form, as if a second will were commandeering my will and channeling it into avenues distinct from the ones desired. I set my arm in motion and unknown contrary thoughts are produced. This emanation of thoughts that are not my own occurs with such infallible relentlessness that it cannot be attributed to deficiencies in the means of expression. Perhaps I am but one self-enclosed 'self' within a myriad of other selves within this mind-body organism.
This hijacking of my intent of course applies to all these words, including these. What I intended to write was quite different.
I suffer from a traumatic artistic and spiritual quandary. When I try to pour forth my thoughts in the form of the written word, I find to my dismay words and thoughts other than those desired being crystallised in physical form, as if a second will were commandeering my will and channeling it into avenues distinct from the ones desired. I set my arm in motion and unknown contrary thoughts are produced. This emanation of thoughts that are not my own occurs with such infallible relentlessness that it cannot be attributed to deficiencies in the means of expression. Perhaps I am but one self-enclosed 'self' within a myriad of other selves within this mind-body organism.
This hijacking of my intent of course applies to all these words, including these. What I intended to write was quite different.
30 June 2008
Satan's Little Helpers
Above Church of Satan leader, Anton leVay, displaying the satanic handsign, which many in simple ignorance as to its symbolic significance use at rock concerts. So of course one can use this and not mean anything more than in the rock on, thumbs up sense. Ordinary adults don't however tend to use this gesture in normal life. Below a few examples of others using this, sometimes in very formal, serious situations.
And even with the Queen. It is argued that this is a Texas college symbol that the Bushes' daughter attended. Even if accepting this explanation for the Bushes' rather demented use of this sign in utterly inappropriate circumstances, we are left with someone infantile to the point of brain damage, who even when meeting the British head of state as head of his own state, finds the temptation to flash the sign of his daughter's college irresistible. Bush is of course a member of the very disturbed Skull & Bones occult secret society, whose apparent nature is entirely in tandem with the more obvious explanation, that Bush is using this sign in the manner it is more famously recognised; ie a satanic symbol. "Satan who is the prince of thiss world," being a rather famous old line which should perhaps be taken much more literally than in loose allegorical manner.
And Mrs Clinton.
And Mr Clinton. 
The Perceiver & Perceived
Does a television programme exist if there is noone there to see it?
Does a television programme exist if there is someone there to see it, but the television is turned off?
Does a television programme exist if there is someone there to see it, but the television is turned off?
27 June 2008
The Art of Reading
I must say, when I read, as I do when placed at the right angle before a book, I don't so much read as the lazy reader does, but deconstruct the book into its strategic components of significance, using a Marxist guide as a social-realist lens to defract the distorted rays of the writer's imagination into the light of real-world truth. Thus is literature raised to the art of usefulness, and a stepping stone to the future of socially enlightened mutual actuality, and indeed socially enlightened mutual activity.
26 June 2008
Continuation of a Lowly Theme
Gutless self-willed ignorance of reality has been described, by a prominent figure within today's establishment, as the essential attribute if one is to survive, and indeed thrive, in today's intellectual climate.
"It's easier than it sounds. One must simply accept as truth the propaganda of the state and captive media, encoiled as they are in incestuous embrace, and then pontificate from there into the carefully contrived and inevitable channels of ensuing thought.
The greater one's eloquence in performing the servile activity, the greater the rewards to one's finances and vanity, which exist in a happy relationship of mutual benefit. The two traits are as entwined as the state and mainstream media: the gratification to one's vanity is serviced by the recognition of one's eloquence by other selves immersed in the same truth-versions, naturally feeding the mentioned financial benefits. Here one's intellect is an organ of the interests for which one writes- in conscious or unconscious awareness of the fact- and the feeding of one's own self naturally feeds the greater self organism of which it is but a contributing cell, for which the greater organism is only too happy to render the cell the worldly rewards that are the extended components of the greater organism.
Beneath the conscious layers of the personalty, a lingering awareness of spiritual poverty threatens to spill into the surface layers, but this can be offset by the material distractions offered by one's position of financial strength, and by awareness of one's position of ascension in the minds of the already mentioned other selves. Naturally one's victory over the personally omniscient sub-layers of one's being can never be total, but this living sense of one's truthlessness is but an ambient background to day-to-day life, and knowledge of one's undignified existence a small price to pay for temporal triumph of the ego-self.
Finally, for reasons that should be clear, the hypothetical, and even occasionally actual, person of truth is the most abhorrent creature to the above entity, equating as he does with the person of truth that lives in his own sub-layers. He is the enemy. Such beings make a great deal of noise in their hatred of the Bad Guy, such as a Bin Laden or Saddam Hussein, but in truth they love these people, as they can imbue their own lives with something like absolute goodness in contrast to the absolute evil of the enemy. This is the most potent narcotic towards the desired absolute belief in the absolute triumph of the ego-self. Despite some of their self-imagined alliance with a Jesus type it is the man of virtue who they really hate, as he offers the living proof of their paltriness. Thus Jesus' words: "The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil." This encapsulated perfectly within the Jesus and Barabbas episode where the crowd chooses the murderer to be freed over the man of absolute virtue. They can't do without their Barabbases. Figures to justify their basenesses.
This recognised by Nietzsche also, and in "The Flies in the Market Place" in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, he writes:
Even when you are gentle towards them, they still feel themselves despised by you; and they repay your beneficence with secret maleficence
In your presence they feel themselves small, and their baseness gleams and glows against you in invisible vengeance.
Yes, my friend, you are the bad conscience of your neighbors."
A verbose man when he gets going. Bit remininscent of Victor Pelevin's Babylon, I think it is, in his thought, though that's perhaps no bad thing.
"It's easier than it sounds. One must simply accept as truth the propaganda of the state and captive media, encoiled as they are in incestuous embrace, and then pontificate from there into the carefully contrived and inevitable channels of ensuing thought.
The greater one's eloquence in performing the servile activity, the greater the rewards to one's finances and vanity, which exist in a happy relationship of mutual benefit. The two traits are as entwined as the state and mainstream media: the gratification to one's vanity is serviced by the recognition of one's eloquence by other selves immersed in the same truth-versions, naturally feeding the mentioned financial benefits. Here one's intellect is an organ of the interests for which one writes- in conscious or unconscious awareness of the fact- and the feeding of one's own self naturally feeds the greater self organism of which it is but a contributing cell, for which the greater organism is only too happy to render the cell the worldly rewards that are the extended components of the greater organism.
Beneath the conscious layers of the personalty, a lingering awareness of spiritual poverty threatens to spill into the surface layers, but this can be offset by the material distractions offered by one's position of financial strength, and by awareness of one's position of ascension in the minds of the already mentioned other selves. Naturally one's victory over the personally omniscient sub-layers of one's being can never be total, but this living sense of one's truthlessness is but an ambient background to day-to-day life, and knowledge of one's undignified existence a small price to pay for temporal triumph of the ego-self.
Finally, for reasons that should be clear, the hypothetical, and even occasionally actual, person of truth is the most abhorrent creature to the above entity, equating as he does with the person of truth that lives in his own sub-layers. He is the enemy. Such beings make a great deal of noise in their hatred of the Bad Guy, such as a Bin Laden or Saddam Hussein, but in truth they love these people, as they can imbue their own lives with something like absolute goodness in contrast to the absolute evil of the enemy. This is the most potent narcotic towards the desired absolute belief in the absolute triumph of the ego-self. Despite some of their self-imagined alliance with a Jesus type it is the man of virtue who they really hate, as he offers the living proof of their paltriness. Thus Jesus' words: "The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil." This encapsulated perfectly within the Jesus and Barabbas episode where the crowd chooses the murderer to be freed over the man of absolute virtue. They can't do without their Barabbases. Figures to justify their basenesses.
This recognised by Nietzsche also, and in "The Flies in the Market Place" in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, he writes:
Even when you are gentle towards them, they still feel themselves despised by you; and they repay your beneficence with secret maleficence
In your presence they feel themselves small, and their baseness gleams and glows against you in invisible vengeance.
Yes, my friend, you are the bad conscience of your neighbors."
A verbose man when he gets going. Bit remininscent of Victor Pelevin's Babylon, I think it is, in his thought, though that's perhaps no bad thing.
23 June 2008
Calendar Boys
In an exciting follow-up to the previous post, twelve of Britain's top intellectuals are to feature in a glossy calandar for the upmarket publication, Nouveau Conservative. The calendar shows the scantily clad intellectuals in a series of suggestive poses, generally involving provocative use of choice examples of modern weaponry.
Artin Mamis described the experience as "liberating", while Mills & Boon author Ewan MacIan said he felt stimulated in places he didn't know existed. Deep thinking Roderick "Tobacco" Scrotum, pictured draped in the Stars & Stripes, said the doing the photos made him feel "horny." He could only imagine what using the weapons in real-life situations against sub-human offal must be like. Another great of the mind said he hadn't felt this good since getting the "Friends" dvd boxset for Christmas.
Artin Mamis described the experience as "liberating", while Mills & Boon author Ewan MacIan said he felt stimulated in places he didn't know existed. Deep thinking Roderick "Tobacco" Scrotum, pictured draped in the Stars & Stripes, said the doing the photos made him feel "horny." He could only imagine what using the weapons in real-life situations against sub-human offal must be like. Another great of the mind said he hadn't felt this good since getting the "Friends" dvd boxset for Christmas.
Economic Aid
Some of Britain's best known writers are backing a wonderful means of economic self-improvement, which some dissenting voices claim is merely the revival of old wives' tales thinking.
The writers claim that if one assumes a grovelling position at the feet of a murderous, demon-possessed politician- preferably American- and carefully ensuring not to raise one's unworthy eyes to the face of the beloved, then with unflagging enthusiasm engage in the assiduous licking of the boot leather of said figure, this will unfailingly result in almost immediate improvement of one's bank balance.
"I know it sounds crazy," said one well known author, "but it really works!"
Some find the boot licking induces a violently nauseous reaction at first at the core of one's being, but most soon develop a real taste for it.
One famous author was asked whether the above resulted in any lacerating feelings of self-disgust, but on the contrary, he considered it a "morally superior" action, and intimate association with the boot leather of the politicians served to enhance his already powerful masculinity.
It is claimed that the relative politicians are engaged in similar activities, but with figures substantially further up the worldly food chain.
The writers claim that if one assumes a grovelling position at the feet of a murderous, demon-possessed politician- preferably American- and carefully ensuring not to raise one's unworthy eyes to the face of the beloved, then with unflagging enthusiasm engage in the assiduous licking of the boot leather of said figure, this will unfailingly result in almost immediate improvement of one's bank balance.
"I know it sounds crazy," said one well known author, "but it really works!"
Some find the boot licking induces a violently nauseous reaction at first at the core of one's being, but most soon develop a real taste for it.
One famous author was asked whether the above resulted in any lacerating feelings of self-disgust, but on the contrary, he considered it a "morally superior" action, and intimate association with the boot leather of the politicians served to enhance his already powerful masculinity.
It is claimed that the relative politicians are engaged in similar activities, but with figures substantially further up the worldly food chain.
20 June 2008
Aldous Huxley on the War on Terror
As we know from our own experience of such secular devils as the Jews, the Commuinists, the Bourgeois Imperialists, the best way to establish a police state is to keep harping on the dangers of a Fifth Column.
From his superb "Devils of Loudon". And just because....from "Those Barren Leaves" below:
Gullivers Travels, with a minimun of expurgation, has become a children's book. That's what comes of saying profound things about humanity in terms of a fairy story.
From his superb "Devils of Loudon". And just because....from "Those Barren Leaves" below:
Gullivers Travels, with a minimun of expurgation, has become a children's book. That's what comes of saying profound things about humanity in terms of a fairy story.
19 June 2008
Humanist Progression Towards Freedom
The British Humanist Association has published what it hopes to become a truly seminal work, The Logical Pathway to Utilising Humour as a Rational Weapon Against Ignorance and Superstition.
Leading light Jonathan "Obnoxious" Meades explained that "Degraded as it is, it is essential that we add this 'comical' tool to our soul annihilating armoury. As with life in its filthy wholeness, there is no secret to humour. Its function is to puncture false pretensions to dignity in man, who is merely an eating, shitting and fucking animal machine, and who owes what merits he possesses entirely to his accidentally acquired reasoning powers."
Leading light Jonathan "Obnoxious" Meades explained that "Degraded as it is, it is essential that we add this 'comical' tool to our soul annihilating armoury. As with life in its filthy wholeness, there is no secret to humour. Its function is to puncture false pretensions to dignity in man, who is merely an eating, shitting and fucking animal machine, and who owes what merits he possesses entirely to his accidentally acquired reasoning powers."
18 June 2008
Stefan Lochner- The Virgin and Child in a Rose Arbour
That Lochner manages to create such a beautifully naive painting without, even with those angels, lapsing into sickly sweetness is remarkable. Though I imagine some would beg to differ about the angels. One of the most charming and profoundly innocent of Western paintings.
17 June 2008
Falsehood
The Iraqi Tourist Board has described the well known notion that there is no such thing as bad publicity as "total bullshit."
"We took on new staff and everything," said a spokesman.
"We took on new staff and everything," said a spokesman.
Bono Wisdom
Bono, one of the world's biggest small rock stars, has declared that "Politics is the new rock n' roll."
He previously said, and this can be verified in the "real world", that "I'm fond of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. They are kind of the John and Paul of the global development stage, in my opinion.
"But the point is, Lennon and McCartney changed my interior world - Blair and Brown can change the real world."
Bono said he was "sure" Lennon would approve of the changing of the real world that Blair and Brown have helped effect in their times on the political stage. "War isn't particularly nice, nor is lying one's way into war, yeah I know, but this is global development," said the leader of the shit band.
"And what you have to remember is sometimes vast numbers of lives have to be ruined to aid the machinations of the spiritually diseased and materially bountiful few. That's what democracy's all about."
He previously said, and this can be verified in the "real world", that "I'm fond of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. They are kind of the John and Paul of the global development stage, in my opinion.
"But the point is, Lennon and McCartney changed my interior world - Blair and Brown can change the real world."
Bono said he was "sure" Lennon would approve of the changing of the real world that Blair and Brown have helped effect in their times on the political stage. "War isn't particularly nice, nor is lying one's way into war, yeah I know, but this is global development," said the leader of the shit band.
"And what you have to remember is sometimes vast numbers of lives have to be ruined to aid the machinations of the spiritually diseased and materially bountiful few. That's what democracy's all about."
16 June 2008
Intelligence Quota
It has been revealed that IQ, or Intelligence Quota, tests have genuinely been devised to devise personal intelligence, but in a somewhat contrary manner to that conceived of by the public. A nephew of the man whose brainchild was the test, said that anyone who imagined, or more to the point needed to imagine, that his intelligence could be portrayed by means of a number was "obviously an idiot," and the test was the cunning and covert means to discovering that end.
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