Bloody Hela, this things still going. Onwards.

How Do We Resist The New Right?

One of the reasons why Gods&Radicals exists is to give support to Pagan, Polytheist, Heathen, and Magical traditions who stand against racism, exploitation, hierarchy, and authoritarianism. In fact, specifically because we are anti-capitalist Pagans, we are often seen as ‘the enemy at the gates’ for many New Right aligned Pagans.

Actually, I’m pretty sure to any “alt right” pagans out there (or even cultural libertarian Pagans like myself) you are far, far less the “enemy at the gates” and more “The enemy up on the throne ordering my genocide.”

Just an FYI. You guys might think you’re the “radicals” but the truth is that in Paganism, you are the establishment. Gods & Radicals, Patheos, Wild Hunt, and any major website out there that is Pagan in nature is…of your political view point. Hell, recently when some real radicals started doing some radical shit to protest the Hegemony, it was you guys who flipped your shit and drove the Dionysians all but underground. So you guys can call yourselves “radicals” and “revolutionaries” all you want, but it’s got the same value as when Stalin, Mao, or Castro use the term. You ain’t the revolution, you’re the damn government at this point.

It’s the Alt-Right who is the enemy at the gates, and it’s your gates they’re coming for. You can claim “they fear us because we’ll tear them down” but as of now, you guys have torn everyone else down and stand upon the shattered ashes. But no king rules forever, my son, and now you face a threat to your glorious thrown. A threat of your own creation.

There are several primary antagonisms between us and the New Right, and we’re quite proud of these.  What we stand for is quite often a threat to their influence, and we intend to keep it that way.

Yeah, removing from them their ability to self govern, the destruction of their culture, the destruction of the economic and social systems of their people, the potential destruction of the people themselves…

It’s really not hard to understand why they might hate you.

And while we don’t believe that every Pagan needs to believe the same way we do (that’d be really fascist of us!), we think there are some important values that any resistance to Fascism (Pagan or otherwise) should consider embracing.  These are some of them:

Actually the word you want to use there is “totalitarian” not “fascist.” By the way, you guys are being completely totalitarian. And you have made it perfectly clear that even if every pagan doesn’t “need” to believe the same way you do, they damn well “should” believe the way you do.

Hierarchy vs. Egalitarianism

Oh dis gonna be rich.

The New Right believes that there are ‘natural’ human hierarchies, and that attempting to change that sacred order is part of the reason society is a mess. In the words of one New Right writer:

“The true Right, in both its Old and New versions, is founded on the rejection of human equality as a fact and as a norm. The true right embraces the idea that mankind is and ought to be unequal, i.e., differentiated. Men are different from women. Adults are different from children. The wise are different from the foolish, the smart from the stupid, the strong from the weak, the beautiful from the ugly. We are differentiated by race, history, language, religion, nation, tribe, and culture. These differences matter, and because they matter, all of life is governed by real hierarchies of fact and value, not by the chimera of equality.”

Many New Right theorists believe in ideas such as ‘sacred kingship’ (that is, ‘Divine Right of Kings’), and even that unequal relations between race, caste, and class are the way Nature intended.

Gods&Radicals stands for something completely different. Hierarchies are artificial: for instance, what’s the hierarchy of a forest?  The notion of natural hierarchies is very problematic, and it hides the fact that hierarchies are created through power and political process. Human relationships should always be egalitarian, or as egalitarian as possible, and every assumption about innate and natural authority or position must be dismantled.

Well, I’m not a biologist, but I believe the hierarchy of the forest goes something like this….

So I mean…way to shoot your own argument in the foot and possibly prove the other guy’s point there G&R. “The forest has no hierarchy.” Do you call yourselves Pagans? Do you even go out into nature? Nature is full of hierarchies. There’s ecological hierarchies, there’s species hierarchies, theirs hierarchies between males, between females, between prey and predictors and everything. I mean damn, do you think white people just invented hierarchies in a vacuum and that no other species or ethnicity on this planet has hierarchies?

They really should change the name of their site from Gods & Radicals to “Godless & Uneducated” if that’s the case. I mean, they already proved they weren’t going to listen to “fascist” ideas if they came from the Gods and right now they’ve proven they don’t even understand the first thing about nature. Maybe put down the starbucks and the iphone and go in the woods once and a while. Put some bacon around your neck too. Look for bears. It will be educational.

Neo-Tribalism versus Interconnection

New Right writers appropriate the tribal structures of First Nations and other indigenous peoples in order to construct a vision of society where loyalty run in concentric circles from a kinship group.  One of the primary problems with this, however, is their vision of ‘kin’ and their need to have external enemies to create group coherence.  On a large scale, this kinship-first structure becomes Nationalist and Fascist.  “Aryan,” for instance, was a (false) kinship group, and it led to some really horrific slaughter.

They’re not appropriating the “tribal structures” of “first nation” and “indigenous peoples.” Europeans had those exact same structures (or similar enough) and the primary focus on Kin and Tribe is something well recorded in the historical records of all European Peoples. But then as someone who spent their time reading Marx rather than say “Western Civ 1” I suppose I shouldn’t be surpised at the ignorance of this statement.

I mean, geez, our author seems to believe that bears don’t eat other creatures in the woods.

As anarchists, Marxists, Feminists, Post-Colonialists and Pagans, we at Gods&Radicals insist on the fact that the dichotomy of who’s in and who’s out is always dangerous. Instead, we insist on the fact that humanity is interconnected, and not just to each other. Individual actions in one place affect the lives of people we’ve never met across the planet (like Climate Change, or Nuclear fallout). In fact, it’s exactly Capitalism’s denial of interconnectedness which has helped us ignore the relationship between human actions and the health of ecosystems.

-insert track of manical laughter. 20 min run time-

“Fascists are bad because they insist on an outgroup enemy. We’re not like them.”

Right, so let’s run down the list here of “outgroup” enemies.

Anarchists have the out group enemy of “Government.”

Feminists have the out group enemy of “Patriarchy.”

Post-Colonialists have the obvious out group enemy of “Colonialists.”

And Pagans traditionally have the out group enemy of “Christians.”

Let’s see here, so in trying to disprove the Alt-Right and show how different they are from it, so far they’re batting 0/2. I mean, they kinda showed that hierarchies are natural by making the blatantly false statement that their are no hierarchies in nature. And then they insist that the use of “out group enemies” is bad while listing all their ideologies, 3/4 of which cannot function without an existent out-group enemy to give them cohesion and even a reason to exist.

You can’t be an anarchist if there is no government, therefor you have to have the enemy that is government. You can’t be a feminist if there is no Patriarchy, because without a Patriarchy women have all the rights and no force is oppressing them. And can’t be a post-colonialist insisting on a post-colonial existence if there is not some colonialism going on somewhere. Out of these, only Paganism can exist without an out-group enemy.

And how Pagan these guys are when they insist that the history, lore, divine revelations, and even Gods themselves should be viewed with suspicion of fascism and discarded if even a hint of guilt is found is highly debatable. If anything, this article is making Paganism another out-group enemy to these people writing and supporting this article.

Even though a society might be insulated from others, it can (and is) affected by the decisions of others.  And so every political decision must take into consideration many more people than just our ‘chosen kin group.’

How is that different from Fascism? It’s not. Fascism does take in the fact the “kin group” is affected by the decisions of others. Fucking hell, that’s how the Nazi’s justified exterminating the Jews, be cause the supposed “actions” of the Jews was affecting the “kin group.” In which case you are functionally no different from the fascist because you are considering out the actions of the “out group” effect the “in group.” It’s just that in your case the fascists are the “out group” who must be purged for their actions which are effecting you, just as you marxists are the “out group” to the alt-right.

You have created a perfect circle of hatred. Congratulations.

Cultural War vs. Class War

The narrative of the New Right suggests that civilization is in a state of decay because of the destruction of European ‘Traditions’ (whether that be because of Monotheism, Immigration, or Leftism) and the forced mixing of cultures. Though many of them espouse the idea that every group should have their own cultural, religious, and ethnic identity, they don’t actually mean self-determination for all peoples.  Further, they tend to hold the struggles of indigenous and colonized peoples ‘hostage’ by saying, ‘if they can do it, so can Europeans.’  Tribal identities, sovereignty struggles, and religious forms (including animal sacrifice) are all cynically used to justify their narrative of white, European oppression.

So…what you’re saying is that “you’re your European, you can’t do it.” Basically.

Look, I’m actually an egalitarian, so the egalitarian view here is “if it is sauce for the goose, it is sauce for the gander.” What is good for one people to do, it is good for another people to do. If it is good for “first nation” peoples to preserve their language, culture, religion, and so forth from outside influences, then it is equally good for “european” peoples to do the same. Because it is holding both groups to an equal standard. I.e. “Egalitarian.”

Demanding equal rights is not “holding hostage.” You’d think someone on the Left would understand that. But I guess those days are a faded memory.

Actually, I suspect the memory was blotted out as “fascism.”

We, on the other hand, see Capitalism and Imperialism as the primary causes of cultural destruction. First Nations peoples did not have to defend their lands from another ‘culture,’ they had to defend their lands from soldiers, settlers, and the greed of Capitalists.  Similarly in every other colonized place and every colonized people, the engine of destruction was the desire for profit.  In fact, this very process started in Europe, and is why European peoples ‘lost their traditions,’ as well as their lands.  Even under the much-hated Christianity, many cultural forms survived, and Moorish Spain–ruled by Muslims!–still stands as one of the shining examples of multi-cultural civilization where Jews, Christians, Pagans, and Muslims lived in relative peace.

Wow. Just…wow.

In the same breath.

“First Nations peoples did not have to defend their lands from another ‘culture,’ they had to defend their lands from soldiers, settlers, and the greed of Capitalists….Moorish Spain–ruled by Muslims!–still stands as one of the shining examples of multi-cultural civilization where Jews, Christians, Pagans, and Muslims lived in relative peace.”

Okay, so, the Jews, Christians, (and I highly doubt the existence of any Pagans) under the rule of the Moors in Iberia lasted for about 700 years. The Moors were not a native peoples of Spain. They were invaders. Invaders driven by lust for wealth, and the desire to impose their culture/religion upon the peoples of Spain. An imposition, I might add again, which lasted for 700+ years, in which native Jews and Christians were second class citizens in their own land.

So in the same breath you said “poor invadies” and in then “hooray for invaders.”

THE MUTHER FUCKING HELL!

And here’s the hilarous bit. You know all that Capitalism and Imperialism you progressives are bitching about here? IF FUCKING STARTED BECAUSE OF THE MOORS.

Yeah, maybe if you read a damn textbook once an a while, you would realize that the Spanish, after spending 700 mother fucking years trying to get their nation back from a bunch of Imperialistic Moors, were so desperate for funds that they sent a crazy Italian across the ocean in three leaky ass boats in the faint hope he would find India and they could start making enough money to keep from getting reconquered.

Mother of Hela, what you’re doing would be as if future generations treated the Native Americans as the bad guys fro kicking white people out of the Americas, because in order to keep the “white devils” from coming back they invaded and took over China. The irony here is amazing. An oppressed people, in an attempt to no longer be oppressed, end up oppressing someone else, and now their original oppressors are the GOOD GUYS.

And yes, the Colonization and Imperialism were driven by a desire for capitalistic profit, because you fucking need money to finance the armies to keep from becoming a gorram colony yourself! That’s how England and France got into the game, they started up colonies so they could keep from being conquered by the Spanish.

Capitalism is also the primary cause of climate change, environmental destruction, and the destruction of cultures, and it’s sustained by the same ‘natural’ hierarchies (Patriarchy, Anthropocentrism, Race) that the New Right cherishes.

Communist China is the leader in climate change pollution by orders of magnitude beyond any capitalist nation, including the USA.

Also, “Patriarcy” sounds a lot like an “out group.” I think I mentioned that somewhere…and didn’t you guys say you didn’t need out groups? Those sound a lot like out groups.

What Else Can We Do?

Ask Uncomfortable Questions: The New Right aren’t called ‘crypto-fascists’ without reason.  Often times, people espousing their ideas remain unclear about their ultimate motives, often hiding their political goals behind claims that they are ‘apolitical.’  Often times when pushed, however, they’ll reveal more of their true ideology.

I’m highly tempted to reveal my “true ideology.” Fair warning though. Not so much Fascist. More…Joker.

What can I say, I learned from the Dionysians.

But something tells me I’ve been asking the “uncomfortable questions” all through this series of posts. I’m just asking them of you.

Demand clear stances from leaders: If a leader of any Pagan tradition seems to equivocate on questions of race, identity, or politics, or if they seem to have odd associations with New Right figures, ask them to clarify their stance, especially if they are ‘your’ leader.  Just because they are older or more experienced doesn’t mean they are beyond question; in fact, claiming ‘authority’ as an ‘elder’ or ‘priest’ leads to all manner of abuses, including spiritual abuse.

You mean like the abuses of power you guys are committing my labeling everything and everyone a fascist that doesn’t agree with you? Good point. We’re probably going to be doing some “demanding” here in the future.

Build strong connections across traditions: Beware the tendency of many Pagan groups to create us vs. them dichotomies.  In fact, if another group is ‘the enemy,’ consider asking why.  Isolation is an essential part of authoritarian cults, and a great way to ensure group-think.  Even people with apparently opposite theological stances have much more in common than they first appear.

Ohh trust me. We will. I’m already building connections with the Dionysians (a group I never had much interest with). If the Dianics reach out, i’ll treat them a lot more fairly than you guys ever have (and I have the posts to prove it). As far as the Heathens go Smith and Beckett’s recent work has no doubt built some stronger tiest between the universalists and the folkish, and as part of the Cultus Deorum I’m more than happy to shake babies and kiss hands. Or is that the other way around. Hell, based on the angry grumbling I’m hearing as I right this set (before setting it to publish) you’re already getting a lot of the devotional polytheists ready to rain down some holy fire on your asses.

And if we have to ask why we should do this, your article is really going to make the arguments for unifying a lot easier. Congrats, you probably just sent a hell of a lot of Pagans to the New Right.

Challenge divine proclamations: While it’s certainly possible that a god may have told someone to do something awful, that’s hardly an excuse to do something awful.  The sacred has long been used by violent people to justify violence, by hateful people to justify hatred, and by authoritarian people to justify authoritarianism.  Just because someone is a ‘professional’ priest or diviner or witch doesn’t mean that their statements about the gods are true. Especially question commands that might grant the giver of the message power over you, or lead you to see a group of people as ‘an enemy.’

Or the far more terrifying possibility.

The Gods Actually Desire The Violence They Command.

Right now, Hel’s on a bit of a vacation, so I’ve been spending most of my time with Bellona. You might have noticed the change in tag at the bottom. It says Bellona Invicta or translated roughly: Bellona Victorious. Oh yeah, I got a Roman Goddess of War hanging about and she wants blood. The blood of totalitarian Marxists. Thankfully for you guys, I am Svartwulf, and bound by law at the moment not to satisfy her with actual blood. But philosophical blood and war? Oh, yeah, that I can give. Consider the first offering.

You have demanded that the Gods be viewed not with faith, but with suspicion. You have demanded that any voice claiming we should treat our heritage and traditions as sacred to be viewed as an evil fascist to be silenced and purged. You have demanded that lore, history, facts, religion, faith, Gods, and everything else be set aside to support and agree with your anarchist, socialist, marxist totalitarian ideology.

I suspect a lot of Gods who have been politically silent are going to start speaking up to, with, and through, a hell of a lot more people. I also notice that none of you folks at G&R tend to really speak of any divine communications or Gods that support your positions. In fact, the only time in this whole article addressed to the Pagan population that you mentioned the Gods was the part where you said “Do not Listen to Them.”

I find that…interesting.

 

 

Bellona Invicta