Continuing on in the halarity that is the glorious revolution as designed by Chris Thompson: Strong Toward the Powerful: A Warrior Path for Radical Pagans

Tactical Discipline

If our long-term goals depend on building solidarity between all people and groups affected by capitalism, then anything we say or do that damages solidarity is self-defeating. Solidarity does not mean group-think. You don’t have to agree with every detail of what other people say or do in order to hold the line with them. However, you do have to make a serious attempt not to do anything that would alienate them unnecessarily, because no one who doesn’t trust you is going to want to stand with you.

“Wrong think is not illegal. But wrong speech is.”

Okay, at this point I’m half ready to throw up my hands and walk away. Because I understand the vision Chris has for the world, how to get there, and what it involves a crap ton better than he does. I cannot tell if this is simple ignorance, willful ignorance, or he has self-blinded himself to the point where he sees where he’s standing, he sees the glorious future over on the other side of the chasm of the future, and he refuses to see the bridge and how it is built to reach that glorious future.

Let’s step outside of Paganism for a moment and look at another area where Marxism is currently trying to obtain its glorious future. Feminism. Right now in feminism you have the dying old guard of 2nd wave feminists…who were all about women, women’s rights, and furthering the causes of women. And you have the vanguard of 3rd wave feminism, which is all about inclusiveness, fighting for lgbt rights, the rights of women, the rights of black people, and often the complete extermination of the male gender except for a few well contained and well indoctrinated “males,”…and the destruction of capitalism. And the third wavers are eating the 2nd wavers alive. Oh, you don’t have to “group-think” but you do have to keep your mouth shut, because the instant you say anything out of line, you’re eaten alive. Like the Dianics, or Bindle, or Nightmare, and the list goes on.

The instant you say “this is for the collective” anyone who bucks any part of the collective is instantly a threat to the collective. They are not advancing the group, they are hindering it. And anything that hinders is counter productive and should be removed.

I’ve seen more than one movement-building conversation knocked off the rails by toxic suspicion and distrust, especially between people split by differences such as race, sex, class or gender. We live in a sick society and have all been affected by this sickness, but if we want to make the situation better we have to exercise self-discipline and avoid destroying solidarity.

Really…says it better than I can.

The burden of this shouldn’t fall on people who are already expected to put up with too much. They shouldn’t be expected to silence themselves to avoid making me feel uncomfortable. I can keep my mouth shut sometimes when I am uncomfortable, if it will help me win the changes I want to win. Yes, I’m a white guy who grew up in poverty. No, it is not likely to help my cause to bring up that fact every time anyone mentions white privilege. Self-disciplined behavior is an important aspect of the warrior mindset.

Self-discipline is especially important in the actions we take on the street.

Did…did he just snark at how Rhyd constantly talks about his impoverished upbringing?

Holy shit, I think he did. I think Chris here really did just fire off a shot a Rhyd. Rhyd constantly talks about his impoverished upbringing and how it drove him to Marxism and anti-capitalism. And it kinda looks like Chris just told him to shut up about it. Damn, talk about breaking the shieldwall.

The Mask of the Warrior

When a myth helps you stay strong in the face of adversity and danger, it’s helping you and helping your cause. When a myth leads you to make destructive choices that merely feed your own ego, it’s hurting you and hurting your cause. Myths are powerful magic, and we have to decide carefully how we use that magic.

Oh come on! You just ripped that from Batman Begins!!!!

Boooo! Boooo!! Cheap play man, cheap play. Especially since Batman is all about upholding the law and you’re all about ignoring it or tearing it down. Way to disgrace the cowl there man. Geez. I thought you had gotten low but this…this is terrible. Like, stealing forty cakes terrible. I mean, that’s as many as four tens. It’s terrible I tell you!

The idea of being a warrior can become a dangerous daydream, leading us to make decisions that don’t serve our broader goals but do feed the archetypal self-image we want to nurture – such as recklessly fighting with the police when there is no necessity for it.

Wow, culturally appropriating Batman for his unlawful goals and throwing his anti-facist, Marxist buddies under the bus. Damn. I mean, it’s all about resisting the power of a corrupt state bro, but don’t resist the power of the corrupt state, bro.

You know man, I hear you wanting to call yourself a warrior, but so far you ain’t willing to wage war, you ain’t willing to get violent, you ain’t willing to fight the state, and you just threw your buddies who are under your metaphorical bus as you raise yourself up as some expert on warriorism, revealing you lack the most integral part of being a warrior: Honor.

I mean sure, those guys are being complete dickheads, hurting people, and breaking the law, but at least they’re more willing to stand up for their beliefs and take it than you seem to be.

From my perspective as an anti-authoritarian leftist, I would much rather we not think of “warrior” as a title to be earned. A free and egalitarian society with a warrior elite is obviously a contradiction in terms. Even if a free society saw the need to create such an elite to meet a temporary crisis, it most likely would not remain free for long.

Awww look, Chris is almost becoming self aware. Come on man, you can do it, break through the shell! Discover the truth brother, get woke!

The model that works best with our political principles is that of the ordinary person who takes up arms only when the community is directly threatened. Warriorship as something you do when needed, not as an intrinsic identity. There are plenty of myths about that as well, and there’s a simple magic behind the transformation. We can think of warriorship as a role or a mask, to be taken up in certain circumstances and put down in others – something like the Guy Fawkes mask worn by many protesters around the world.

AND HE WAS SO CLOSE!!!!!! SOOOO CLOOOOSSEEEE.”

I mean, gods, so close. If only there was some law which basically said, “hey, the best military for the defense of liberty is the individual ownership of weapons, so that in time of need the people could come together and fight as one?

If only there was something like that. You know, I could have sworn there was something like that. Where did I hear that kinda talk? Oh yeah, the “New Right.” And the Republicans. And other, “conservative” capitalist thinkers. huh. Welp, damn Chris, I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to remove that suggestion of yours as it is part of New Right ideologies and thus inherently fascist. In fact, for thinking that I’m pretty sure that means you have some Fascism.

Rhyd, you might wanna get this fascist off your glorious website. He’s hitlering up the place something terrible.

You can easily turn this into a powerful ritual, putting your mask on before an action along with prayers and offerings to the gods you worship. By taking the mask off again when you return, you reverse the magic and go back to your everyday frame of mind. Even if you don’t choose to wear a mask when protesting, you can still use the mask ritual in a symbolic sense.

I’m not even going to get into the psychological effects putting a mask on one’s self has for liberating a person from their own behavior. Still, we’re still apparently stealing from Batman, and now we’re adding theatrics and rituals to this unholy masking.

On the flip side, I am kinda wanting to get myself a good mask now. Actually, think I have some. Need to find where they are. In case I have to, you know, go fight or something.

Like Marxists.

“Putting on the mask of the warrior, I ask the gods and ancestors to bless my actions and to grant me the courage of true conviction. Removing the mask of the warrior, I ask the gods and ancestors to bless my actions and to grant me peace of mind until I take the mask up again.”

But if you wear the mask, how ever shall the Valkyries know that it is you they should take to Valhalla?

So…Chris here suggests a ritual where in he asks the Gods to bless him for actions he takes…while Hiding his face. Now, I know we’ve had some fun superhero jokes, but this isn’t about protecting your loved ones because someone might come after you because you foiled their bank job.

Or made fun of their Marxism on the internet.

This is about completely destroying our present government, legal system, and economy. And frankly, if you do not have the balls to show your face, how do I expect you to truly believe in your convictions. And we’re not talking “Tactical helmet” type of hiding your face. We’re talking about literally taking on a second identity wrapped around this mask, a mask one is using to hide one’s face and even suppress their personality so that they might do things they would not ordinarily do.

And then, after having done whatever actions this “masked identity” has done, you ask the Gods to bless them. You desire the Gods to bless actions you did when you would not even show your face. If you will not grace these actions thus…why then should the Gods?

You don’t always have to play the same role. If I’m able to take significant risks at one action and not at another, then I am in a warrior role in the first action and a support role in the second. It’s important for us to be flexible about this, and encourage people to play any role that works for them on a particular occasion.

This just in, we have footage from Chris’s last major fight in which he gave noble examples of how to be flexible about his role in combat!

 

Okay, we’re running a bit long here so we’ll carry on in Part 4, which starts with Martial Training!

I wonder if there will be any Spartans?

Eh, probably not. Fascist the lot of them, I’m sure.

 

Bellona invicta