Power and Legitimacy

[Cain]

I don't feel so bad now about getting into it with Cain....he's unreasonable when angry.
- Twinkle

Worthy to be a rebel, for to that
The multiplying villanies of nature
Do swarm upon him
- Shakespeare, Macbeth

And shut the gates of mercy on mankind.
- Thomas Gray


Once again, I am called into the role of villain.  Fascinating how often I play this part, I find.  I rarely throw the first blow.  While I often enjoy conflict (mental, physical or rhetorical), the twists and tricks which allow me to win, the twists and turns of it all, I more often than not do not start it.  And yet, here again, I am, being judged by hypocrites who know nothing and will use any excuse to justify themselves.

Well, Cain's obviously a bad person, right?  I mean, look at him, he's unreasonable and sarcastic and, when we get right down to it, rather ruthless.  Once he starts fighting, he can't be persuaded to stop, and he doesn't until he thinks he has got what he wants.  In his bitterness, he lashes out hard and without an ounce of empathy.

I'd be disappointed if you thought any less.  All the above is pretty much true.  I've learnt time and time again there is very little in this world deserving of any mercy, especially those who would antagonize me into a fight.  If I wasn't as ruthless as I am, I would have been trampled by the likes of you years ago.

Look at the world around us.  Hypocrites and liars rule.  Worse, thugs who wrap themselves in words of righteous self-justification, when their only authority derives from the force they wield.  You know its true.  The only difference between a President and a gangbanger is the President claims a divine mandate from 'the people' for his actions.  It's a very neat system, really.  If I were to overthrow the "legitimate" government tomorrow, I could not claim this divine mandate.  Even though I won by force of arms, I cannot be the sanctified ruler.  And yet, if I had the support of the people, but not the power to wield it, I would be crushed like an insect.  I cannot win.

So you'll excuse me when I strike out hard to protect myself, when I am attacked.  I know this is the only true law that exists in the world, the one which permeates every single aspect of our existence.  The harsh judgements of words or steel are the only answer, because anything else would be opening myself to defeat.  If you don't like that, then the solution is simple: leave me alone.

But I'm never truly left alone, am I?  Its funny...I offer my services so often and to so many people, yet as soon as I am no longer needed, I quickly become a public enemy.  That's another example of the hypocrisy I mention.  So long as I am acting against some peoples enemies, then I am the "good guy", right up until the point I am no longer needed, which is when the daggers come out.  Of course, they would want me on side, precisely because I am good at what I do.  That's also why I have to be gotten rid of once I've done the work needed.

Why?  Its pretty simple: its because I am effective at using force without being one of the duly constituted authorities.  I'm not a chosen leader, I don't have powers conferred upon me by "the community" and so I must be treated as a potential source of rebellion, to be snuffed out at the first sign of trouble.  Even if the trouble has nothing to do with me.

But let us consider where most leaders derive their powers from?  Is it the community, who is so often invoked in such discussions?  "I will defend this community", as I recall one particularly authoritarian twerp saying, to justify his power induced rampage.  But they do not rule by consent of the community, and rarely are they appointed at all. 

No, they rule, surprise surprise, because they have powers and are willing to use them.  They are appointed to their position through nepotism and general cronyism.  To be sure, occasionally there is a primary leader who rules by their virtue of founding the community in the first place.  But what happens when they stop acting in the best interests of the community, like so many do?  Liars, so many of them, justify themselves with this bullshit story, one step above "I did it for the children", in order to settle a personal vendetta.  Who brings them to account when they are disruptive?

Oh, that's right.  People like me.  The people who are continually banned from discussions, threatened, mocked, hacked and maligned.  Sure, I don't do it for the community.  I do it for revenge.  But at least I'm honest.  I'm not the one fabricating lies to ease my shrivelled conscience, to sooth my superego.  Can many leaders make the same claim? 

So you'll excuse me when I destroy the next person to attack me, and the next person, and the person after that.  I'm not for kowtowing, especially to liars and petty tyrants, throwing their power around like some feudal lord, trying to cow the serfs.  Remember that I don't attack without provocation.  But if I am treated badly, well....I will make it painful.  I will make it last a very long time.  I will make you beg for it to be over.  And then, I will finish you, like I have everyone else.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Cain IS, in fact, a horrible person.  In any just society, he would be flogged to death for his own good.

But since this isn't a just society, I shall remain content to watch him beat up Pagans.

[Cain]

Exactly.  And at least I don't pretend to be nice, just to get that extra inch in with the dagger strike.  Or make up bullshit stories to explain why I'm right.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Exactly.  And at least I don't pretend to be nice, just to get that extra inch in with the dagger strike.  Or make up bullshit stories to explain why I'm right.

Who needs to do that?  Flogging Pagans is its own excuse.

[Cain]

Exactly.  And at least I don't pretend to be nice, just to get that extra inch in with the dagger strike.  Or make up bullshit stories to explain why I'm right.

Who needs to do that?

People who moderate Pagan forums, apparently.

Nearly everyone in power everywhere, actually.

[Cramulus]

Hail Discord

[East Coast Hustle]

TURN OFF YUOR INTERNETS NOW.

[I Am Not A Rhombus]

Exactly.  And at least I don't pretend to be nice, just to get that extra inch in with the dagger strike.  Or make up bullshit stories to explain why I'm right.

Who needs to do that?

People who moderate Pagan forums, apparently.

Nearly everyone in power everywhere, actually.

Some of them are nuts. I was once threatened with serious legal action from eCauldron.com. Guy who owns the server is some kind of Texan gun nut and control freak. Actually got an email from a lawyer. Basically, I got banned for some shitty reason and bandodged to try and get people's attention to tell them what had happened. The guy lied out of his ass saying the server was "under attack from an Irish IP". Telling the truth, that he and his staff had bullied a miserable member with poor mental health wouldn't have gone down so well.

They knew what a shit state I was at the time, that I won't go into right now. Needless to say though I meet a lot of terrible people online, that was one of the few times I came face to face with someone truly evil.

A lot of it was due to my age, in some ways. A lot of the ruling class there were very old. Whenever i pointed this out, they pointed to a couple of younger members who got on "fine".

This irked me, but I didn't have a word for it at the time. Now I do. "Conservative". The teens they cited were conservative and boring as fuck. So that's the only way I can be respected if I'm young? Fuck that.

Not all pagans are like that, though, but it still put me off the whole thing quite a bit. But if you ever REALLY want to troll pagans, it's better to stick to sites like that - places that REALLY deserve it. It's more the elder pagans that are at fault, more so than the younger ones who just don't know any better sometimes.