To depict the USA as a cultural desert is not to understand this land, and to restrict this country to the presence of couch potatoes, popcorn-munchers who watch baseball games, and dumb TV series is demagogically easy. This, however, does not explain why the world’s best European classical musical orchestras and dance groups (among many others) are to be found in the US.
One cannot help noticing, furthermore, the condemnations that pervade the author’s text, forming an ambiguous mixture that combines jeans, a uniform that is allegedly imposed all around the US and is somehow considered worse than the chador itself, with an ‘arrogant international lobby’ (Which one? Why does the author not pluck up the courage to specify which, just as I have in this book?). Jeans are decidedly a receptacle for people’s fantasies to pour into. We are supposedly being colonised by them, which is why they represent a grave danger. I will not waste any time refuting these endless clichés. All I wanted to do is to use them as an example of the kinds of ideas that one should avoid in order not to make one’s arguments seem ridiculous. Fighting a specific adversary presupposes sufficient familiarity with the latter. In this regard, the central issue that plagues French anti-Americanism is that it targets an adversary whose true nature is completely unknown to it.
OHAA thus succumbs to the very same flaw that the NAI has fallen prey to: virtualising, meaning the fact of expanding upon (and acting on) a state of affairs that does not actually exist, but that one still imagines to be real. The tragedy that pervades both intellectualism and fanaticism lies in the fact of thinking before observing, as the plough simply precedes the oxen.
The Prevailing Ideology’s New Anti-Americanistic Position
During the 1960s, in the wake of the Vietnam war, anti-Americanism was part of the prevailing ideology’s arsenal. Orchestrated by the Soviets and relayed by all Leftists, the struggle against ‘American imperialism’ was an imperative for all courtyard intellectuals. Things were, however, to begin changing during the 1980s, as we witnessed an intense acceleration that started with the collapse of the USSR: anti-Americanism was becoming obsolete among the European intelligentsia and it was pro-Americanism that now had a binding value in terms of fashion.
The USA embodied a cosmopolitan model in the face of European enrooting, considered tasteless and reactionary. An irrepressible sort of Americanomania spread throughout the entire 1990s; in people’s minds, any comments regarding ‘American imperialism’ were always linked to Fascism, antisemitism and ‘our history’s darkest hours’. The only ones to have been anti-American since the first war in Iraq were the French National Front and the supporters of French sovereignty, which automatically meant that this position was to be condemned by our self-righteous elites.
And then, quite recently, came the emergence of the NAI, trudging through the world like a bull in a china shop and triggering a new situational reversal, as well as a return to the cartography of the 1960s: anti-Americanism was once again part of the dominant ideology’s vulgate. Although this turning point began in the aftermath of the war in Kosovo (1999), it was actually the military campaigns in Afghanistan (2002) and especially Iraq (2003) that defined the new landscape once and for all.
As a result of the ridiculous war waged against a small, harmless Arabian country, the USA came across (quite mistakenly, in fact) as an anti-Islamic and anti-Arab power. Due to the fact that our intelligentsia has espoused the obligation to advocate antiracism and xenophilia, the prevailing ideology has now chosen to integrate anti-Americanism and Islamophilia as its main paradigms, with Third-Worldism acting as an added bonus, of course. And it is at the highest levels of government that the tone is now set, which is an unprecedented development. Incidentally, it is the first time that a consensus has been observed between the position adopted by the governmental apparatus and the one embraced by the majority of our intellectuals. This ideological reconfiguration is highly damaging to all those who, like myself, intend to desist such a binary and Manichean mentality and simultaneously reject both Americanophilia and Islamophilia.
***
Pierre-André Taguieff provides us with a very subtle analysis of this phenomenon (in ‘The Grip of Neo-Progressivism’, Le Figaro, 02/07/2003). Pointing out the fact that neo-progressivism ‘has fervently adopted the legacy of its communist and leftist ancestors, namely Third-Worldism, anti-capitalism and anti-imperialism’, he outlines the ideological panorama upheld by the new vulgate, whose ‘new’ ideologemes are but recycled old ones, speaking of
… an absolute hatred of America (a land that is viewed as a repulsive and mythical entity which is both hyper-powerful and hyper-declining), an unconditional siding with the (ever idealised and blameless) “Palestinian resistance”, and a pronounced complacency towards Islamist terrorism.
He also tackles the denunciation of ‘Western capitalistic greed’ and offers the following analysis, aimed simultaneously at a whimsical extreme Left and a capricious extreme Right that always shadows the former: ‘The new “single mindset” is both (openly) Islamophilic and (more or less secretly) Judeophobic, with these two aspects always remaining inseparable. Is “Zionism” not “a form of racism”? Is Islam not the “religion of the poor”’? In P-A Taguieff’s eyes, this ‘subversive miserabilism’ lies ‘at the heart of the new dominant ideology’, which is divided into 4 parts or prejudicial stances: ‘the demonization of America and Israel’, which have joined forces as part of the ‘American-Zionist conspiracy’; the ‘negation or minimalization of the Islamist threat’; ‘the litanic denunciation of Islamophobia (which is overestimated whenever witnessed and invented wherever absent); and last but not least, ‘the negation and minimalization of Judeophobia’.
***
In this respect, Pierre-André Tanguieff suggests that this ideology, which, despite using Le Monde’s news columns as a means of expression, longs to be the embodiment of ‘resistance’ and ‘rebellion’, is the exact replica of the old Marxist schematic: the USA (ever associated with the ‘Zionist entity’) is equated to the conductor of the orchestra in an aggressive, imperialistic, over-exploiting and satanic neo-liberal conspiracy; by contrast, Islam and the Third World (along with the ever-present Palestinians) play the role of the exploited, virtuous and martyred proletariat.
In the extreme-Rightist version of this vulgate, Third-Worldism, anti-Americanism and Islamophilia are accompanied by an ethnopluralist rhetoric in favour of ‘the cause of peoples’ (an expression borrowed from the late Jean-Edern Hallier), whose purpose is not so much to act in defence of European identities as it is to protect those of Third World peoples, who are all necessarily threatened by the Great Satan. It is all an amusing standpoint when one considers the fact that these very same neo-Leftists look upon Islam with enamoured eyes, even though ‘the cause of peoples’, their diversity and their cultural liberties do not rank high on the Islamic concerns list, to say the least…
Final Warning
It is not because one denounces hysterical anti-Americanism that one is immediately pro-American or ‘Uncle Sam’s servant’; if one neither supports the ‘Palestinian cause’, nor militant anti-Zionism, this does not imply that one is automatically pro-Zionist; and just because one does not succumb to obsessional anti-Judaism, this does not mean that one necessarily acts at Israel’s behest.
Being a free-spirited person is becoming increasingly difficult these days, as one simply shocks everyone with their views. It is truly complicated for anyone to promote a genuine European Identitarian position in the fanaticised world that we inhabit.
In its darkest imaginable shape, binary and Manichean reasoning reigns supreme. Advocating a terzia posizione, meaning a third path, is a highly strenuous endeavour, even among those who dream of this notion and have deified it.
It is crucial, furthermore, not to misidentify our enemy. The political theatre is not one of passion, but one of reflexion; it entails an arduous effort that precedes all actions. And as for reflection itself, it must always be rooted in obse
rvations, meaning in the analysis of facts. Any ideology that is founded upon the exaltation of verbal expression and the cult of fashion, or one that submits to power pressure, has no hope of making an impact. The only valuable approach lies in the experimental method that asks: what exactly is happening? And what conclusions are to be drawn? This attitude presupposes an unperturbed sort of lucidity, in which everything that is ‘intellectual’ must be banned.
The second requirement in the face of adversity is that of responsibility, meaning the fact of wondering whether the historical ailments that have befallen us have truly been caused by others. I, for one, have both an answer and a solution. Unfortunately, this recipe is an American one and is bound to shock people: be yourself and deal with things accordingly. And for goodness’ sake, stop complaining.
It is not ‘American imperialism’ that lies at the source of Europe’s horrendous decadence, nor can the Jews, extra-terrestrials and commodification be blamed. All of these are easy targets for lazy publicists to accuse. What accounts for this decadence is, in fact, a mental disease, the crumbling of our self-defensive reflexes and self-confidence, our fatigue and inner cancer; it is the latter that simultaneously generates our demographic collapse, the deliquescence of our traditions, our devirilisation, the loss of our collective memory, and the relinquishment of our ethnic consciousness. The underlying cause behind our decadence is not exogenous in nature, but endogenous. Spengler may well have been right: civilisations do run out of breath and expire, just like the light of an oil lamp does once the oil that fuels it is depleted.
It is, incidentally, bizarre to notice that those claiming to be ‘anti-economists’ actually identify economic factors (capitalism, liberalism, etc.) as the culprits behind all these ailments. Unlike what would-be intellectuals believe, it is not ‘globalisation’, ‘commodification’ nor ‘international capitalism’ that have hastened Europe’s decline, nor even Islam and immigrational pressure themselves that can be held responsible for this development, even if it is necessary for us to resist them, of course. I say this all the more gladly as I have always condemned mercantile globalisation (in favour of a model centred around the ‘autarchy of great spaces’), in addition to denouncing Islam and colonising immigration.
These factors and symptoms are mere consequences. The cause itself is, above all else, a spiritual and cultural one. Uncle Sam and his influence have no bearing upon the European decline. The fact is that both China and India, which are subjected to the same international environment as Europe, and particularly to worldwide mercantilism, are not experiencing any waning at all; they are, instead, growing. A people that maintains its inner strength can face the worst tempests, akin to a well-constructed and well-secured ship.
***
In my view, European decadence stems from a highly specific inner viral disease, one that took centuries to make its presence felt and develop its symptoms. There are three ailments that have been weakening European peoples and undermining their immune system’s responses: individualism, universalism, and abstract charitableness (otherwise known as xenophilia). This results in the destruction of our ethnic consciousness and collective subjectivity.
The origin of this affliction can, from my point of view, be found in Christianity, namely Paul’s understanding of Christendom. The latter bears strictly no connection to Judaism, which is an ethnic religion (hence the absolute falseness of the notion of Judeo-Christianity). I have, in this regard, drawn inspiration from the views of Louis Rougier, who was both a historian and philosopher. It is not traditional Catholicism that we are talking about here, of course; the latter was a mere syncretism comprising numerous ancient pagan religions. What we are focusing on is the accelerating secularisation and ‘mundanisation’ (in the aftermath of Vatican II) that have afflicted the Christian principles of universal charity, generalised equality, individual salvation, and the oneness of the human race. To be simultaneously selfish (i.e. a frenzied consumer that lacks both ethics and progeny) and express solidarity with the rest of mankind: such is the ‘religion of human rights’ through which Europeans are committing mass suicide, in a display of utter indifference. I, personally, am of the opinion that the above-mentioned virus originates from a specific ideological drift to which Christian morality has yielded.
Incidentally, the US has begun its own descent upon this very same slope… On the other hand, Asian civilisations and Islamised peoples are not burdened with such a handicap at all. It seems to me that this fact clarifies contemporary events better than any economic essays ever could; History’s infrastructure has an ethno-cultural, alchemical aspect to it — it is an ‘unstable mixture’, as chemists like to say.
***
One must remain optimistic, just like historian and writer Dominique Venner, in whose eyes historical determinism is a sign of myopia, even in relation to demographic decline. He states:
Periods of decadence are saturated with toxic emanations. Through reversals or reactions, however, the latter have the paradoxical power to bring about salvational awakenings. […] And just because we are said to be wallowing in mud, this does not mean that history itself is motionless. Nowadays, for instance, everything points to the fact that it is indeed in motion, moving in a manner that entirely transcends the general consensus.
The European civilisation is metamorphic, capable of overcoming its terrible crises and of pursuing its own history by transforming its outer forms. Its principle is one of rebirth, and it is the Phoenix that acts as its model. Unlike the USA, it has its own destiny. The disease could thus still give birth to a healing elixir, and it is from the embers of a seemingly dying fire that a new conflagration may arise. Sol Invictus: the sun is waning and setting in the midst of a hopeless twilight; but soon enough, dawn shall break, casting the light of a new day. The simple truth is that such a metamorphosis, impacting one age after another and brought forth by Clio, the goddess of History, always presupposes a tragedy lined with hecatombs. Once Europeans have globally banished Christian charity from their souls, Septentrion shall be born in a river of blood and pain. Under the weight of the facts, the most inconceivable of outcomes is rendered possible. Fiat spes ac imperium.
Other Books Published by Arktos
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Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya
The Dharma Manifesto
Alain de Benoist
Beyond Human Rights
Carl Schmitt Today
The Indo-Europeans
Manifesto for a European Renaissance
On the Brink of the Abyss
The Problem of Democracy
View from the Right (vol. 1–3)
Arthur Moeller van den Bruck
Germany’s Third Empire
Matt Battaglioli
The Consequences of Equality
Kerry Bolton
Revolution from Above
Isac Boman
Money Power
Ricardo Duchesne
Faustian Man in a Multicultural Age
Alexander Dugin
Eurasian Mission
The Fourth Political Theory
Last War of the World-Island
Putin vs Putin
The Rise of the Fourth Political Theory
Koenraad Elst
Return of the Swastika
Julius Evola
Fascism Viewed from the Right
A Handbook for Right-Wing Youth
Metaphysics of War
Notes on the Third Reich
The Path of Cinnabar
A Traditionalist Confronts Fascism
Guillaume Faye
Archeofuturism
Archeofuturism 2.0
The Colonisation of Europe
Convergence of Catastrophes
Sex and Deviance
Understanding Islam
Why We Fight
Daniel S. Forrest
Suprahumanism
Andrew Fraser
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The WASP Question
Génération Identitaire
We are Generation Identity
Paul Gottfried
War and Democracy
Porus Homi Havewala
The Saga of the Aryan Race
Rachel Haywire
The New Reaction
Lars Holger Holm
Hiding in Broad Daylight
Homo Maximus
Incidents of Travel in Latin America
The Owls of Afrasiab
Alexander Jacob
De Naturae Natura
Jason Reza Jorjani
Prometheus and Atlas
World State of Emergency
Roderick Kaine
Smart and SeXy
Lance Kennedy
Supranational Union and New Medievalism
Peter King
Here and Now
Keeping Things Close
Ludwig Klages
The Biocentric Worldview
Cosmogonic Reflections
Pierre Krebs
Fighting for the Essence
Stephen Pax Leonard
Travels in Cultural Nihilism
Pentti Linkola
Can Life Prevail?
H. P. Lovecraft
The Conservative
Charles Maurras
The Future of the Intelligentsia & For a French Awakening
Michael O’Meara
Guillaume Faye and the Battle of Europe
New Culture, New Right
A Global Coup Page 36