Sunday, March 20, 2011

Politically Incorrect Thesis

Some cultures deserve to be destroyed. Assyrians, Aztecs, communists. You get the picture.

Our own modern culture should be at the top of the list as well.

Why does this notion create such a sense of revulsion to those to whom it is presented?

4 comments:

Atticus said...

Fraternal Correction

I saw this comment last night when I stopped by and didn't know what to make of it. When we view a culture in retrospect, we can indulge in the proper post-mortem. But until then, why would we want to visit doom on our own home, as messy as it might be? Until it all falls down around us, we owe it the good fight St. Paul speaks of.

Here's a way of looking at it that helps me. We are, to paraphrase King Lear, like God's spies, on a mission behind enemy lines. The world is occupied territory and we are warriors in the just cause. But it is necessary that among our weapons be charity, even joy.

I suppose this is why GK Chesterton is such a favorite of mine.

Throwback said...

True, but it's here that I think your prior quoting of Tolkien comes into play.

Despair is not an option. I merely present the possibility that our own enlightened times are not so much better than our forerunners at whom we often point and jeer.

Turgonian said...

What do you mean by "destroy"? Is it something like "transform"? That doesn't sound like what happened to the Assyrians (except for that moment when Jonah stopped by) and the Aztecs.

Throwback said...

By destroyed, I mean removed from existence. Militarism and conquest was a big part of Assyrian culture and featured things like large piles of heads. Aztec culture was largely formed by their religion, which was about lots and lots of hearts being cut out on a daily basis.

We don't have these things anymore. Our own culture, which enables the murder of children and exalts everything that is ugly, probably belongs in the same dustbin.