We are becoming a nation of barbarians
Making heroes of barbarians, on Netflix
I have previous railed against the decline in the use of language in the United States. Not only do Americans now routinely use obscenities in normal language, they have been meekly acquiescing to the demands of the radical and somewhat insane queer movement to accept its weasel words in order to hide what it really is.
The recent viral and passionate endorsement by conservatives of all stripes to a new song and the performance by a new country singer, Oliver Anthony, illustrates how this decline to barbarism is accelerating. The focus of Anthony’s song is the cruel destruction of the American way of life by the power-brokers in Washington, and how those power brokers are making life so difficult for ordinary people.
What makes Anthony’s song indicative however of society’s increasing barbarous trend is his language. Right from the start he nonchalantly uses obscenities that would have once been considered unacceptable by everyone, and until recently utterly unacceptable among our more conservative population.
Yet now, even conservatives see nothing wrong with Anthony’s use of obscenities. Apparently, it is now okay for everyone to spew curse words everywhere, in public, in songs, for all to hear, from children to adults. Anthony’s message condemning the tyranny coming from Washington is too important to ignore. It must be touted widely, no matter how obscenely he couches his statement.
In other words, now even conservatives don’t care if our culture is debased and damaged. It doesn’t matter if we teach young children that they can act like barbarians, cursing and expressing wild emotions without thinking. It is policy and political power that matters, not doing right and behaving properly.
For though curses and obscenities have their place and proper time, in a civilization of rational civil adults one does not encourage their use. Instead, one limits their use to very rare exceptions, and even then if you are a mature thinking person you try to avoid their use entirely. By doing so you force yourself to reaction thoughtfully to difficult situations, rather than emotionally and irrationally.
I discovered the benefits of outlawing obscenities when I banned them in the comment section of this webpage in 2017. Very soon, the quality of the comments on the webpage improved. As I have noted repeatedly, curse words provide an easy brainless way to express emotion. They act to disconnect the person from his or her brain, allowing him or her to avoid thinking at all.
If you are forced instead to come up with rational reasons explaining why you disagree with something or someone, rather simply cursing, you with astonishing speed become a more rational and thinking person. You become civilized! The result has been that the comments section of Behind the Black often contains some of the most cogent analysis you can read anywhere. Issues are debated thoughtfully. In many ways it epitomizes what a civilization should be like. And this occurred despite the numerous protests by many commenters (who apparently liked the idea of debasing themselves by cursing).
Isn’t that amazing?
Unfortunately, places where such similar civilized behavior is demanded exist less and less, lost in the mists of time. Now the goal — even on some of the most respected and conservative websites — is to scream loudly and in angered outrage, vomiting up obscenities continuously. Rather than write intelligently, people are encouraged to shout and shriek.
Because emotion has now become the sole standard of political debate, that debate has further descended into mob action, with gangs of protesters sent routinely to picket people’s homes and businesses. And though this protest movement was started by the left in the 1960s and made worse by it over the decades, the right has now adopted it also as its tactic for debate. You don’t discuss things, you gather a crowd to chant slogans at others who have also gathered a crowd to chant slogans back at you.
Meanwhile, the culture of art and literature is now rife with similar debasement. When was the last time you saw a new movie or read a new book that made any effort to avoid foul language or gratuitous violence or sex? You haven’t. Almost everyone in the artistic fields instead believes it is essential they pepper their work with smut, as if that somehow makes it more profound and “edgy.”
What it really does is make it more barbaric.
In 2018 I wrote an essay entitled “The utter childishness of modern intellectual discourse,” where I described the general bankruptcy of the modern press, on both sides of the political aisle. To conclude that essay as well as illustrate that bankruptcy, I posted the following short video of two toddlers arguing. I think it is worthwhile watching again.
As I wrote then,
In essence, the debating tactics of these two toddlers is no better than that of our modern press. Moreover, the boy’s use of a mild obscenity to make his argument mirrors exactly the shift to crude language we now see almost everywhere in today’s culture. Rather than make smart arguments, people go on Twitter and curse at their opponents. Or they simply curse nonchalantly, because that makes them feel good, even if it is makes it harder for them to think coolly and with depth.
Sadly, this behavior now dominates all of society, not just the media and our bankrupt artistic culture. Very few people want to behave like adults. Instead, people seem to want to celebrate bad behavior, in all ways. And Oliver Anthony’s obscenity-riddled song and the enthusiastic endorsement of it by the right illustrates this.
The barbarians are here, because we have decided we want to become like them.
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“A dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than is a riot.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Friday
He was right.
Not cursing is sooo white, sooo colonial, sooo Judeo / Christian, sooo oppressive, sooo yes mam, no mam.
And so there must be cursing in all forms of communication in order that those forced rules of civilization and proper etiquette, behavior and intelligent manner of communicating is reconciled, and “equity”, “social justice” and “fairness” can reign.
It’s not the obscenities. Focusing on the four-letters misses the point. The far bigger issue is the avalanche of public defamation poured upon anyone who disagrees with the “consensus” or “narrative”. It used to be that there were social constraints on defamation, where those who engaged in it might actually see pushback or more significant consequences. Now it’s not merely celebrated, it’s seen as a virtue by the loudest and most dysfunctional in our culture (I may be repeating myself). The bitterness and ill will that is stoked and builds with every cycle won’t go away even if the most sincere and abject apologies were offered by the worst offenders – which is absurdly unlikely. That which cannot go on forever… won’t.
I was taught and trained to never say anything in print, voice, or any other communication that I didn’t want opposing counsel repeating back to me in open court. I still try to live by this, but it’s so out of step with the prevailing culture that it’s been misconstrued as “cowardice”. And I don’t have an answer for a culture that rewards the very worst, but I sure don’t like where it’s going. But the profanity is nearly the least of the problems.
Richard C. Moeur: I think you miss my point. I reference obscenities as merely a signal illustrating the overall corruption of our culture, not as the only bit of corruption that exists. Everything you add simply underlines my point.
Note the image I open the essay with. This a screen capture from the trailer for a Netflix series that celebrates the barbarians that sacked and pillaged Rome. They are made the heroes, and the Romans and its much more civilized culture are the bad guys. Netflix and this series demands we honor illiterate savages with tattoos who like to kill and rape, not the law-givers who made Europe a stable civilization for more than five hundred years.
Sound familiar?
Lorde
“Glory and Gore”
https://youtu.be/m4e8Dk2TRag
3:33
I always preferred instrumentals anyway.
David Niven dismantled a streamer behind him beautifully as only he could.
A remote two burner gas stove.
Large pots of cool water on each burner.
Multiple Toads in each pot.
Smiling and lounging as Toads do.
Awake Sleepers, who then turned the burners on to a slow simmer ?
Pogo knows.
You are absolutely right. I think it was Jerry Seinfeld who said the F word is a crutch. It’s a cop-out and a lazy way for someone lacking communication skills to express something, or to get a reaction (laugh) without doing any heavy lifting.
I view the song ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ as poetic expression. It touches many chords in America’s wounded Soul. Here are two lines (among many) that stood out for me:
“I wish politicians would look out for miners
And not just minors on an island somewhere”
In reaction to Epstein Island to the massive child trafficking happening at our borders, I want more swearing at the Elites & leaders in our Society who have driven our ship of State aground.
In the Northeast US, my experience is that many parents have silently revolted against the Catholic Church & have totally withdrawn their support. My Diocese has gone financially bankrupt – but it has been morally bankrupt for a long time with the protection & cover up of the rape of children by priests.
I recommend to Readers of BtB the movie ‘Sound of Freedom’ – the incredible true story of a former government agent turned vigilante who embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue hundreds of children from sex traffickers.
Good luck not swearing after you’ve watched that movie.
In my opinion, We already live in a Barbaric Culture.
I think the point Mr. Zimmerman is making is about the rush to embrace the song as an anthem for today by conservatives who often rightly condemn the wonton foul language that now so permeates music, movies and TV. I’d love to see Mr. Anthony rewrite the lyrics and announce that he will now only sing the new version, so as to lessen the addition of crassness and trashiness in the culture. By the way, the podcast Red Pilled America has done a thorough expose’ on the man behind the movie Sound of Freedom. Child trafficking is horrific and must be destroyed, but the movie is hardly based on a true story. They should at least have stated at the beginning of the film that it was ” inspired by a true story ” The topic is too important to play fast and loose with.
LOTS OF POLITICAL WARRIORS, LOTS OF POLITICAL WARFARE
The Democrat party machine has their radical, obedient, different kind of American, loyal soldiers and political zealot warriors. One more radical, obedient and loyal to the cause then the other, there is a theme here. Scroll down and see some of them.
And who paid for / contributed to and installed most all of them in office? And what is their apparent collective goal? Political revolution through Lawfare.
Lawfare: The use of legal action to cause problems for an opponent.
I include this short TikTok video by Matt Kim, from Fulton County GA, that IMO simply lays out what is what related to ALL of these raw political strategy driven indictments. Loyal to another America the radical Left political warriors are all focused on “Fundamentally Changing” America.
https://rumble.com/v37zhh3-matt-kim-responding-to-the-georgia-fulton-county-trump-indictment-as-a-loca.html 3:29
Crush, kill, destroy all previous established objective Constitutional law and justice in a desperate push to stop out their most threatening political opponent. And in the pursuit of some significant way shape or form to reshape America in a more “Fair” and “Equitable”, “Progressive” manner. There is a theme here. Throw out the historical “old” and “out of date”, colonial, Judeo / Christian, “oppressive” America and replace it with the “more better” subjective Socialist “new” America.
And they are using their politically empowered positions within government in order to accomplish their agenda. They are choosing to short circuit the process by force and install their flavor of law and justice. Using the system against itself in the short term. This is called an abuse of power and a perversion of your sworn fiduciary responsibilities. This IMO is evil.
Make of that what you will, it’s all ultimately up to you in the long term and in the end. What will you do?
And the Republican party have their soldiers, zealots and political warriors, possibly not as radical and devoted to their cause and their party. But you fight the war with the weapons and soldiers you have. We wait.
How do we fight political warfare in America? Lawyers, Courts and Money!
Paying attention yet America? JGL 8/15/23
https://www.sigma3ioc.com/post/lots-of-political-warrior-s-lots-of-political-warfare
They are made the heroes, and the Romans and its much more civilized culture are the bad guys.
Rome at the time of the barbarians’ arrival was not the noble Republic, and had not been for centuries.
A lot of rot can develop under the veneer of a “civilized culture” … up to and including the transfer of power via assassination, and the societal rot that greased the skids for the barbarians to push a stable civilization into the Dark Ages.
Makes me wish that both the optimates and the barbarians had lost … much as I do Putin and the globalists who currently “oppose” him. (OTOH, I want the people of Ukraine to win and restore their full sovereignty.)
But to borrow your phrasing, Robert … sound familiar?
In our “civilized culture”, we rightly decry racism when it shows up in white sheets, but ignore it when it shows up in royal/academic robes of self-righteous, condescending arrogance that pigeonholes people as “oppressed” and “privileged” on the basis of skin color.
We oppose theocracy and Constitutionally protect against it co-opting our public institutions … except for the Church of Woke and its Climate Change Cult subsidiary, who get to promote their BELIEFS in our public institutions, in the service of the god in their mirror.
And do I have to mention the double-standardized marsupial justice that is currently hopping across the land?
We let all that slide, for much the same reason we rightly reject obscenity … in our social technocracy, we are conditioned from our first day in school that the highest calling of the individual is to be “nice”, “cooperative” and SUBMISSIVE to the “majority will” as expressed by our allegedly-elected leaders.
We put all that, over respect for not only life and liberty, but that of our neighbors.
I think the key question is … how do we find the balance between exercising the righteous anger that respects those rights, and simply wanting to burn our opponents down?
I think that we lost something, when the TV no longer showed the animated Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog going hammer-and-tongs at each other once the morning whistle blew … then treating each other with civility after the evening whistle. While we need to forcefully interdict the rotten “on the clock”, we need to remember they have the same individual rights as we do “off the clock” and respect them,
All that being said, here on Long Island (but not born here), I do get rather appalled at the way obscenities are flung around like manure from the spreader. But as you noted, there comes a time when you are compelled to call the Powers that Be “whitewashed tombs full of dead men’s bones.”
An interesting related historical aspect to how in the acquisition of power and coming to abuse it abusing it may come back to destroy you:
Got urine?
https://youtu.be/AhO8Yi9BVIA
I see a lot of similarity in the Democrat party machines efforts to create their “different ” America.
Well, since we reached that point… https://youtu.be/TXK03FHVsHk
TGeorge: I think you prove my point, as do many of the commenters to this essay, who seem to prefer to either act like barbarians, or eagerly encourage that behavior (as it seems you do), then actually consider the option of being a civilized adult.
Finally, a song written and dedicated to the accomplishments of the last 50 years and the now radical Left, Globalist, Socialist Democrat party machine and the go along to get along weak anti-American RINO Republican political power and influence party.
https://youtu.be/sqSA-SY5Hro
A simple man and a simple song says it all.
Well done.