It is always winter here: frost and grey wind and wool scratching the skin and, sometimes, starlight. Dried leaves come unstuck from concrete where the snow left them, gasping shapes waiting to speak of death on Ash Wednesday. His eyes are iceberg blue, and he moves like a wounded animal, still and then sudden, without sound, except shuddering breaths in the crook of my arm. A mute kiss on the head, and he grips more tightly. I cannot comfort him;... Read more
Earlier posts: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fascism, Good Country Volk, Infiltration. Caution: this post contains examples of violent racist rhetoric and imagery. I’ve been saying fascist ideology is incompatible with Catholicism for a while now. However, I’ve only given a basic sketch of fascist ideology so far. It may not be clear to the casual reader why fascism can’t be combined with Catholicism, in the way that political philosophies like monarchism or democracy apparently can. So let’s get into... Read more
Earlier assignments in this course: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fascism, Good Country Volk There are a few traits that fascism and Catholicism share (or seem to share) that can make Catholics easy prey to fascist propaganda. These vary a little, depending on the time and place the fascists are operating in. Here are six key ones. 1. Heritage Both Catholicism and fascism lay great emphasis upon what we have inherited from the past. Catholics believe in a sacred tradition... Read more
January 22nd is normally the date of the March for Life, the largest national demonstration against abortion. I quit going several years ago—if I wanted to sit through hours of political posturing to people who already agree with me … you know what, no, I can’t even imagine wanting that. (The march itself isn’t so bad, but the preamble is insufferable.) It was called off this year due to Covid. I’m glad they took the precaution. I imagine it’ll be... Read more
Earlier sections in this course1: I Can’t Believe It’s Not Fascism We’ve touched on some typical misconceptions about fascism. What do fascists believe? There are a few different strands in fascism, some of which conflict with each other. So I’ll stick to the most basic ideas, plus a few less-than-universal but still common motifs, to give you the shape of it. We’ll be coming back to each of these points in more detail later on. I. The People The Othala rune,... Read more
Please note that this post contains images of hate symbols. In order to understand why antifascism is important for Catholics, we first need to understand what fascism is. The ground I’m about to cover has been discussed by other people before me, notably in Philosophy Tube’s videos on antifascism, Steve Bannon, and anti-Semitism, if you’re one more for edgy video essays than nerdy written ones. Demonstrators at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, VA, August 2017 (source). Fascism is... Read more
You’re Fired! Jokes Are Still Funny, Right? Donald Trump has finally given a weird probably-concession speech, and, more importantly, Twitter finally banned him. If all goes as expected, why the hell would you think things are going to go as expected, what drugs are you on, and may I have some? As I sit writing this, there are still about eleven days—277 hours—left in Trump’s presidency, assuming he is not removed (whether by impeachment or via the Twenty-Fifth Amendment). That’s... Read more
Vice President Mike Pence and the members of Congress have been evacuated from the Capitol. A vast number of pro-Trump protesters forced their way into the building, screaming that he, not Biden, won the election. Capitol police were unable or perhaps unwilling to restrain them. (I say “perhaps unwilling” because this situation, unlike a Black Lives Matter protest or the President’s photo-op outside St. John’s last summer, apparently didn’t merit tear gas or rubber bullets.) This is a travesty. This... Read more
AHAB (All Homilies Are Bad) As many of my readers know, I’m a convert to Catholicism. (It’ll be thirteen years as of March 22nd.) And if there is anything not to convert for, it’s preaching. Most Catholic homilies are bad—that’s just kinda the way it is. Well, maybe bad is too simple a word. They aren’t usually heretical in my experience, and while their advice usually isn’t all that helpful, I don’t often hear downright toxic stuff from the pulpit... Read more
Well that was a load of crap. My family have stayed healthy, so I’m grateful for that. I even got a book out back in January—The Seventh Trumpet, a short story collection in the post-apocalyptic magical realist genre. Check it out! I normally do a review of my top ten whatevers of the year on New Year’s Eve, and this year is no exception. It wasn’t a strong year for the arts, naturally enough, but some creators coped exceptionally well.... Read more
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