Declinism and the New Pessimism: A Manifesto
We are a nation in decline. Although there is no single way of explaining this phenomenon, no one theory or cause at its origin, the unavoidable fact remains nonetheless: the West is gradually slipping into oblivion and withering away. How we see this process, its causes and effects, is as diverse as the many facets of our culture itself, but we cannot deny that the fabric of the western world is rapidly unraveling and the self-evident truth that our collective narrative has reached its third act is incontrovertible.
This blog, unlike other pronouncements of decline, will not seek to theorize our unmistakable demise with a single brushstroke or an overarching theory, but instead will be devoted to collecting the micro-details of this process by revealing how the rhetoric of decline has become intertwined with our everyday experience and inscribed in our artifacts. Our project is to bear witness to the dawning of the epoch of decline, which has begun to quietly unfold and gradually erode our way of life. So we will not attempt to theorize, along with those great classics of the end (Petrarch, Marx, Nietzsche, Spengler, Buchannon, Hitchens), a blanket explanation of this process or the unifying spirit of the times, but simply note individual instances of decline as they arise and influence our daily lives. It is our hope that through a project of intense cultural scrutiny we can achieve a better understanding of the dynamics of decline, which will ultimately help us fully appreciate the process as it unfolds. Like the intersecting spokes of a wheel, we will constantly interpret the convergence of culture, history, politics, technology, fashion, religion, art, and science with an eye to toward revealing the declinist center around which they all turn. We are here engaged in a project of anticipatory archeology--preparing, collecting, and arranging artifacts for future discovery--which will be, for the post-declinist masses, invaluable indices of deterioration and retrogradation, clear evidence of our own historical moment after the work of decline has come to a close. Furthermore, we are committed to reversing the pattern of deep denial or “bulkheads” (more on this later) held by so many of our family, friends, and community members. We seek to replace that denial by embracing entropy and building a community of pessimism, a new pessimism open to the naked truth of our moribund and degenerate lifestyle and culture. That is to say, finally, that ours is a project of ethics. We are here to dutifully uphold and deliver the fundamental principle upon which this blog is based:
Pessimism is the last authentic virtue left in the world.
This blog, unlike other pronouncements of decline, will not seek to theorize our unmistakable demise with a single brushstroke or an overarching theory, but instead will be devoted to collecting the micro-details of this process by revealing how the rhetoric of decline has become intertwined with our everyday experience and inscribed in our artifacts. Our project is to bear witness to the dawning of the epoch of decline, which has begun to quietly unfold and gradually erode our way of life. So we will not attempt to theorize, along with those great classics of the end (Petrarch, Marx, Nietzsche, Spengler, Buchannon, Hitchens), a blanket explanation of this process or the unifying spirit of the times, but simply note individual instances of decline as they arise and influence our daily lives. It is our hope that through a project of intense cultural scrutiny we can achieve a better understanding of the dynamics of decline, which will ultimately help us fully appreciate the process as it unfolds. Like the intersecting spokes of a wheel, we will constantly interpret the convergence of culture, history, politics, technology, fashion, religion, art, and science with an eye to toward revealing the declinist center around which they all turn. We are here engaged in a project of anticipatory archeology--preparing, collecting, and arranging artifacts for future discovery--which will be, for the post-declinist masses, invaluable indices of deterioration and retrogradation, clear evidence of our own historical moment after the work of decline has come to a close. Furthermore, we are committed to reversing the pattern of deep denial or “bulkheads” (more on this later) held by so many of our family, friends, and community members. We seek to replace that denial by embracing entropy and building a community of pessimism, a new pessimism open to the naked truth of our moribund and degenerate lifestyle and culture. That is to say, finally, that ours is a project of ethics. We are here to dutifully uphold and deliver the fundamental principle upon which this blog is based:
Pessimism is the last authentic virtue left in the world.
posted by The Declinist at 1:05 AM
4 Comments:
Thank you for beginning this noble enterprise.
Pessimism is the new optimism, just the Bronx is the new Brooklyn, and that box on Bush's back is the new Abu Ghraib.
No doubt, along the way, you will have critics - men not brave enough to be free, nor honest or optimistic enough about the truth to bear witness to all that there is to be pessimistic about.
If that sound contradictory, that only because a declining culture has touble understanding contradiction, ambiguity, paradox, and irony.
No doubt, the Irish Monks, who catalogues and preserved the treasures of Ancient Civilization, as Europe entered the Dark Ages were sneered at by the marketing gurus political spin masters that stunk up the then feudal society.
As Bush and Cheney accelerate our apocalyptic rush into a Neo - Feudal period, I am sure the contempory spin slobs, marketing jackels, and corporate PR mavens , will look down on your project.
Yet, like demented pied pipers leading kids off a cliff, they cannot help themselves. They are who they are. They are in decline. As the kids fall, they will fall too.
All we can do is offer alms, pity, tears, and a place to write it all down.
An authentic decline detail:
August 2002 "Standards of Conduct for Interrogation under 18 U.S.C. 2340-2340A,"
This is the so-called "Torture Memo" written by then White House Counsel, Alberto Gonzales.
He asserts, in contravention to a treaty ratified by the United States Senate, that the President can ignore this treaty (despite the Constitution) and allow forms of torture.
Thus, the President is no longer bound to act as the head of a Republic, but has Tyrant powers.
Thus, making it an official practice to ignore the customary laws of war, and the norms of civilization.
Why? Because after 9-11, evidentally the world changed.
Indeed, it has declined.
Can you say decline?:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/reed/reed49.html
I really had High Hopes for this blog, but it just faded away................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
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