On Yearning and Fascism

are you willing to put a mirror in front of a raging bull?

A not so subliminal question that encapsulates this letter: what does the bull in a China shop do when you hold up a mirror?

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I.

A fascist mind bolts towards self destruction, becoming more dangerous as it strengthens its collective connections—collective annihilation. Once you make their "truth" uncertain, they will do everything and anything to universalize their worldview. They will make it certain. Even if they despise their imagined world, they will crave it, as long as it aligns with their narrative truth.

They desire the embrace of a universal and once they feel it—they will oppress and destroy those who dare question its validity.

The fascist will yearn for their own unfreedom; they will succumb to their fascistic instincts in order to protect their unfreedom.

Why?

Freedom is the denial of the universal.

“Who and what are you talking about?”

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II.

I’m talking about the adult version of yearning for the mines.

I’m talking about how when life hands people lemons, they don't just make lemonade—they pass them along so someone else can squeeze lemon juice right into their eyeballs.

Now, I'm going to talk about Jack. I've met a Jack. In this case, I'm exaggerating Jack, but this is still, in many ways, Jack.

Jack is a former military officer who initiated a community preparedness group called "Free State." Initially, this group focused on providing practical skills like emergency preparedness, self-defense, and first aid training. Many of the members also attended the same local congregation. Jack's authoritative demeanor and practical knowledge earned him respect within the community. With growing concerns about political instability and economic hardship, Jack masterfully stoked these worries. Having been radicalized by his own perceptions of uncertain times, Jack's rhetoric in meetings became increasingly extreme.

What started as educational sessions morphed into sermons about the imminent collapse of society and the necessity for the community to band together. Jack nudged his most loyal followers to stockpile weapons and introduced group dues to funnel money into a "Free State Fund." Members were urged to sever ties with families who dismissed them as paranoid. The group, doubling down on their isolation, spent more time together, sharing their narrative fears while desiring a leader with a plan and some answers.

Jack validated their fears and offered not solutions but coping mechanisms for when their anxieties turned into reality. This reality was narrative-based, compelling them to embrace groupthink as a means to prepare for the fall of civilization.

As their isolation continued to deepen, so did their loyalty, evolving into a desire to be absolved of their fear—not absolved of the story that became the foundation of their fear. Instead, they validated the fear of the story and became the story. They desired to protect this story from information and narratives that went against the idea of the coming fall of civilization. They yearned for their unfreedom.

This narrative needed a leader. The created structure desired a universal figure to be the commander of the story—to be the commander of truth. Jack epitomized how ideologies consolidate around a singular, authoritative leader, mirroring a broader societal trend towards hierarchical and centralized power structures behind cults of personality.

"What are Jack's political positions?"

You know the answer to that. Let's not ask silly questions.

Jack projected an aura of authority while harboring an ideology steeped in fear, uncertainty, and disillusionment. His persona became the catalyst that drew people into his fear, persuading them to share in it. As he solidified his role as the authority figure, he also became the embodiment of the group members' fears. If this symbol were to fall, if his persona were revealed as a lie, what would become of the followers and their fears? The symbol that Jack became served as their comfort, their answer, their hope.

And they became fanatical in defending their protector, even if it's that very symbol and what it represents that lies at the root of their issues.

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III.

“Fascist power is characterized by a foundation that is both religious and military, in which these two habitually distinct elements cannot be separated: it thus presents itself from the outset as an accomplished concentration.” — Georges Bataille

And it’s the fascist mind that wishes to embody the personality of their perceived ideal state (even when that state has been foreclosed!). The result becomes a rigid, hierarchical, and often violent defense of an imagined ideal that can never truly be questioned or dismantled, because doing so would mean witnessing the very real, very painful truths that lie at the center of its many connections—a singularity beyond your own ego ideal, and beyond the ego ideal is the very real state of an evolving perpetual state of uncertainty.

Stay curious.