May 12, 2004
Strung along
Testing acumen..testing acumen... Not great, and I can't figure out how to edit this so that the concepts flow. I'm publishing anyway.
I am experiencing sadistic rage. I have been drawn into that energy by our administration. I am sorry to add my vitriol to the world cup of sadism which already overfloweth. Of course, The Group that Runs George W. (actually, I think W. has joined them recently, and is participating more actively) has stimulated me, by providing multiple occasions upon which I to want to squash their arrogant pusses into rotten pumpkins and ..., oops,...
Unlike anger, the perpetrator of sadistic rage wants its object to experience the same thing, or worse, than he or she is experiencing, or had experienced. This can be conscious or unconscious (like the sexually abusing priest who had been raped as a child by other priests, and may or may not remember). In that vein, I would like to see The Group publically humiliated, before they are run out of office for criminal behaviors.
I think George W. is the only president we have ever had (notice I didn't say elected) who wasn't the family favorite. Most presidents are the apples of their parents' eyes, given their ability to achieve. Not our W. He is the Billy Carter , the Roger Clinton , of his family, but, with the combined help of the fundamentalists and the interests of big business, he made it to a position of authority. Oops.
It's a little heady for a guy who has always been the black sheep of his family to be given a great deal of power.
But I digress. Where does the line get drawn between setting firm limits and protecting boundaries with "righteous anger" versus active sadism ? Good question.
The invasion of Iraq was not an act of protecting boundaries, even though the Weapons of Mass Destruction Line was meant to justify our agressive greedy behavior. We behaved like bullies. We bullied Iraq. We also bulliied our allies and the United Nations when they attempted to intervene in our "plans"
Since our greedy, territorial invasion was not welcomed as a liberation, and resisted, there is now the rage of the arrogant narcissist to deal with. It is only reflected by the behavior of our troops and their treatment of Iraqi prisoners. These are not just six "bad" soldiers. The soldiers in the photos are the manifestations of the intentions of this administration. The heirarchy is angry about the resistance they are encountering, and they were sanctioning sadistic behavior .... before they were exposed, that is.
It is a tenet of systems theory that every aspect of a system is inherently connected to all other parts. For example, when a child is acting out in a family system, he or she is often reflecting disturbances in the parental unit, or even in past generations. Systemically speaking, I think what we are seeing in these photos from Iraq is the amount of sadistic energy that is pervasive in this effort, and, it has been generated from the top down.
Nelson Mandala was acutely aware of the effects of sadistic behavior on its victims. He calls it succumbing to "the disease of violence". (That was his sad comment when his ex-wife, Winnie, was arrested for murder). In order to prevent the victims of apartheid from becoming perpetrators in their rage at what had been done to them, Mandala set up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which held tribunals . In a tribunal, an apology with full disclosure and awareness of the atrocities that were committed, was required from perpetrators, sitting face to face with their victims. Mandala hoped that this would produce some healing in South Africa, allowing the victims of apartheid to reach a state of forgiveness, thus preventing bloody retributions. There is some question about the ulltimate success of this process. It does however reflect thoughtful leadership.
I am not ready to give up my wish for retribution. Of course, there have been no apologies. I eagerly await the exposure and demise of The Group that Runs George W. I just hope they get caught before I succumb entirely to my sadistic impulses, or they to theirs.
Addendum: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" , in it's day, was an enlightened idea. It replaced, in those that chose to practice it, "Anyone who messes with my tribe, will get back what they gave five or ten times over". There's no time like the present for another philosophical update .
Photo note: This the equipment of a lobsterman in winter storage - quite aesthetically arranged, I might add. Or you could see it as the heads of The Group that Runs George W. strung up. It's just a photo after all.
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