/CONT/   #

"READY-MADE TERRAIN" FOR THE RISE OF A NEW HITLER

The question that now fairly begs to be asked is, Is such a 
phenomenon beginning to reveal itself again in the snarled course 
of events following the calamity of September 11, 2001? - a course 
of events that possesses the power and vigor to generate a new 
Napoleon or a new Hitler. Have we reached one of those points in 
the so-called "historical process" that could lend itself to such 
an outcome?  

Well-known academician Ian Kershaw says that - at least in the 
modern world - there are three elements necessary for the 
emergence of a new messiah-king: (1) the existence of an actual 
person around which a "messiah myth" can be built; (2) a 
propaganda machine or "PR" mechanism capable of generating the 
"mythos" which must accompany any new messiah-king; and 
most importantly, (3) a willing population ready to accept the new 
messiah. In this connection, one must bear in mind that, according 
to Kershaw, messianic leadership is as much the product of the 
people over which it takes hold as it is of the internal charisma 
of the man who ultimately comes to hold messianic power; that there 
must exist a symbiosis between the two (i.e., between leader and 
follower) so that - in the end - the one cannot exist without the 
other. And perhaps even more than that - THAT IT IS THE PEOPLE 
(i.e., the "messiah-king's" followers) THAT PRODUCE THE HITLERS 
OF THIS WORLD RATHER THAN THE OTHER WAY AROUND; that ultimately, 
people get what they deserve (and want) insofar as the Adolf Hitlers 
of this earth are concerned; that the people are far more responsible 
for producing the Hitlers of this world, than the Hitlers are of 
producing themselves.   

The Image of the Beast
(Part II)

Finally, Kershaw says that there must also exist on a general 
basis a kind of "READY-MADE TERRAIN of pre- existing beliefs, 
prejudices, and phobias" which, when taken together, can provide 
the societal foundation necessary for the emergence of the new 
"messiah-king." [Please see Ian Kershaw, The Hitler Myth; 
Kershaw is a professor of history at the University of Nottingham 
in England; please also see J.P. Stern (Hitler, the Fuhrer and the 
People) and R. Semmler (Goebbels: The Man Next To Hitler).]  

WE ARE A SOCIETY MUCH MORE PREDISPOSED TOWARDS MESSIANISM 
THAN WE CARE TO ADMIT

What we propose to show in this article is THAT ALL THREE OF 
THOSE ELEMENTS NECESSARY TO THE RISE OF A NEW "MESSIAH-KING" 
ARE NOW IN PLACE IN TODAY'S AMERICAN SOCIETY [i.e., (1) the 
existence of an actual person around which a "messiah myth" 
can be built; (2) a propaganda machine or "PR" mechanism capable 
of generating the "mythos" which must accompany any new 
"messiah-king;" and most importantly, (3) a willing population 
ready to accept the new messiah.]. 

IN ADDITION, THERE ALSO EXISTS A "READY-MADE TERRAIN OF PRE-EXISTING 
BELIEFS, PREJUDICES, AND PHOBIAS" WHICH, WHEN TAKEN TOGETHER, PROVIDE 
THE SOCIETAL FOUNDATION NECESSARY FOR THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW 
HITLER-FIGURE.   

ACCORDINGLY, WE WILL SHOW THAT THERE IS (JUST AS KERSHAW PREDICTED 
THERE WOULD BE) A PATHOLOGY ALREADY AFOOT THAT IS LEADING INEXORABLY 
TO THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW HITLER-FIGURE, ONLY THIS TIME IT WILL BE 
A HITLER NOT JUST WITH A EUROPEAN REACH, BUT ONE WITH A WORLD-WIDE 
REACH, AND THERE WILL BE NO ONE ABLE TO STOP HIM. 
[And please take note of the fact that in demonstrating all this, 
there will be no need for us to resort to "hidden knowledge" or 
"secret information" available only to us and to no one else. 
The material we will use to demonstrate this point is freely 
available in the public sphere. Believe me, brothers and sisters, 
we are a lot further down the road to the "end of the age" than 
most of us care to admit; and if we don't see it, it's because 
we choose not to see it.]  

FINALLY, AND MOST SHOCKINGLY, WE WILL EXPOSE THE CONNECTION OF 
THE PROMISE KEEPERS MEN'S MOVEMENT IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS 
COMING "MESSIAH-KING" - A CONNECTION THAT WE DID NOT MAKE, 
BUT ONE WHICH A WELL-KNOWN SECULAR AUTHOR, GAIL SHEEHY, 
MADE. It seems that, once again -  

"... the children of this world are in their generation wiser 
than the children of light." (Luke 16:8)

CHAPTER II

ANTI-DEMOCRATIC FORCES IN AMERICAN SOCIETY

We begin our article by examining whether or not there exists in 
this country a "READY-MADE TERRAIN of pre- existing beliefs, 
prejudices, and phobias" capable of nourishing the growth of a 
"Fuhrer Myth;" and - more to the point - where in our society will 
we find this "READY-MADE TERRAIN of pre-existing beliefs, 
prejudices, and phobias" that would be conducive to the 
emergence of an Antichrist-like figure?  

One thing is for sure, this "terrain" would of necessity have to 
lend itself in a very fundamental way to the nourishment of ANTI-
DEMOCRATIC (or "absolutist") belief systems if only because the 
Antichrist will not be a person very much given to the habits of 
democracy - and, if that's the case, those who will form his core 
constituency will likewise not be particularly enamored or given 
to these habits either.  

Where, then, in our society is absolutism (i.e., political or 
religious systems that are ANTI-DEMOCRATIC in nature) still practiced? 
Where does it still hold sway? Some people, of course, would say, 
"NOWHERE! We are a democracy, and the institutions that prevail 
in our country are democratic institutions." But, sadly, that's not 
really so anymore. The truth is, there's not much democracy left in 
this country beyond the surface symbolism that still exists, a fact 
that induced Michael Parenti to comment that one -  

"... might better think of ours as a dual political system. First, 
there is the symbolic political system centered around electoral and 
representative activities including party conflicts, voter turnout, 
political personalities, public pronouncements, official role-playing 
and certain ambiguous presentations of some of the public issues 
which bestir presidents, governors, mayors and their respective 
legislatures. Then there is the substantive political system, 
involving multi-billion dollar contracts, tax write-offs, protections, 
rebates, grants, loss compensations, subsidies, leases, giveaways 
and the whole vast process of budgeting, legislating, advising, 
regulating, protecting and servicing major producer interests - now 
bending or ignoring the law on behalf of the powerful, now applying 
it with full punitive vigor against heretics and 'troublemakers'. 
The symbolic system is highly visible, taught in schools, discussed 
by academicians, gossiped about by newsmen. The substantive system 
is seldom heard of or accounted for."  

Still, as Parenti acknowledges, there remains - at least on a 
POLITICAL level - the requirement of rendering a certain amount 
of "lip service" to the concepts of democracy, and it would be very 
difficult indeed for anyone to ignore this necessity - i.e., the 
imperative for political figures to make an open show of devotion 
to these concepts - without being immediately "run over" by the 
masses.  

BUT THERE ARE OTHER AREAS IN OUR CULTURE WHERE SUCH AN OPEN SHOW 
OF ARDOR IS NOT NECESSARY; INDEED, PLACES WHERE SUCH A PRETENSE 
OF DEVOTION TO THE CONCEPTS OF DEMOCRACY WOULD BE ENTIRELY 
OUT OF PLACE AND EVEN INAPPROPRIATE. TWO PARTICULAR AREAS 
SPRING IMMEDIATELY TO MIND: (1) BUSINESS AND (2) RELIGION.  

Both of these areas (i.e., the world of religion, and the world of 
commerce) are extremely important because - as we will soon 
discover - it is out of the business world that we will find the 
"PR" or propaganda mechanisms necessary to the sustenance of the 
kind of mythos necessary to a messiah-cult, and it is out of the 
world of religion that we will discover a population "willing" to 
embrace the coming messiah-like figure - i.e., the Antichrist. And 
if that's the case, then we have discovered two of the three elements 
Kershaw, Stern, and Semmler say are necessary for the emergence 
of a new Hitler: (1) the propaganda mechanism, and (2) the "willing 
population."  

BUSINESS CONTROL OF THE MEDIA; AND, IPSO FACTO, PROPAGANDA 
IN THIS COUNTRY  

Some might be surprised by our contention that it is in the 
business world that we will discover the "propaganda mechanism" 
necessary for the sustenance of a new Hitler mythology. Wouldn't 
it be more proper for us to be looking at the media? - that the 
two (i.e., the media and the business community) are not necessarily 
the same. Well, fifty years ago, that may have been true.  

At that time it probably could NOT be said that the business 
community controlled the press (or the media) - and for that 
reason, the media acted as a genuine bulwark against the 
emergence of a Hitler-like figure. While the business community 
certainly controlled more than its fair share of the media at that 
time, there still was a robust labor and anti-corporate press in 
the country. Not any more; not after the Vietnam War - when the 
elites lost control of the country (and the war) because they 
did not totally control the press.  

After the Vietnam debacle, the elites set about buying up the press 
(there is, after all, a reason why Westinghouse, General Electric 
and other similar corporations (that normally would have NO 
business interest in acquiring a radio and TV network) spent 
millions and millions of dollars buying up CBS, NBC, ABC etc. 
The elite business community wanted total control of the press 
- and today they have it. That's why there is no longer any REAL 
discussion of economic matters in this country, why there is no 
REAL discussion of the merits of free trade, the FTAA, NAFTA, the 
WTO, etc. It's not allowed! There can be plenty of discussion on 
social issues - abortion, feminization, race issues, etc. - but 
there can be no real discussion on the matters that make the 
elites "roll and go" - like the issues we just enumerated. 
That's off limits now!  

Today the press belongs "lock, stock, and barrel" to the elite 
business community - AND THIS COMMUNITY IS A VERY ANTI-DEMOCRATIC 
COMMUNITY INDEED, AND IT IS, THEREFORE, WITHOUT A DOUBT A COMMUNITY 
THAT WOULD SUPPORT A "MASS MOVEMENT" (IF ONE COULD BE FOUND) THAT 
WOULD BE READY-MADE TERRAIN FOR THE EMERGENCE OF AN ANTI-CHRIST-FIGURE. 
The very anti-democratic nature of the business community lends 
itself to such an outcome.  

/CONT/

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