Counter-Currents
800 words
Recently my new nomadic, couch-surfing existence took me to New York City, where I saw Death in June on Saturday, May 31 at Webster Hall in the Village. (In case you were there, I was the white guy dressed in black.)
Before the concert, I had a very pleasant dinner with a dozen or so Counter-Currents writers, readers, and friends, plus people from the overlapping Traditionalist, Asatru, and Neo-Folk/Martial-Industrial subcultures.
The concert opened with keyboardist Miro Snejdr sporting a camouflage uniform and Hitler-Jugend haircut playing instrumental versions of popular Death in June songs. Then Snejdr donned a cap and mask and picked up an accordion as Douglas P. made his entrance wearing his signature mask, ringing a bell, and brandishing a bouquet of roses given to him by one of our dinner group.
Together they played “Leopard Flowers” plus “Life Under Siege,” “Wolf Rose,” and “Peaceful Snow” from Death in June’s best album in many years, Peaceful Snow, which features Snejdr on keyboards.
Then Snejdr retired as drummer John Murphy took the stage and Douglas P. took up his guitar for a more conventional set of DI6 favorites (“Rose Clouds of Holocaust,” “Luther’s Army,” “She Said Destroy,” “Death of the West,” “But, What Ends When the Symbols Shatter?,” “All Pigs Must Die,” “Tick Tock,” “To Drown a Rose,” “Little Black Angel”) and a couple of new ones (one apparently called “Taqiyyah“).
On the whole, it was an excellent, spirited concert, but I particularly enjoyed Snejdr’s portion of the program because his keyboard and accordion accompaniment better revealed the beauty of the songs’ melodies than the stripped down drum and acoustic guitar arrangements. Perhaps I am just getting old, but I also found Murphy’s amplified drumming oppressive. (I brought earplugs to take the edge off.) I definitely vote for a DI6 “unplugged” tour.
Although there was heavy security at Webster Hall, for all know it could be standard. There was no sign of “antifa” activity, although I am sure there were emails, tweets, and fake reports of violence and vandalism as there were in San Francisco last September.
By my count, there were 300 of so people present. It was an interesting crowd. As in San Francisco last year, the audience was youngish (mostly under 30 — i.e., Douglas P. is older enough to be their dad ), overwhelmingly white (with a few Asians thrown in), about 70% male, and, judging from the couples, mostly straight (with a few visible homosexuals as well). I was also impressed by the number of really good-looking, well-dressed people, some of them with Snedjr’s haircut.
Part of the metapolitical project of Counter-Currents is to understand subcultures that show up for bands like DI6, so I spent a lot of time studying the audience, and I would dearly love to get inside their heads. I would love to know who they are, what they think, why they are there, and what they each thought was going on in the heads of the other 300 people at the event. (If someone wants to do a book or article-length study of DI6 fans, contact me at [email protected].)
The “antifa,” of course, would have us think that the audience was all “fa.” But it is not that simple. Yes, Webster Hall had more “fascists” (New Right and Old Right models) per capita last Saturday than any other venue in New York City. (But that’s not hard. It is true of any place I show up.)
Still, the majority of the people there would probably reject such labels, even the ones with those haircuts, plus runic pins and tattoos, etc. These are clearly signs of a broadly “folkish” consciousness. But why the devices of ironic distance? Why the apparatus of denial and evasion? Why do people wear Totenkopfs camouflaged with American and rainbow flags? Why do they carefully craft life trajectories through thought worlds and subcultures that occasionally take them into restricted airspace, from which they then veer back closer to the mainstream?
Of course an ironic pose gives one deniability. And the existing apparatus of social sanctions is sufficient to explain that. Which implies that if sanctions lessen and if the subculture grows in size, cohesiveness, and power, then perhaps it will become more earnest and more straightforwardly political — as opposed to a virtual world which occasionally materializes in space-time so two people wearing Totenkopfs can look at one another but never summon up the courage to actually introduce themselves.
The big question in my mind, though, is whether there are other factors at work here besides mere external social repression. Is there anything that the New Right can do to politically catalyze such implicitly folkish and apolitical subcultures? Until we answer that question, I am afraid that many of our people, like Douglas P., will only step forward camouflaged and in masks.
17 comments
All the New Right can do, really, is come up with its own culture that attracts the young. For instance, think of a right wing Vice Magazine. Most young people don’t necessarily enjoy reading about political theory or abstract philosophy.
The problem is that the Left dominates youth and urban culture, so they always appear to be at the vanguard of what’s cool. Even the cultural trappings of the so-called New Right, with its paganism and screamo music aren’t particularly attractive.
Probably the best thing that can be done is open, regular gatherings between like minded intellectuals and artists. As people become more confident about being who they are, maybe a right wing artistic culture can grow.
I can also envision an Allen Ginsberg-type character helping out (I.e. a tireless advocate for one corner of the right wing arts scene that succeeds in convincing the media that something interesting or noteworthy is really happening).
I propose that we (whoever is reading this) organize some sort of informal gathering in New York City, as Dr. Johnson and others are in town… I don’t have any ideas as to where it might be exactly, but it seems from the newsletters that a surprising number of readers live here, likely unbeknownst to each other. I would guess that many of us feel alienated from mainstream culture and society, and to meet others living parallel lives would, I imagine, be inspiring and stimulating, providing a glimmer of hope for the future. Occult warfare.
Such a thing would probably be difficult to coordinate, but it’s worth thinking about. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts, perhaps even, if you like the idea, where, when, etc.
Thanks. It is a good idea. I departed NYC earlier today, however, but if I am in the area again, I will try to set something up.
Interesting points.
William L. Pierce wrote a wonderful article in the early eighties about how people think in groups and your observations of the Death-in-June subculture (they are involved with Boyd Rice, right?) correlates with what he said. These people may be attracted to a sanitized form of neo-fascist imagery; and this allows them to, amonst each other, dress this way when they enter into the closed world of their chosen subculture — it is all about acceptable conformity.
In a metapoltical sense, however, these people may not be able to entertain dissident thoughts pertaining to race because they lack the fortitude to risk being rejected by their social network. The way to change these people is simple: if you there were a few leading figures within their subculture who spoke about Cultural Marxism, Zionism, and White genocide that would filter down to the sheep…. It’s a science: weak people follow strong people.
I wouldn’t overestimate DIJ’s metapolitical relevance, let alone their allegedly “rightist” leanings, which are minuscule imo. I have been a huge fan for almost two decades, but in my experience this is rather fringe music for all kinds of freaks. During the years I have met fascists, commies (it’s true!), occultists, rune worshippers, manic-depressives, hippies, gothics, gays, drug addicts, feminists, fetishists, S/M- practitioners, LGBT manics, vegans, punks, performance artists, noise music buffs etc who were into DIJ, most of them not really on the “right” side. But I have never met any “normal” person who liked this (unlike, say, Rammstein or even Laibach).
I have stopped taking anything serious Douglas says (he is really crazy and often changing his mind) ever since the late 1990s, and I have suffered much to see both an artistic decline, in music, cover aesthetics and self-presentation, which was rather disillusioning. I think after “Rose Clouds of Holocaust” much of the magic and the beauty, of “dignity and solitude, the gain of my fortitude” was gone, with a few exceptions. And even this album was rather weak compared to the milestones of the 1980s. DIJ of today is a rather campy self-parody of former glory (the USA and rainbow death-head designs are horrible). Ever since the internet and file sharing has severely cut record and CD sales these guys are forced to tour forever to make a living. Still I wish him luck and am grateful for all the good stuff he has done.
Still a great and inspiring read on DIJ is Robert Forbes 1995 “Misery and Purity”, which is unfortunately very, very rare… Forbes also wrote a book on French Waffen-SS volunteers.
What is a good definition for antifa?
Antifa: The WD40 of international finance, lubricating the way for every new variety of capitalist exploitation.
Greg, where is the hope going to come from in our life time?
I’m 23 and I don’t see anyway in hell that people 18 or older who have been ‘Americanized’ can be revived. Culture and values (worth orientating one’s life around) cannot be manufactured, rather, these items take centuries to build and a life time to instill. I don’t see enough incentive for whites to wake up. Most of us who are younger don’t even want children because we subconsciously don’t see much of a future.
90 percent of modern whites would rather go quietly into that good night instead of taking a stand.
very good explanation!
The truth is my friend I don’t know what we can do!
There is, though, amongst every nationalist on the Internet, enough intelligence, creativity and power to make some difference — surely?
Do we even have a right to assert our position? What if the white masses we are fighting on behalf of actually favor and enjoy the lack of responsibility and sacrifice afforded by a multicultural, humanist democracy?
This isn’t an issue of a lack of information, it’s a lack of will.
Br Evola,
I’m afraid I share your assessment of the situation in the U.S. There’s no common culture at this point among European Americans and you have to go back to 19th in America century to find anything approaching the sort of cultural and racial homogeneity that constitutes a “nation” in normal circumstances. And when were white Americans last united in spirit and all on the same team? Well you know… The only way a “European” racial consciousness could arise again will be under extreme duress. Circumstances in the not so distant future will likely favor this. But the spiritual/cultural side of the picture would wither in many respects as the struggle for survival takes precedence. But should immigration be miraculously slowed down or halted we will be trying to convince the masses, as you said that their survival as a race is in fact a worthy, desirable, and moral goal. Combine this with the absence of much of thing of importance in common with one another beyond biological race (which taken *by itself* is not something I or most whites are willing to fight for) and your are looking at a fools errand.
I think those Americans who love European Civilization above all else seriously need to consider the possibility of remigrating to the lands of their ancestors to regroup for the defense of sacred Europe.
Fighting for mere biological survival will not work. Many of us who grew up in all-white rural or suburban areas, and went to all-white schools in modern America do not think of that experience as idyllic. I remember growing up I admired Mexicans for their work ethic and religious conviction more than the narcissistic and materialistic whites I was surrounded by.
This is where I part ways with most WNs (despite being a white separatist). I see nothing remarkable about possessing white skin, playing by the rules, and having a career. That alone isn’t enough. When we see a picture of a white family with many children is that alone supposed to make us feel cheerful?
It’s kind of morbid left unto itself to celebrate ‘whiteness’. There are more whites alive today than any time in human history … are we supposed to feel kindred with ALL of these people?
We should be fighting for ideas, not genes. The latter will follow the former.
Exactly. I grew up in an extremely white environment and I had the same experience of being surrounded by the most narcissistic, amoral, deracinated and self-absorbed people imaginable; utterly lacking in any sense of a greater identity as European-Americans and showing complete indifference toward their heritage and the fate of Western Civilization. And most of them seem entirely content living this way.
I’m at a loss as to how if at all such a “people” can be brought around.
The New Right takes itself too seriously. Very few people think simply for the joy of thinking. At this point the only people you will attract are vaguely paranoid eggheads who love words. I wasn’t there but the people you described at the concert sounded like they wanted to don a costume, pretend they were living a little bit dangerously and have some fun. When it comes down to it after a week of mildly degrading work, paying bills, tidying up after oneself and some compulsory sex people want to take a little risk and have a little fun.
What I read here is thought provoking and probably terribly important, but it isn’t even remotely fun. I am, unfortunately, a vaguely paranoid egghead and as such can do nothing to support your cause except occasionally make a comment among friends that appears patently obvious but that they’ve never, ever heard anyone say out loud before.
I remember the Sixties and Seventies. Yes there was some radical thought and yes there were some eggheads doing a lot of work but most of those people were in it for the fun. If you want followers you need a simple platform that points in an obvious way toward a higher quality of life, better sex, less anxiety and more fun. Otherwise no one will buy it.
Who wants to be afraid? Who wants more responsibility? Who wants to be watched by the NSA? Not your average voter, that’s for sure. The anti-semitic, racial genocide platform is unattractive.
What is attractive? Culture. We need people to harness our historical culture. Our DNA already knows the words to the songs. This is why Paganism, at least Paganism that isn’t taking itself too seriously, could be a fruitful path. Festivals with music and dancing and drinking, a little inappropriate sexual ambience, back to nature, back to craftsmanship, back to the romance of our tribal past would be more infectious than fascism, six kids and racism.
There’s already a resurgence of our stories, or at least stories about us, in the theaters and on TV. Frozen was the whitest movie I ever saw. Brave, How to Train Your Dragon, Snow White and the Huntsman, now Maleficent, Vikings on the History Channel and even that god awful Game of Thrones are all Eurocentric and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. But those experiences are fun for people. My adult children have Game of Thrones parties on Sunday nights.
The shabby chic movement in decor is Eurocentric, a pining for a time when it seems it was simpler to be kind of poor and obscure. It’s also whimsical and yes, fun.
The Northern European metal bands that tour the country appeal to the martial natures of our young men. I go to those because I really like men with huge mops of blonde hair. It’s a fetish. I’m fifty-five and it hasn’t gone away yet. I’m sure I’m not alone.
And that’s just a couple of corners of culture.
Develop some whimsy. Laugh a little. Drink too much now and then and let your hair down. The girls will like you better and might listen to what you have to say. Remember, it’s the hand that rocks the cradle that rules the world. Get some sex appeal.
Agree with what you are saying.
Theden is making a move in this kind of direction, more ‘Vice like’ at any rate.
http://theden.tv/
@,
You raise some good points. I think a cheerful attitude should be maintained as much possible just not to the extent that it blinds people to the high stakes involved. The pagan Indo-European worldview seen in the Sagas and Homer is one in which sober realism and “dionysian” vitality are united. This is the vision which should be striven for.
“Who wants to be afraid? Who wants more responsibility? Who wants to be watched by the NSA? Not your average voter, that’s for sure. The anti-semitic, racial genocide platform is unattractive.” Indeed. But really I don’t see how dealing with such issues is avoidable for the NANR. The Europeans have it easy when it comes to these issues because to fight for one’s nation and culture to implicitly fight for one’s race and to exclude foreign elements, all the while without having to use those icky words that send your average person ducking for cover.
A big part of moving toward “pro white hegemony” is to (as Dr. Johnson has advocated, if I remember correctly) encourage pro-white folks who are culture creators in the arts, entertainment, and academia to saturate our media and educational system with the sorts of eurocentric and implicitly white material you mentioned, and then, should they become sufficiently financial wealthy, come out out of the closet as it were and say “It’s OK to be white.” But time is flying and that strategy is one that would take 10 years minimum of committed infiltration.
And yet you look around and many of the subcultures one would expect to be the most receptive to “pro-white” (And I avoid that term because it is a non-starter in terms of propaganda and core ideology in that it makes people think only of the most superficial aspects of this movement) metapolitics and politics such as the RPG gamers etc. and most are indifferent or even hostile to the message from what I can tell. Pretty illogical to spend hours upon hours enveloped in archetypal eurocentric fantasy worlds and the European past and then not be willing to do anything to defend what little remains of it in the real world.
Anyway, I appreciate your post and I think what you advocate is very helpful…just not sufficient by itself.
Gamers aren’t sexy either.
If it’s any consolation I am a registered Democrat with dreadlocks and a 1971 Volkswagen bus and I come here to read Collin Cleary, so you are successfully reaching over the fence. I got here through Norse Paganism.
Four times a year, on the solstices and equinoxes, I Google a question –
“Why are White Nationalists Christian?” I mean come on, if you are going to be anti-semitic why in the hell are you ascribing to a semitic religion?
I never got an answer, and I’m talking years of asking the web this question, until about six months ago when “Asatru and the Political” by Cleary popped up as an answer to the query. The article had been here on Counter Currents for over a year but I guess the site had gotten enough hits that it finally showed up as a top result.
It was a funny experience really – I started reading the article and was experiencing that wash of warmth one gets when someone outside one’s immediate environment validates our thinking. I was agreeing with everything he said and he wasn’t crazy and full of hate and violence! Yay, finally, someone who is not me, nor influenced by me, has a calm, cool and collected point of view on ethnicity and culture! So I quickly scrolled up to get the author’s name and my heart sank. Well, he’s not me, sure, but based on his name he’s a distant cousin, of course we think alike.
So anyhow, keep up the good work and yes you are making strides in the world at large or a bona fide hippie dippie, Ivy League educated, ivory tower Liberal wouldn’t be reading, let alone posting on, Counter Currents. /waves to the NSA
But I do want to stress that I am female and I have raised three children who are very proud of their heritage and their ancestry. I got those children by finding my husband absolutely irresistible. He is irresistible to me because he is not only fair, blue eyed and had a huge mop of blonde hair, (it’s white now) but because he is brave, hard working, unflinching, unflappable, fiercely competitive, loyal and just.
He isn’t angry or resentful. He isn’t afraid he will be outstripped by the abilities of “others”. He is in it to win it and has done so. He provided for me and our children completely for the entirety of our thirty years together. When I am faced with white men who are afraid of extinction, who don’t want to compete with the rest of the population of this country, let alone the world, I feel very strongly that I wouldn’t recommend them as husbands for my daughters. Has it really been that long since the sun didn’t set on the English Empire? We’re afraid now?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/9653497/British-have-invaded-nine-out-of-ten-countries-so-look-out-Luxembourg.html
The scared, angry white man isn’t desirable. The competent, confident one is.
The white problem may also be a man problem. Archie Bunker will not be found irresistible by a beautiful, educated woman who will raise his children to be proud and respectful of their ancestors. Ironside would though, and he was fat AND crippled!
And now I’ve said too much.
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