Positive and Negative

Guest Post by The Zman

Buckley Conservatives have tried hard to make the term “identity politics” into a epithet, but like all their other efforts, it has been a failure. The only thing David French managed to do in that piece is reveal that he has no respect for his ancestors and he remains petrified of Lefty. He and the other rent boys of the Right can beg and plead all they like, but identity politics is going to be a feature of the next generation of culture wars. As Vox Day is fond of saying, in the future, your skin will be your uniform. Wear it with pride.

What’s driving the growth of the Dissident Right, in part, is the realization among whites that the old political groupings no longer make sense in an age of identity politics. The one common theme among the people and groups now populating the movement is white identity. Some people prefer white nationalism, but that’s mostly the older crowd. There are others who simply go with pro-white. The salient feature here is whiteness and that is generally defined as European, but there is some debate about that too.

Since no one is ready to roll out the equivalent of the Brown Paper Bag Test to determine entry into the Honkyverse, debating these fine distinctions is mostly a waste of time. Like porn, most people know white when they see it. What does matter is the nature of white identity. It’s easy to generalize about what it means to be white and list off some things that are in the interest of white people, but that’s not an identity. At best that’s a list of political goals and at worst a list of complaints about the prevailing order.

Identity movements, as cultural or even political phenomenon, come in two flavors. One is positive and the other is negative. A positive identity is one that exists independently and in isolation. It is true in all times and all places. Its logic is entirely internal and only modifiable by those within it.  A negative identity, in contrast, exists only in context, usually in relation to or in opposition to something else. It is dependent on some outside thing. Its logic is external and modifiable by whatever exogenous thing upon which it depends.

Consider something like Icelandic identity. To be an Icelander means you or your ancestors were born in Iceland. If the rest of the humans on earth die off, the person born on that rock in the North Atlantic is still an Icelander. If for some reason the people within that identity group decide to change the rules, adding some morphological feature, then that will be the new definition. Even if the French protest that change, the Icelandic identity is whatever the Icelanders decide. That’s a positive identity.

Now, think about black identity in America. sub-Saharan Africans come to America and refuse to call themselves black or even African-American. They have a different identity, their own identity. Black Americans are defined by the fact that whites needed farm equipment and brought blacks over to the colonies to work the fields. Everything about the black experience is in relation to this history and its alleged effects on the present. To be black in America is to be defined entirely by your relationship to white America.

This difference in nature is why Icelanders don’t spend all their time listing their grievances against some group outside their group. Blacks, in contrast, do nothing but complain about whites. They define themselves in relation to whites, mostly in how they are treated by whites. It’s why they insist on being close to whites. Section 8 housing is popular with blacks, because it lets them mix with whites and have a daily validation of who they are as people. If whites suddenly went away, blacks would lose their identity.

These are extreme examples. A less obvious example of negative identity is Ireland. The Irish fell into the negative identity camp, defining themselves in opposition to the English, over the years of British occupation. The Irish certainly had plenty of cultural history of their own, but their subjugation by the British eventually began to shift the Irish identity from a positive and internal one, to an external and relational one. It’s why the Irish continue to obsess over British politics, despite having their own government now.

The point of all this is that what’s happening now with white identity has to avoid going down the negative road. If the alt-right, for example, is going to be a laundry list of complaints about non-whites, it can never chart its own destiny. It will always be dependent on those outside groups. On the other hand, if this thing follows the course you see with Jared Taylor, then it can chart its own course. Taylor does not waste a lot of time with grievances, beyond those related to the right to have a white identity.

Put another way, if being pro-white is only going to mean anti-black or anti-Jew or anti-Asian, then it is never going to be a useful identity group. It’s just going to be the nullification of other identity groups. That’s not a movement with a future, because it’s definition lies outside its control. It’s why feminism is curdling into a home for barren spinsters. It’s just a list of grievances. In order to avoid that fate, white identity is going to have to be a positive identity that defines itself, independent of the rest of the world.

The way to do that is as a cultural movement. The reason Progressiveism lasted for half a century, despite being at odds with reality, is it was a cultural phenomenon. Being a Progressive was not just politics. It was a lifestyle. Even today, you can tell a Lefty from a distance because they dress a certain way and act a certain way. One Lefty starts wearing fake glasses and all of them do it. Whatever white identity or pro-white comes to mean, it has to define itself internally, if it is going to be anything more than a passing fad.

Proof of this is the old white nationalist and white supremacist movements. Those old guys complaining about blacks and Jews were just that, old guys complaining about blacks and Jews. You got nothing by being a part of their thing other than endless lectures about blacks and Jews. Even racists run out of ways to keep that interesting. Avoiding the fate of those movement means steering a path down the positive road, even if it takes longer and is less clear. It has to be this way because this is probably the last shot at it.

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Searcher After Truth
Searcher After Truth

I had a professor, way back when, who used to say that he was ” free, white, over twenty one, and drove a fast car.” He obviously was a product of his generation.

I wonder what the products of this present generation will be like?

WIP
WIP

ZMan – I’m sure not everyone agrees with your articles. I’ve seen all of them get picked apart by a commenter here and there. I for one hope you keep writing. Some really great and thought provoking ideas you have there.

This article deserves a longer comment. Why? My daughter (18 yr old) is politically and socially conscious. Particularly about race and religion. She gets in “discussions” with her peers online often. Just yesterday she responded to an idiot Muslim who was complaining about white people. She often comes to me and says dad, dad look what I wrote as a response to this. I read her response and the first thought I had is that it sounded like a victim talking. I said honey white people do not have to go down that road, we are a proud and prosperous race. Next time tell them about how great white people are. I’m pretty sure I handled it correctly.

neutral-Semite
neutral-Semite

Good Good. You understand the eternal wisdom of aligning with power.

Captain Willard

Indeed I have been critical of Zman. Yet this was a very good half of an essay.

I say half of an essay because he makes a great case for what his movement shouldn’t be about while failing to state the political aims and philosophical foundation of his movement.

So we will just have to wait for his manifesto in part 2 of the essay. But it’s good to see him back on track after a prolonged slump. Hanging out with all those smart Jewish guys at AmRen obviously helped him.

Zarathustra

Vodka says:
August 2, 2017 at 6:35 pm
History tells us that the anti-Semites always lose.
____________________
I dunno man. It worked pretty good for the Romans.

Vodka
Vodka

You know of any “Romans” in positions of power this day and age? Didn’t think so. But with so very many Hebrews still in positions of power throughout the world it could almost make one think that there just might possibly be a God after all, and that he was serious about his “blessing”. Wake up and learn some real history.

Church Lady
Church Lady

Practicing Jews deny Christ. You are bowing your knee to Christ deniers who rule the earth.

http://unlockingthebible.org/god-vs-satan-authority/
https://www.gotquestions.org/Satan-god-world.html

Jesus referred to him (Satan) as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31), and Paul calls him “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) and “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). John makes a further distinction when he says: “We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19)

The Bible frequently uses “the world” or “this world” to refer to the present evil system of opposition to God.

If Jesus had bowed his knee to him, could Satan really have given “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory” (Matthew 4:8) to him? If we take what we’ve learned so far, we can reframe the situation a bit. The kingdoms of the world are made up of people and systems in rebellion against God.

…but that he is ruler over the current system of sinful opposition to God. In other words, he’s leading the rebellion against God.

If Jesus had bowed his knee to him, could Satan really have given “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory” (Matthew 4:8) to him? If we take what we’ve learned so far, we can reframe the situation a bit. The kingdoms of the world are made up of people and systems in rebellion against God.

Satan was essentially tempting Jesus to join his rebellion against God.

Instead of bowing to God, and being obedient to him, Jesus could bow to Satan, avoid the pain and suffering of the cross, and immediately become king of Satan’s rogue kingdom.

So, when the Bible says that Satan is the “god of this world,” it is not saying that he has ultimate authority. It is conveying the idea that Satan rules over the unbelieving world in a specific way.

In 2 Corinthians 4:4, the unbeliever follows Satan’s agenda: “The god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.”

Satan’s scheme includes promoting false philosophies in the world—philosophies that blind the unbeliever to the truth of the Gospel. Satan’s philosophies are the fortresses in which people are imprisoned, and they must be set free by Christ.

Vodka
Vodka

Church “Lady”,

I’m not bowing my knee to anyone on this earth. I could kick your ass with Scripture quotes about the blessings bestowed on the Jews, that stand for all-time BTW, but you don’t seem worth the effort to me.

Church Lady
Church Lady

Practicing Jews deny Christ.

EL Coyote
EL Coyote

News flash, moran. They converted to Christianity and the empire survived for 1400 years after in one form or another.

Anonymous
Anonymous

From urban dictionary:
“Moran” – The preferred method of spelling “moron” by morons

Morantic
Morantic

From common sense:
“Moran” – A moron who fails to recognize the intentional usage of “moran”.

Anonymous
Anonymous

Exactly understood. EC is a “Moron/Idiot”.

PS: Your name says it all.

Moreirontic
Moreirontic

He may be… but in this situation EC used the term on purpose knowing full well the source reference.

The fact you had to look it up is your clue you are not just a moron, but a colossal megalolpolous moran.

Vodka
Vodka

Yo,

Would you rather that (((Einstein))) helped your buddy Hitler, instead of the U.S. develop nuclear weapons? Or (((Oppenheimer)))?? You are clueless.

pyrrhus
pyrrhus

You don’t know much about nuclear physics or the Manhattan Project. Einstein took no part, and Oppenheimer was an administrator, not a working scientist, who also betrayed the US by leaking classified info to the (((communists))).

EL Coyote
EL Coyote

General Groves considered Oppie absolutely essential to the project and he was willing to overlook Oppie’s communist friends and liberal ideas. Where did you hear he betrayed the US, are you thinking of the Rosenbergs?

I’m here because of Admin, I consider him absolutely essential to TBP.

Anonymous
Anonymous

Vodka, you need to take a break. You’ve been getting absolutely wrecked by different people the past couple of days.

EL Coyote
EL Coyote

We are proud of his motivation.

Church Lady
Church Lady

Is this “we” you refer to an organization? Perhaps a shared identity in some manner?

EL Coyote
EL Coyote

TBP Freedom Caucus, you maroon.

Church Lady
Church Lady

This caucus, there gonna be meetings?

AWB

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Anti-semitism is nothing more than a construct invented by the Frankfurt School during the 20th century. People don’t like gypsies, either, for a reason. Jews are not God’s chosen people, they were in the OT, but not since the Day of Pentecost when it became possible to be born again of God’s spirit.

Judaism is a dead religion. It died with Jesus Christ on the cross. Ashkenazim Jews aren’t heriditary Jews, there’s no mention of them in history until 1000 AD, when a tribe called the Khazars were caught between Muslims and Christians and instead of converting to either, proclaimed themselves to be Jews. This is the tribe from which the Rothschilds ascended and became the bankers to Europe in the 18th century.

Zionism took hold in the 20th century due to the Rothschilds influence, culminating with the establishment on the state of Israel in 1948, in order to destabilize and control the ME. It is the Jews, including Soros who are funding the mass migration of Muslims into the EU in order to destabilize and control the EU, and it is these Jews which seek global domination through the destruction of the West.

You are wrong about Jews, as are most Americans, as was I. They deny Christ, as does Islam, yet they are the most dangerous as they are already inside the walls.

Look up “Marching to Zion” by pastor Steve Anderson on YT. I always wanted to support the Jews of the bible, and I believed the lies that we’re all told. Modern Judaism is as far from OT Judaism as east is from west.

Oh, and by the way, I still believe man went to the moon, but I also now believe the Holocaust is an exaggeration. Watch the documentary, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=typ2pl2L47k, it’s well worth your time. If you don’t believe scripture, what will you believe?

Anonymous
Anonymous

Great comment.

EL Coyote
EL Coyote

Dang, your stupid. Paul said that those who live by the law should keep all the law. He said Christians live by faith. If you read, actually read the bible, you will see the Jews will be first.

Of course he means real Jews and he means real Christians. Not posers like you who swallow a whole camel and choke on a gnat.

nkit
nkit

EC, Everybody is watching you, so don’t let them down….

EL Coyote
EL Coyote

I don’t write for everybody, just my buddy Stucky. I developed my tone of voice reading his stuff. Although some folks think my words sound like Cheech. I don’t speak with a Pacoima accent, though. Mine is more Tex-Mex.

nkit
nkit

So many things you should have told her..

Vodka
Vodka

Admin has summed it up many times with his classic phrase: “The stupid, it burns”.

It burns, indeed.

rhs jr
rhs jr

The Hungarians beat the ZOG under Bela Kun 1918 and are doing good now under Viktor Orban; the Spanish beat the ZOG under Franco; Putin and Trump are holding their own against the US ZOG. Revelation etc says the world will defeat Israel in a war (until Jesus returns to save a Remnant).

Anon's anon
Anon's anon

Black people invented air conditioning and peanut butter.

And the parking meter.

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