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More demonization please!

CURMUDGEON



With apologies to C.S. Lewis.
Some undiscovered letters between the senior demon Screwtape and his nephew the younger demon Wormwood have come to light—in which Satan’s consigliere delved into the subject of American politics. In these letters Screwtape took a break from instructing his nephew on the best ways to lead a human being on the path to damnation and instead turned his attentions to leading America towards self-destruction.
“Nephew,” wrote Screwtape, “the best thing that we can do is to discourage people of differing beliefs from sitting down and exchanging views. When people do that, they often discover that the other person isn’t all that bad as a person and it’s harder to—if you’ll pardon the term—demonize that person. This kind of casual interaction must be discouraged at all costs!”
It’s much better, Screwtape insisted, if, when you spy a progressive and a conservative sitting down to socialize at a local bar or coffee shop to immediate call the one you know and exclaim, “How can you STAND to be in the same room with that person?” He added, “If you can get them to stop being friends altogether, consider yourself on the road to becoming an arch-demon!”
Best of all is to encourage people of a political belief to seek out others of similar beliefs and all move into the same state. “The Big Sort is the best thing that ever happened as far as the Infernal Regions are concerned,” wrote Screwtape. “We want people in California to consider a resident of Texas to be the next closest thing to a terrorist bomber, slave owner and slavering bigot and to encourage Texans to regard California as inhabited almost solely by hippies, hipsters, and drug-snorting Hollywood actors, with all levers of government from the statehouse to the school board wielded by defund-the-police advocates and LGBQ/T activists. Secession movements must follow!” He added, “I am shivering with delight at the thought!”
The senior demon reflected, “Remember, some of our demon colleagues were almost able to strangle the American republic in the cradle when we encouraged hatred and division at all levels and caused a civil war. Hundreds of thousands of dead. Generations of hatred generated that kept only the slightest effort to keep it smoldering for decades. It was glorious!”
Screwtape added, “One sure fire—heh, heh, heh!— way to do this is to set yourself up as better than other people. Nephew, encourage those you influence to put up signs like ‘This House has no Hate,’ which, of course, means that they absolutely do, but for those who disagree with them— or to have bumper stickers that say ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ or refers to “Lib-tards.” I especially dote on those who tell their friends, ‘This is the most important election in our lifetime. If we lose this one, the republic will end!’ Why? Because if you think that an election is an existential threat and if your foes win an election, that means anything you do to prevent it is allowed. That includes riots, burning down buildings, trashing reputations, preventing people from speaking, hounding their children, or anything that accuses your opponents of being criminals. That’s the ultimate. Go for it! It make me so happy my tail starts to steam!” He added, “Calling someone a racist is another great way to spice up a conversation and it’s sure to send your friendship into the toilet!”
He sent one final letter to nephew Wormwood, “I think you have a clear opportunity here to wreak havoc on America if you concentrate on turning the hearts and minds of Americans against each. In fact, I’m so confident in you that if, somehow, you fail in stirring up another civil war—at least—I have a boiling vat of oil that you can bathe in for eternity. But don’t worry, you can do it!”

 

*Note: Opinions expressed by columnists and letter writers are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the newspaper.

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