- Sep 22, 2013
- 4,956
- 250
- 85
This is a capitalism-elegy inspired by Jesus Christ Superstar.
I didn't post it in the Writing section of USMB, since it's overtly patriotic!
I'm definitely a fan of 'capitalism-allegorical folklore.' Are you?
Cheers (signing off),
====
I used to sit in my bedroom brooding about my alcoholic father who was very abusive to our family. I grew up with an eschewed sense of justice, and during college, I took a junior-year excursion from New Hampshire to California where I experimented with bohemian philosophy. I went too wild/rebellious and decided to return to college and complete my studies and become a knight of democracy. After graduating, I took a sabbatical to Europe where I began drawing stick-figure representations of Christmas-shopping symbolic fantasy-avatars such as Evil Elf. I wanted the world to embrace all the splendor of capitalism and its potential to create democracy through peace-promoting commerce. However, I was in for a real 'adventure' and the Great Tribulation was approaching. This was the time of the great capitalism warlocks.
A terrible witch in America named Hazel was using Ouija incantations to invoke the underworld spirit of two nefarious hellraisers named Lilandra (a violence-prophetess) and Gray Goblin (a messenger of urban terrorism). I knew (by the way, my name is Alas!) that if was to defy the evil of Lilandra and the hideous Goblin, I'd have to mobilize pedestrian optimism towards consumerism...and Christmas shopping. This was a great commerce crusade meant to elevate America as the world' official "Big Brother." Lilandra and the Goblin were forces of darkness. This was the real American Oracle --- a wondrous struggle to liberate the characters of capitalism.
I went to a fortune-teller who told me I was actually like Apollyon, Biblical knight who is considered to be 'master of the bottomless pit.' I thought about what Apollyon might look like and what he might do to defend the values of modern capitalism/commerce. I decided to don the identity of the urban vigilante Batman (DC Comics) as an 'incarnation' of Apollyon. Now, I was Alas/Batman, a dual-identity I embraced with honor as I struggled to analyze the various 'lords of darkness' who made Wall Street seem/feel like a 'bottomless pit' of social exploitation. Was all this American idealism worth the worry? I told myself, "Yes."
Of course, every hero has an Achilles' heel, and mines is Jean Grey, a fictional Marvel Comics 'super-heroine' who exemplifies American values of teamwork and empathy. I became entranced by Jean Grey and was convinced that if I did my work to elevate capitalism-optimism, God would reward me in heaven by uniting me with the spirit of Jesus Christ and the endless love of Jean Grey's heart. This was my rallying-cry, but I now had to be sure I wasn't 'distracted' by the natural temptations of love and flesh during this Great Tribulation. Jean Grey became my fairy-princess/muse to my 'dark knight.' Maybe all patriots have a 'statue of liberty.'
However, my work was just beginning. The modern American city was dark and smoky and filled with daydreams about lust, avarice, sexploitation, urban crime, political corruption, narcotics, terrorism, hellraisers (Lilandra/Goblin), unnatural devil-worship, and even ostracism of the poor and uneducated. The NYC crime-syndicate Black Mask was comprised of minions who carried miniature hammers which they used to shatter the windshields of parked cop cars. There was no room for patience in this environment of 'urban sloth.' In addition, a super-terrorist organization called Cobra came to prominence and destroyed the rebuilt World Trade Center and Trump Tower in NYC. U.S. President Donald Trump (a former capitalism-baron) created a secret force of paramilitary crusaders called 'G.I. Joes' who would battle Cobra. As Alas/Batman, sometimes it felt like all I could do was simply watch, even though I donned the supernatural mysticism of the bat, a flying-creature representing 'cool survivalism.'
The great Joe-Cobra War began and involved nuclear North Korea and Communist Cuba. The Islamic terrorist group ISIS was now working with Black Mask and Cobra to make terrible inroads into the American homeland. The Joe-Cobra War involved both male and female soldiers and terrorists/agents and President Trump tweeted, "If World War III is averted, all credit will go to Batman and the G.I. Joes! Cobra will be vanquished much to the relief of the entire global community, including 'problem-nations' like North Korea." The Joe-Cobra war seemed endless, but finally, Cobra surrendered after the G.I. Joes managed to secure North Korea as a reliable trade-nation in Asia and assured people of the safety of peace-events like the PyeongChang Olympics in South Korea(!). Hollywood began making posters/films about the Joe-Cobra War. This was ironically thrilling.
I noticed that an American writer was composing a biography-novel of the corrupt American tycoon and tyrant Lex Luthor who was much worse than Boss Tweed (1800s New York) and Al Capone (1920s Chicago). What set the vile Luthor apart was that he made all his corrupt relations seem perfectly sane, natural...and legal. I had to personally take down Luthor by convicting him of tax-evasion which effectively began dismantling his ominous profiteer-dominion. It was rumored that Luthor was even had intimate relations with the sinister Medusa, ex-wife of Cobra Commander (deposed terrorist-leader of Cobra).
Even youngsters were involved in this 'Great Tribulation.' They encouraged video-game developers and comic book writers/artists to compose modernism-paranoia reflective stories and images of everyday people encountering terrible 'demons' of avarice in this modern world of overwhelming capital...and greed. New age fantasy-avatars like Ranger, Elektra, Mandrake the Magician, Dark Phoenix, Justice League, and Mega-Man reminded Americans of the power of storytelling in times of great darkness and confusion. When we heard news stories about Black Mask kidnapping homeless children in NYC and turning them into drug-runners, pickpockets and sometimes even bomb-carriers, we remembered the social optimism offered by avatars like Mega-Man and Elektra who stood for democracy and enlightenment in a time of globally-gloomy terrorism and anarchy-voodoo (e.g., 9/11, Boston Marathon bombings).
The valiant female soldiers of 'G.I. Joe' became politicians and schoolteachers and used their power/prestige to deliver messages about the virtue of democracy in a world driven by commerce and trade. Comic book writers penned these women-warriors as 'diplomats' of American patriotism. There were even tabloid-stories of which Joe-females were dating me (Batman) or one of the other male G.I. Joe soldiers/allies (e.g., Duke, Flint, Falcon, Shipwreck). Everyone considered these Joe-women as ideal 'nurses' in a time of unimaginable apathy.
Pulp-novels portrayed great fantasy-adventures of time-traveling Americans going to distant realms where they used modern tools/weapons to engage with the forces of tyranny and even evil warlocks. It seemed like the natural progression of civilization-paranoia storytelling had evolved from Dickens (Oliver Twist) to Orwell (Animal Farm) to Proyas (The Crow) to Tolkien (The Hobbit) to McFarlane (Spawn). Perhaps every Great Tribulation comes with humanity-unifying/engaging folklore designed to 'see us through' times of great turbulence. Isn't that why WWII movies are still so popular today?
One day, after fighting a group of Black Mask minions, I embraced a homeless child and held the small boy in my arms. The child would have been abandoned had I not swooped in to rescue him from the sinister/calculating clutches of the Black Mask minions. When I held the sweet child in my arms, all I could think about was the endurance of faith in times of great metaphysical danger. If there was a God who cared about our human civilization, then such a God would surely bless this vulnerable child as a 'saint of patience.' I knew then that this great 'global crusade' was worth all the sweat. I loved that child greatly...
However, not all was well in Oz/Camelot. Medusa continued her vile activities and took into her bed various evil-doers who promised to serve as her submissive hellraisers. Even the underworld spirit Lilandra stated, "Medusa is the modern evil rendition of Helen of Troy, which is why even Batman fears her." When G.I. Joe general Falcon warned me that Medusa carried a strange perfume which she used to hypnotized foolish men into becoming her 'assassins-for-hire,' I knew that Medusa would destroy American pride with her brand of bloodlust and carnal conspiracies. Ironically, I sometimes felt sorry for Medusa and wondered if she'd have become a heroine instead of a real villainess had she received the right inspiration when she was a young girl, growing up in the troubled streets of post-USSR Moscow. Medusa was unforgettable.
To ward off the evil aura of Medusa, I thought about the iconic old-world painting of the Rape of Lucrece and how it represented the 'true tribulation' of women caught up in a world of terrible socialization-related corruption and even anarchy. To really defend democracy, we have to be careful not to 'overly-demonize' the 'villainesses' of world history such as Eva Braun (Nazi Germany) and Herodias (Roman Empire). How do we find the Statue of Liberty? I had to keep focus so I could be united with my muse-of-democracy, Jean Grey.
We Americans love sports-marketing and sports-culture films such as Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) and Any Given Sunday (Al Pacino) typified our society's admiration of celebrity, athletic prowess, and team-pride. After all, sports was an 'engram' of capitalism, and new age athlete-celebrities like Tom Brady and Joe Montana were to modern-era democracy what Joe Louis was to the Allied Forces of WWII. That's why the G.I. Joes wanted to make sure terrorists did not disrupt the natural imagination and cheerfulness of nationally-celebrated sports-events such as the Super Bowl (NFL) and World Series (MLB). Everyone wanted American sports-cheerleaders to feel safe and spiritual.
Now that I'm in my 60s, I know that the Great Tribulation was a test of capitalism-faith and democracy-endurance. Sure, this capitalism-adventure raised up warlocks (Lex Luthor), lords of darkness (Black Mask), and diabolical sirens (Medusa), but it also shined the spotlight on terrific heroes like the G.I. Joes, fictional heroes like the Justice League and even 'angels' like Jean Grey(!). I've concluded that to really admire/appreciate why 'TrumpUSA' had become a 'global symbol' of human imagination, you have to evaluate why the 'evolution' of America itself is linked to a deep appreciation of secured commerce/consumerism. That's the Christian view of 'American pride.' I've done what I can, and I'm over the ghost of my alcoholic father and the underworld aura of Lilandra and the Goblin, so I feel optimistic about the 'destiny' of American capitalism. How many movies will be made about TrumpUSA?
====
I didn't post it in the Writing section of USMB, since it's overtly patriotic!
I'm definitely a fan of 'capitalism-allegorical folklore.' Are you?
Cheers (signing off),
====
I used to sit in my bedroom brooding about my alcoholic father who was very abusive to our family. I grew up with an eschewed sense of justice, and during college, I took a junior-year excursion from New Hampshire to California where I experimented with bohemian philosophy. I went too wild/rebellious and decided to return to college and complete my studies and become a knight of democracy. After graduating, I took a sabbatical to Europe where I began drawing stick-figure representations of Christmas-shopping symbolic fantasy-avatars such as Evil Elf. I wanted the world to embrace all the splendor of capitalism and its potential to create democracy through peace-promoting commerce. However, I was in for a real 'adventure' and the Great Tribulation was approaching. This was the time of the great capitalism warlocks.
A terrible witch in America named Hazel was using Ouija incantations to invoke the underworld spirit of two nefarious hellraisers named Lilandra (a violence-prophetess) and Gray Goblin (a messenger of urban terrorism). I knew (by the way, my name is Alas!) that if was to defy the evil of Lilandra and the hideous Goblin, I'd have to mobilize pedestrian optimism towards consumerism...and Christmas shopping. This was a great commerce crusade meant to elevate America as the world' official "Big Brother." Lilandra and the Goblin were forces of darkness. This was the real American Oracle --- a wondrous struggle to liberate the characters of capitalism.
I went to a fortune-teller who told me I was actually like Apollyon, Biblical knight who is considered to be 'master of the bottomless pit.' I thought about what Apollyon might look like and what he might do to defend the values of modern capitalism/commerce. I decided to don the identity of the urban vigilante Batman (DC Comics) as an 'incarnation' of Apollyon. Now, I was Alas/Batman, a dual-identity I embraced with honor as I struggled to analyze the various 'lords of darkness' who made Wall Street seem/feel like a 'bottomless pit' of social exploitation. Was all this American idealism worth the worry? I told myself, "Yes."
Of course, every hero has an Achilles' heel, and mines is Jean Grey, a fictional Marvel Comics 'super-heroine' who exemplifies American values of teamwork and empathy. I became entranced by Jean Grey and was convinced that if I did my work to elevate capitalism-optimism, God would reward me in heaven by uniting me with the spirit of Jesus Christ and the endless love of Jean Grey's heart. This was my rallying-cry, but I now had to be sure I wasn't 'distracted' by the natural temptations of love and flesh during this Great Tribulation. Jean Grey became my fairy-princess/muse to my 'dark knight.' Maybe all patriots have a 'statue of liberty.'
However, my work was just beginning. The modern American city was dark and smoky and filled with daydreams about lust, avarice, sexploitation, urban crime, political corruption, narcotics, terrorism, hellraisers (Lilandra/Goblin), unnatural devil-worship, and even ostracism of the poor and uneducated. The NYC crime-syndicate Black Mask was comprised of minions who carried miniature hammers which they used to shatter the windshields of parked cop cars. There was no room for patience in this environment of 'urban sloth.' In addition, a super-terrorist organization called Cobra came to prominence and destroyed the rebuilt World Trade Center and Trump Tower in NYC. U.S. President Donald Trump (a former capitalism-baron) created a secret force of paramilitary crusaders called 'G.I. Joes' who would battle Cobra. As Alas/Batman, sometimes it felt like all I could do was simply watch, even though I donned the supernatural mysticism of the bat, a flying-creature representing 'cool survivalism.'
The great Joe-Cobra War began and involved nuclear North Korea and Communist Cuba. The Islamic terrorist group ISIS was now working with Black Mask and Cobra to make terrible inroads into the American homeland. The Joe-Cobra War involved both male and female soldiers and terrorists/agents and President Trump tweeted, "If World War III is averted, all credit will go to Batman and the G.I. Joes! Cobra will be vanquished much to the relief of the entire global community, including 'problem-nations' like North Korea." The Joe-Cobra war seemed endless, but finally, Cobra surrendered after the G.I. Joes managed to secure North Korea as a reliable trade-nation in Asia and assured people of the safety of peace-events like the PyeongChang Olympics in South Korea(!). Hollywood began making posters/films about the Joe-Cobra War. This was ironically thrilling.
I noticed that an American writer was composing a biography-novel of the corrupt American tycoon and tyrant Lex Luthor who was much worse than Boss Tweed (1800s New York) and Al Capone (1920s Chicago). What set the vile Luthor apart was that he made all his corrupt relations seem perfectly sane, natural...and legal. I had to personally take down Luthor by convicting him of tax-evasion which effectively began dismantling his ominous profiteer-dominion. It was rumored that Luthor was even had intimate relations with the sinister Medusa, ex-wife of Cobra Commander (deposed terrorist-leader of Cobra).
Even youngsters were involved in this 'Great Tribulation.' They encouraged video-game developers and comic book writers/artists to compose modernism-paranoia reflective stories and images of everyday people encountering terrible 'demons' of avarice in this modern world of overwhelming capital...and greed. New age fantasy-avatars like Ranger, Elektra, Mandrake the Magician, Dark Phoenix, Justice League, and Mega-Man reminded Americans of the power of storytelling in times of great darkness and confusion. When we heard news stories about Black Mask kidnapping homeless children in NYC and turning them into drug-runners, pickpockets and sometimes even bomb-carriers, we remembered the social optimism offered by avatars like Mega-Man and Elektra who stood for democracy and enlightenment in a time of globally-gloomy terrorism and anarchy-voodoo (e.g., 9/11, Boston Marathon bombings).
The valiant female soldiers of 'G.I. Joe' became politicians and schoolteachers and used their power/prestige to deliver messages about the virtue of democracy in a world driven by commerce and trade. Comic book writers penned these women-warriors as 'diplomats' of American patriotism. There were even tabloid-stories of which Joe-females were dating me (Batman) or one of the other male G.I. Joe soldiers/allies (e.g., Duke, Flint, Falcon, Shipwreck). Everyone considered these Joe-women as ideal 'nurses' in a time of unimaginable apathy.
Pulp-novels portrayed great fantasy-adventures of time-traveling Americans going to distant realms where they used modern tools/weapons to engage with the forces of tyranny and even evil warlocks. It seemed like the natural progression of civilization-paranoia storytelling had evolved from Dickens (Oliver Twist) to Orwell (Animal Farm) to Proyas (The Crow) to Tolkien (The Hobbit) to McFarlane (Spawn). Perhaps every Great Tribulation comes with humanity-unifying/engaging folklore designed to 'see us through' times of great turbulence. Isn't that why WWII movies are still so popular today?
One day, after fighting a group of Black Mask minions, I embraced a homeless child and held the small boy in my arms. The child would have been abandoned had I not swooped in to rescue him from the sinister/calculating clutches of the Black Mask minions. When I held the sweet child in my arms, all I could think about was the endurance of faith in times of great metaphysical danger. If there was a God who cared about our human civilization, then such a God would surely bless this vulnerable child as a 'saint of patience.' I knew then that this great 'global crusade' was worth all the sweat. I loved that child greatly...
However, not all was well in Oz/Camelot. Medusa continued her vile activities and took into her bed various evil-doers who promised to serve as her submissive hellraisers. Even the underworld spirit Lilandra stated, "Medusa is the modern evil rendition of Helen of Troy, which is why even Batman fears her." When G.I. Joe general Falcon warned me that Medusa carried a strange perfume which she used to hypnotized foolish men into becoming her 'assassins-for-hire,' I knew that Medusa would destroy American pride with her brand of bloodlust and carnal conspiracies. Ironically, I sometimes felt sorry for Medusa and wondered if she'd have become a heroine instead of a real villainess had she received the right inspiration when she was a young girl, growing up in the troubled streets of post-USSR Moscow. Medusa was unforgettable.
To ward off the evil aura of Medusa, I thought about the iconic old-world painting of the Rape of Lucrece and how it represented the 'true tribulation' of women caught up in a world of terrible socialization-related corruption and even anarchy. To really defend democracy, we have to be careful not to 'overly-demonize' the 'villainesses' of world history such as Eva Braun (Nazi Germany) and Herodias (Roman Empire). How do we find the Statue of Liberty? I had to keep focus so I could be united with my muse-of-democracy, Jean Grey.
We Americans love sports-marketing and sports-culture films such as Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) and Any Given Sunday (Al Pacino) typified our society's admiration of celebrity, athletic prowess, and team-pride. After all, sports was an 'engram' of capitalism, and new age athlete-celebrities like Tom Brady and Joe Montana were to modern-era democracy what Joe Louis was to the Allied Forces of WWII. That's why the G.I. Joes wanted to make sure terrorists did not disrupt the natural imagination and cheerfulness of nationally-celebrated sports-events such as the Super Bowl (NFL) and World Series (MLB). Everyone wanted American sports-cheerleaders to feel safe and spiritual.
Now that I'm in my 60s, I know that the Great Tribulation was a test of capitalism-faith and democracy-endurance. Sure, this capitalism-adventure raised up warlocks (Lex Luthor), lords of darkness (Black Mask), and diabolical sirens (Medusa), but it also shined the spotlight on terrific heroes like the G.I. Joes, fictional heroes like the Justice League and even 'angels' like Jean Grey(!). I've concluded that to really admire/appreciate why 'TrumpUSA' had become a 'global symbol' of human imagination, you have to evaluate why the 'evolution' of America itself is linked to a deep appreciation of secured commerce/consumerism. That's the Christian view of 'American pride.' I've done what I can, and I'm over the ghost of my alcoholic father and the underworld aura of Lilandra and the Goblin, so I feel optimistic about the 'destiny' of American capitalism. How many movies will be made about TrumpUSA?
====
