The Chaos Magic of Donald Trump
[Preface note: I watch a lot of HBO shows (Bill Maher, John Oliver, etc.). Please excuse these obvious influences as I work on developing an original voice.]
Yeah, I’ve been feeling all kinds of brain-shitty since about… Well, let’s just say approximately late November 2016. The reason for this of course is the shit-show commonly referred to as the Donald Trump Presidency. (If you’re not feeling even a tinge of anxiety these days, well then you my friend, need to skip this essay. Go find a place to wave your yellow or confederate flag somewhere else! This writing is not for false patriots & that’s what you are. Goodbye.) Nevertheless, excluding everything outside of my personal bubble, 2018 has been an incredibly successful year: professionally, creatively, and in terms of health/well being. But it is impossible to operate exclusively inside a bubble. Duh! I’m going to keep hitting this point, though: The more I withdraw, the more mental health issues creep out of the dark corners of my psyche. I’m convinced that things need to be dealt with in order not to perform a slow motion suicide-- or, less dramatically, exist as an insufferable mope. I have also come to the conclusion since the Bush II years that the conventional (& even 21st century) channels of activism are insufficient. In the past, a protest march (or its digital equivalent) has made me feel good (unified, active, involved) but there’s the hangover which leads to inactivity-- and usually a sticky listserv sign up that leads to… Well, you know, an unhappy inertia spiraling into navel gazing. So if activism is (temporarily I hope) off the table for me, what to do? I am pleased to report that I have an answer.
Back to Prez Trump. In terms of political opposition or resistance, well, he’s a very slippery fucker to wrangle with. [And of course it’s been established that his base is unwavering in their support. Maybe the Blue Wave happens in November. Maybe not. (& with the madness of the Trump Machine which operates outside of the conventions of reality & yeah you already know this so I’ll get on with things.)] What can be done is to find a way to map this seemingly unpredictable (but yeah-- authoritarian) method of governance. Something that can be used right now. For you, dear reader, I have created such a device! This is an analytic rubric that I came up during the developing events of the week of 6/17/18 - 6/23/18. And with this tool, you too can see the future! (Its accuracy holds up for about two or three days.) Developing this theory is the convergence of my interest in chaos magic into my overall attempts to have a sense of agency in life.
The marriage of these elements might seem incongruous (Upon outside examination, I think one of these (at least) should be seen as complete bullshit.) Nevertheless, I believe that to overcome cognitive dissonance is to sometimes dive headlong into confusion and mayhem. Let’s start with chaos magic, as you may be unfamiliar with the idea. Chaos magic is postmodern sorcery. It puts forth that reality can be changed through magical practice. Though not grounded in any kind of theism or faith, it is very much about belief as a powerful force. A chaos magician chooses a belief system (for example, satanism) in order to experience gnosis (direct experience of God, or a profound knowledge/insight into life). Gnosis is what Belloq & the Nazis were after in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Sounds like bullshit, right? It gets better. When the magician no longer derives gnosis from a belief system (or model) the system is abandoned. Completely. No more burning candles for Satan-- or praying to Jesus. Find another model that’s working. It’s anarchy! And that’s why the idea took root in late 70s UK Punk... Just after the London first wave (Clash, Sex Pistols, Damned). Once you’re aware of the chaos magic influence, CRASS starts to make a lot more sense (& the Subhumans & Discharge). After the obvious lefty politics, it’s the mystery ingredient. In print, the authors Michael Moorcock, Grant Morrison, and Alan Moore were all influenced by chaos magic. Moorcock was a very early adopter, with 1972’s Elric of Melniboné. The visual depiction of His ‘sign of chaos’ was then directly appropriated by the UK crust punks. The circle is completed! And then it explodes!
Now, I’m not putting on robes and doing rituals. Far from it. What I get from thinking about chaos magic has more to do with developing descriptive tools: models to test understanding.
Which brings us back to Donald Trump (and what follows next is stuff I know you know, just stick with me…) This guy has successfully mesmerized a LARGE portion of the American public-- effectively bending reality to his narcissistic will. And it has been widely noted that he will contradict himself mid-sentence and that his convictions change rapidly on a whim. Yet the base remains steadfast in their support. They just believe-- in him. [Side note: if you’re wondering about his support in the evangelical segment, I submit this: Patriarchy. It’s old-school & very compatible with evangelical practice: You don’t defy or contradict Papa. You follow even if you don’t understand.] As dismaying as this all is, it must be acknowledged that his shit works. He is successful and there is no indication that the spell will be broken anytime soon. But what I can do is show you how to map any given issue that comes up and how he effectively maintains control-- through chaos. Without the fanatical base however, it would all fall apart.
It’s time to deliver the dope. This is how Trump Sorcery works in 5 Stages:
Trump creates a problem (breaks something)
Trump blames opposition/resistance
Trump makes an adjustment
Trump takes credit for solving the problem
Reality is changed (For the base)
Please allow me to elaborate using the aforementioned example from this week (6/17 - 6/23). The news of course was The Immigration Enforcement/Separation of Families Debacle.
Watching/listening to the news over the weekend and Monday morning, I became aware that the President’s approach to immigration was being significantly challenged. A lot of hay has been made recently over ‘news fatigue’. But the coverage and outrage surrounding this was appropriate and encouraging because, yeah, obviously wrongness was happening. Still, I was surprised because this guy gets away with everything and seems invulnerable at this point. Nevertheless, these activities represent Stage 1, the creation of the problem. Breaking something. I had not put my theory together at this point, but by Tuesday, it all came together.
What happened was that Trump began blaming his immoral actions on the Democrats. and later in the day, Congress. The misdirection to take focus off of the Executive Branch had arrived. Enter Stage 2, blame the opposition. Stage 2 never ends and once it has been articulated continues throughout the process. On Tuesday morning I took down scribbled notes which outlined Stages 1-5. Before heading into work, I excitedly told my wife (DL) that I knew the future!
Wednesday was a blur. I almost forgot about my theory and was dealing with other concerns. Not like those seeking asylum. Not like the children, isolated & separated from their parents. For them this is a real and very present concern. No, I was just dealing with work bullshit.
Thursday morning, I awoke to find that the administration had issued a family separation executive order. Did I feel like a wizard? Yes, I did. I had predicted the next step. Stage 3 had happened, Trump made the adjustment. This was the first development to happen after conception of the rubric… And conforming to the design.
So, that’s it. That’s my take. It’s now 2:12 pm on Thursday, June 21. There’s still time for the manifestation of Stages 4 & 5. If Trump hasn’t taken credit for solving the problem today, I would be very surprised. He probably already has. But right now I’m writing this thing, you know, to get away from the news because it’s depressing. Stage 5 is a given, but should be amended. Reality will change for the base, but for the rest of us the nausea of unreality continues. My method is just a way to graph it out. Are there timeline issues with this essay? There certainly are. I’m not a journalist. For these bits of inaccuracy, I’m marking it off as the subjectivity of my awareness. The overall idea, I think, is sound. The big question is, does knowing actually do anything? Or rather, can knowing provide insight into how to get out of this mess? I hope so.