A Drought of Letters

The effort to break away from mainstream media is commendable, but the problem of low literacy is hindering its success.

In the last few years, we have seen a raise in energy and popularity of the reactionary pop literature movement, whether you call it Iron Age, Pulp Rev, or something else. People who know me or have read my articles know that I am strongly supportive of such an effort, as it relates to the main goal of Past & Future: to advance the concept of culture as something that belongs to us, which we can enjoy and act upon, rather than something that we can only consume and pay for. However, something is still amiss.

What is your end goal, you that consider yourself part of this movement? And what are your deep reasons for being a part of it? I believe that very few have made a concrete effort to dig upon this question and get to a stronger conclusion than “because SJWs have ruined Marvel and I want ‘90s comic books again”.

I did not follow the story about the Rippaverse, but it gave me the impression of being just more superhero shlock.

What is your problem with current entertainment? Is it merely its “cultural Marxism”, as some have called it? Is it Hollywood’s ineptitude in delivering a well-crafted script? Or is it just that those people hate you, the audience? Would you keep consuming the media slop if they stopped crying about white people and Trump?

Being fervently hated upon by mass media is unnerving, and it grows in us a strong inner rejection of those very same media. I understand, even though such a thing is probably the best that could ever happen after 2010, because it made us fight back. But basing our reason to fight on feeling cornered and assaulted by what should entertain us will not prove itself as a stable foundation for the movement.¹

The will to do away with the artistic corruption in the cultural industry is commendable and sacrosanct. However, you should aspire to higher goals. However, there is something that still needs some further working. And that is literacy.

As day by day reading books becomes a less popular activity, Western peoples have been developing a sense of disgust and active hate for the idea of high education and deep culture. We know that this is due to universities being part of that cultural industry that has been sabotaging the needs and will of the average man. But despising traitorous catamite professors is one thing, despising education is another (and it is terrible).

Such a worldview brings you to the same level of the people you are against. The abandonment of literacy is a widespread phenomenon, and it regards all of us. Do you seriously believe that university soyboys are that literate? They may read, but all they read is shlock that pretends to be scientific, as those outside universities consume shlock that pretends to be quality entertainment.

The average cowboy of old could be more literate than all of them and you, despite books being less accessible in his time. He would at least read the Bible thoroughly. If he saw that tweet comparing superheroes to ancient myths, he would spit in your face².

Here the fatal flaw of this reactionary movement. Many want to write, and, by all means, do it, but at the same time you practice this craft, you should also expand your theory and understanding of the written word. Many have a limited knowledge of books, mostly stopping to famous pop literature series published in the 90s (that includes comic books). That is not enough, it does not even cover the basics. That production was, in some way, corpo-shlock, too³, and trust me that it contained the seeds of what was to come.

I encourage you to look further, to dig deeper into the annals of history and read what the great masters have written. To expand your knowledge of this art. Those masters may prove less perfect than they were made out to be in school, but if their works stood the test of time, it means they had a story to tell, something to say. They have placed the keystones to the great palace of literature. They are a source of inspiration and learning. And I want you to explore all that past because it will prove useful: you will realize you can make more than a simple alternative to the recycled IP of the day.

Here you will find so much of what you really need.

You can build culture: a system of values and beliefs; a series of practices. A way to look at the world. You can plant the seeds of what will become stronger than the media industry of today, a tension toward a personal and collective refinement that is not decadence but civilization, for sharper minds and stronger wills.

I know what you’re thinking. “I just want to tell fun stories”. Yes, you must do this, and do what you think suits you more. But you can make that fun meaningful, something that will endure time and lead to a higher purpose. When Tolkien wrote The Hobbit, he was just telling a children’s fairy tale, but what made it more than just that? His profound literacy and culture, that made Bilbo’s adventure become more than a simple bedtime story.

Culture does not need to be boring. You can build culture and a better future by making people laugh, or passionate about your heroes’ deeds, or feel refreshed after a hard day.

So, read.

Until next time.

1. And in fact, it is NOT proving itself as of right now. People keep giving chances to products that hold back their shots on the average white guy, knowing full well that sooner or later they shall fire at will. People keep giving attention to corpo-shlock.

2. Consider yourselves lucky since I cannot find that tweet anymore.

3. Albeit not entirely clueless as the shlock of now, I give you that.