So, as I scrolled through my social media posts today I ran across this article:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/jackie-speier-jonestown-survivor-donald-trump-jim-jones-cult-massacre-1235929255/
Now, I’m not really here today to opine on the contents of this particular piece of writing, although I agree with it. I’m really wanting to talk about a strange thought I had when I read it. It was a thought about what I call “The Pose”.
I thought about adding photos to illustrate my points here, but I hardly need to do so as you have probably already seen any image I might use. The thing I am talking about is a certain pose you see again and again among “strongmen” and other “leaders”.
What brought it to mind was the mention of Jim Jones. When anyone mentions that guy, I’m always reminded of the most popular photo of him, a photo of his face, head tilted slightly back, chin jutting, stern expression on the face. You know the photo, surely you’ve seen it.
And ask yourself, where have a seen the same pose before? You’ll quickly think of other examples, probably the exact same ones I thought of. Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, Jim Jones, Donald Trump. Hell, when you think about it, even a lot of the statues of Julius Caesar are striking the same pose.
Now, one could perhaps argue that anyone could be caught in a photo where they appear in that pose, that it’s just coincidence, but I beg to differ. These folks I named are not “accidentally” showing up in photos that resemble “The Pose”, they are using photos that exactly mirror “The Pose” and spreading them around on campaign posters, banners, and so forth.
Look at The USSR. Those huge banners of Stalin in “The Pose” that festooned every street during his parades weren’t the trick of some coincidence, they were taken and processed for just that effect, and were chosen for just that reason. They are meant to portray “Dear Leader” as strong, and uncompromising.
“The Pose” is meant as a signal. I’m the strong man. I protect you. I’m the leader here.
But should it really signal such a thing? Isn’t it more a perfect illustration that this person is, at best, a sociopath? And at worst, an outright psychopath?
That’s what it says to me…
(as a side note: I want to thank those who were kind enough to contribute to my fund to fix my truck. As I stated, I only ask because I have no other option, and every little bit helps. I do not ask for paid subscriptions here, and I doubt that I ever will… but in this case, raising a few hundred dollars could mean the difference between keeping my truck or losing it, and having even larger bills to pay for all the hassles.
So, if you missed it, or you were waiting for something, cool, here’s a link to the post I made where you can find out how to send any donations you might wish to make to the cause:
Again, if you don’t have the ability to help, fine. If you simply do not want to help, that’s fine too. I won’t hold it against you. But if you are feeling at all generous, and you enjoy my crap at all, and you want to show any appreciation, to quote Pavel Chekov, “now would be a good time”