Fake taboo-busters like Lady Gaga play right into the hands of puritans.
It is in the best interests of puritans to draw as much attention as possible to sins of the flesh. These fiery motes are easily seen by dull eyes, they’re distractingly sparkly, they dance in the air entertainingly, and also have a claim to practical danger, because they really can start household fires.
The real beam in America’s eye, however — the real problem puritans are invested in missing — is that we exalt industry above every other love, including the love of our children, and of our future.
And we don’t even love industry. We just serve it. We serve it unconditionally. Despite our nominal denominations, industry is our god and our true religion. Industry is the irrational root of all other values, and we will not look directly at its face, much less question it.
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The fact that we behave that there is no conflict between work and the rest of life and that no real sacrifices are made (except maybe of effort or of doing what we want all/any of the time) only shows how much contempt we have for all other masters than our own boss.
Look how so many American “Christians” have rejiggered their faith and their ideals to make hard work and service of God one and the same thing.
To reduce something essentially different to sameness is contempt in its extreme.
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This is why Americans are obsessed with sex: Sex is safe and boring, and it distracts us from our real sin, which is, as always, idolatry.
It is also exactly why Americans make such a big deal of “religion”. It distracts from the hidden religion that unites all Americans. Who gives a shit where you go to church? Whether you are “left” or “right”, the alter where you make your sacrifices is the cubicle. (And deep down, you know exactly who is sacrificed there, and it isn’t only yourself.
Dolts like Lady Gaga and Pat Robertson play antagonists in a great drama of distraction, so we can stay united in our utter disregard of anything that might change the order of things in America.
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If Abraham worshiped the god America worships Isaac would have been sacrificed to the workforce.