We will decline the temptation to contrarianism that is so irresistible to the rest of the independent media, but we will refuse to join the masses of the bourgeoisie in their bacchanalian celebration of the successful conviction of Derek Chauvin. The authoritarian state is our enemy, and we pursue its destruction in these pages and channels, but we do not pretend that Chauvin, who was only the lowest-ranking of the emissaries of this state, was the embodiment of its essence. Even if we did, his sentencing remains completely uncertain, and the result of his inevitable appeal even more so. The jubilant demonstrations that have been captured and broadcast repeatedly by the mass media since Tuesday afternoon are untrustworthy, also, as we are being told to celebrate our moral renewal at the same time that the authoritarian state is rapidly amassing power through the Biden Administration.
This is the most convenient interpretation of Tuesday’s ruling: the authoritarian state is sacrificing Chauvin to convince the shortsighted masses that they are on the brink of liberation, although none of them can explain what liberation truly entails. Similar to the capitalist who pays nothing in taxes but makes a well-publicized donation to a charity, the authoritarians may be throwing Chauvin to the wolves to distract from their more ambitious undertakings, several of which we have discussed in some detail here at Overwritten. Unfortunately, this process has been distorted in right-wing media (which is the closest thing to an alternative perspective that the establishment permits) as the act of throwing Chauvin under the bus to appease “the mob”, the mob being the masses. This plays into the myth that the commoners and the peasantry possess real power that the state respects and fears.
In other words, no matter which way we turn in the mainstream media, we are presented with the single conclusion that “the people” have been empowered. The only difference between the coverage on NBC and the coverage on Fox is whether this empowerment of the people is depicted as a welcome or a sinister development. We are compelled to accept the authenticity of this narrative before we can develop our narrow opinions on it. This is very similar to the monochromatic depiction of the Alexei Navalny controversy, which we have also been covering at Overwritten: we are required to view Navalny the public figure as a completely organic entity, and there is no space for skepticism in the establishment press.
Continue reading “Non-Sequiturs Abound in the Chauvin Verdict”