I do not like writing on Substack, however, I love reading Substack authors. I know I have subscribers who are outside of the friendships I have developed in close community, and I feel awkard in knowing my subscribers do not always know context. However, MS Word kinda’ sucks for this type of off-the-cuff writing, and I hate to rob my friendship boards through adnausea postings.
I don’t like writing because I feel I need to source everything, and I feel my writing is something to which to be adhered and defended. I want to write right now about things I have no desire to defend, just a posting of things I have noticed.
Someone - I would consider a close friend in spirit and community - shared her discomfort in watching Biden's Sept. 1, 2022 speech. She observed he looked “positively demonic.” Evidently, she was not alone in her observation, as a Google search of “Biden’s demonic speech” (images) yielded this:
We can be clear on definitions here, because Google said so.
At this point a reference to the opening ceremonies of the 2022 Commonwealth Games (a sort of mini-Olympics for 72 countries umbrellaed with the British Commonwealth) was provided. The referenced video is disturbing, I think to anyone watching it, no matter their individual take. It should be noted, however, this video was compiled by a person who labelled it “Baal Worship,” so not exactly unbiased.
I encourage anyone (as my friend cautioned) watching this to watch it at first without audio. Audio only adds a narrative, so best to digest this in gut form first. This provides a fun lesson in critical thinking.
Some things in this video when seen cannot be unseen. That this was recorded with bias doesn’t change the images, and the images of ladies and gentlemen with fingers on their temples to render them as metaphores and megaphones for bulls (or maybe Ba’at - later on this), can not be ignored.
These images of the imitation of bull horns, appearing to be in reverance (for what else could it be) turn to women slaves bringing in the bull (“a beast, a bull, ten meters high, heavily armored”). Women slaves laboriously pull the bull with chains issued across their backs.
This is feel-good entertainment on the surface, but when one employs critical thinking, which might feel a bit uncomfortable, it becomes something else. The bull is first brought into this society forcefully on the backs of women. Where are their husbands? If no husbands enter into the picture, and the husbands are not featured, then were these women slaves or prostitutes? If slaves or prostitutes, then why were they allowed the latitude of behaviour necessary to tame the bull? From this point foreward, the critical analysis can go in so many directions, but the official feel good message of the video stops - the questions raised can not peacefully coexit with feel-good.
The women break their chains out of fear (the bull becomes uncontrollably aggressive). The women attempt to tame the bull. The bull appears to be tamed and many realize this moment in reverence. However, the moment of reverence, appears to be more of a moment of worship.
And more worship:
Even more?
The idea of braking free from oppression is super awesome. But again is this a picture of freedom or is it a picture of worship?
What about this, taken closer?
And one last shot:
Again, who allowed these women slaves to usher in this bull? Who forced them to do so? The bull was obviously notoriously aggressive. The women brought him in pulling chains over their backs. At what point were these women freed? The video and presumably the enactment doesn’t show this pivotal moment.
However, these women slaves were allowed to tame the bull. And in taming, the slaves held the bull in reverence. Does this sound even one bit logical? I mean women slaves being forced to pull in what is assumed to be a communal enemy are all of a sudden given free reign to tame the creature their overlords deamed dangerous?
It is not lost on me that Ba’al is referred to as the god of fertility. The irony in this age of a performance featuring Ba’al ushered in on the shoulders of women chained seems apropos. Fertility is apparently challenged. Women are being cautioned.
However, having my baby girl is the best thing ever to happen. She changed my world. I hope my friend who shared her thought with me and my friends will one day experiences the same miricle. She will make the best mother ever to be on this planet.