The intersection of pop culture and deeper beliefs is often an interesting one. In online forum groups like 4chan over the past several years one can clearly see that jokes that glorified National Socialism or radical Traditionalist positions began first as simply a giant middle finger to the Social Justice Warriors and the overall system of political correctness.
Memes like this started out on message boards simply to troll SJW’s, now they are found increasingly in public debates.
Over time, however, it has become clear that more and more youth are no longer just trolling the System They are looking for inspiration to forge a new worldview that attacks egalitarianism, atheism, and multiculturalism at the root. It is no wonder why more and more Leftist politicians and groups are looking to attack Internet freedom and public speech, the joke of yesterday has become the call to action in an age polarized between Modernity and Tradition.
The attacks on the Lord of the Rings film series by Leftists demonstrates that they understand the role that fiction can have on the minds of the next generation. Stories that glorify selfless sacrifice with heroes who look and act European is something that the enemy cannot stand. Leftist media commentator John Yatt wrote before the release of the film the Twin Towers that the portrayal of the enemy Haradrim and Easterlings as “dark, slant-eyed, swarthy, broad-faced a rag-bag of non-white characteristics that could have been copied straight from a British National Party leaflet.”
The fact that Aragorn, the King of Gondor makes a call to the “men of the West” to “have no mercy” in the fight for their homes and families against the combined forces of orcs and non-Western humans was viewed as being racist in the modern context, and it is; at least by the anti-White definition levied by the elites. Even calls to arms for mythical Europeans is too much for the cultural commisars of the political correct Western world. A White man declaring to his “brothers” that “this day we fight!” comes too close to inspiring young White men and women to perhaps think that they should no longer take demographic displacement and attacks on their most sacred held religious beliefs lying down, that perhaps they should come together and fight against the enemies of Faith, family and folk.
Writer David Ibata wrote for the Chicago Tribune that in the Lord of the Rings universe, “The ‘good guys’ include the human Dunedain, Rohirrim and Gondorians. All fair-skinned, mostly blond and mostly blue-eyed.” Europeans are not allowed to have heroic figures in the modern age, even if it is in fiction. The Lord of the Rings films were so attacked for promoting brave White men and women by the media that director Peter Jackson actually was harassed into including a more multicultural cast in the Hobbit prequel film, in direct contradiction with the source material.
The attack levied against Lord of the Rings isn’t the only one in modern pop culture. Any form of opposing multiculturalism, atheism or suicidal pacifism is attacked as being “racist” or “fascist” when in reality the promotion of Christian belief and healthy love of organic community is normal and natural. As Jewish author Joshua Goldberg wrote in his article, “How Social Justice Warriors Are Creating An Entire Generation Of Fascists“ that “what SJWs do not realize is that they are single-handedly cultivating a generation of fascists. The more extreme the left becomes, the more right-wing and reactionary people will become as a result.”
As the Left turns to attacking nursery rhymes and culturally beloved literature and attempts even more draconian battles of thought control over any sort of expression, it is only natural that more and more people will gravitate towards anything portrayed as anti-modernity simply to rebel against the modern world and embrace views and values long attacked by the System.
One of the most well known jokes that has become increasingly serious is that of the Imperium of Man in the Warhammer 40k universe. Originally in the 1980’s the Warhammer 40k universe created the Imperium to be a mockery of hierarchy, militarism, Tradition, and a zealous dedication to Faith and folk. The Imperium was portrayed as being cruel, the religious rituals as being outdated and silly but as the canon has been expanded through hundreds of books from Black Library, the joke has become increasingly serious.
A call to a masculine defense of nation and civilization increasingly resonates with the European youth, even if it is within the context of a fake universe.
The Imperium of Man is inside a universe in which as the Warhammer 40k description tells us “there is only war.” Alien races are attacking humanity on all sides. From the animalistic Tyranids and Orks to the more advanced Eldar these alien races seek to attack, defeat and destroy every human planet in the galaxy.
Insidious incorporeal forces known as Chaos work to subvert the Imperium by promoting the vices that are clearly identified as being Satanic. The four “gods” of Chaos each promote a separate worldview that works to attack the soul of the Imperium through various cults, false preachers and often outright conflict with the Imperium. The “gods” Khorne, Nurgle, Tzeentch, and Slaanesh are served by a host of demons and constantly seek to expand their influence over humanity.
Demons in the Warhammer 40k universe often manifest themselves into the material realm when Chaos sacrifices and rituals are done. While in the real world we may not see demons as they are portrayed in the Warhammer 40k universe, they are no less real.
Satanic Black Masses, child sacrifice, and occult rituals have real power to call upon the forces of Satan, just as Holy rituals such as the Divine Liturgy give us power to call upon the forces of Light to aid us in our everyday lives and in the greater struggle. The Warhammer 40k canon makes it clear that good and evil are real and allegiance in this life and the next have real implications, something Novus Ordo Catholic priests and liberal Protestant pastors should remember when they give endless speeches about “religious pluralism” and never ending ecumenicism with those who are opposed to Christ and His Church.
Khorne represents bloodshed and destruction, Nurgle represents physical and spiritual sickness and decay, Tzeentch works to promote change and anarchy, and Slaanesh is the ultimate expression of hedonism and self-gratification. These “gods” are clearly manifestations of the various faces that Satan puts on to work to attack anything that is good, Holy and Traditional. To become a servant of Chaos while living is to commit yourself to an eternity of your soul being torn apart and devoured by the forces of Chaos inside what is known as the warp, similar to the Christian view of Hell. To be a soul in the warp is to be cut off from the Emperor and from the light, instead facing an eternity in suffering for embracing the ruinous powers during your life.
The Imperium is led by the Emperor, a Christ-like figure who gave his life to fight against Chaos and the various ruinous powers who seek to destroy humanity. The Emperor is portrayed as being a classical European Christian monarch by viewing himself as the father of humanity, a kind and loving ruler who wishes the best for his people in a universe filled with danger and peril. The Emperor fought to unite and advance humanity into the stars, creating an Imperium of hundreds of thousands of planets in which human civilization, not alien, reigned supreme.
An Imperial Cult has been established to venerate the Emperor and promote the values of the Imperium to the people. The Imperial Church or Ecclesiarchy is what binds humanity together, just as the Christian Faith binds together people and nations. The Horus Heresy and other events in the Warhammer 40k canon in which Chaos was able to introduce heresy and division into humanity almost cost the human race everything, and thus the Ecclesiarchy stands as a beacon of light in a dark universe to unite all of humanity under its banner and under the Emperor.
The living Saints of the Sisters of Battle go forth to proclaim the Faith and fight the enemies of the Emperor and humanity.
While early in the Warhammer 40k universe the Imperial Cult was shown as simply being a way to control people, it has increasingly been show to be a true Faith that has real power both in the corporeal and incorporeal realm. In the tabletop game the Sisters of Battle due to their steadfast Faith in the Emperor can actually perform miracles to save their lives and destroy enemies of the Imperium. “Living Saints” are Sisters of Battle who are so devoted to the Imperial Cult that they literally glow with the warp power of the Emperor, living beacons of devotion to the Emperor and the tenants of the Imperial Faith. Demons and Chaos worshipers hate Imperial Cult symbols and in some cases can actually be harmed by them, just as how the demonically possessed cannot stand being touched with holy water or a blessed crucifix.
In the Gaunt’s Ghosts book series various miracles including healing and visions has been shown to be a true expression of the Imperial Cult, with the Saints of the Imperial Cult to be shown to exist in the incorporeal realm to help true believers against the enemies of humanity. Prayer, fasting and intercession to the Saints and the Emperor can lead to blessings, miracles and protection as found both in the table top Warhammer 40k game and the canonical books of the universe.
In the series of books in the Gaunt’s Ghosts universe that are linked to Saint Sabbat and the shrine world dedicated to her, the Saint appears in visions, leading Gaunt and his warriors and even performing direct miracles to help the forces of the Imperial Guard to overcome those who wish to desecrate the worlds of humanity with the taint of Chaos.
The pious men of the Imperial Cult give courage and Faith to the soldiers in battle who are fighting the alien and the heretic
The Imperial Cult also runs orphanages, builds churches, evangelizes the message of the Imperial Cult to new worlds and peoples, maintains relics of Saints, and continues to keep the writings of the previous generations alive. Maintaining Tradition is the key of the Imperial Cult, there is no room for modernity or “getting with the times” inside the hallowed halls of the Adeptus Ministorum.
The transformation of the Imperial Cult into being portrayed as a true religion with a direct impact on the lives of those fighting the alien, the heretic, and the mutant is a clear shift towards justifying the Imperium as not being a portrayal of some corrupt society, but being the only hope that humanity has in the 41st century. Only through calling upon the supernatural forces can the men and women of the Imperium be protected from heresy, which inevitably leads to citizens becoming servants of Chaos.
The Imperium does not negotiate and does not compromise its religious or its social values to those who wish to destroy it. In the age of outright heresy being found in most mainstream churches, it is no wonder why many young people see the expression Imperial Cult as being a desirable vision for how the religious body of the Christian Faith should act. Inquisitors in the Warhammer 40k universe seek to uproot heresy, but heresy is not simply a choice of having different religious beliefs, heresy leads to the occupation and destruction of billions of men and women’s souls being given over to the corrupting influence of the forces of Chaos.
Without the Inquisition the Faith of the Imperial Cult could be subverted, but through the Inquisition the Faith is protected and the souls of the Imperium are kept safe under the guidance of the Emperor and the Imperial Church, the Ecclesiarchy.
In the modern age I personally would love to see an Inquisition to root out the Satanic forces of liberalism that seek to subvert and inevitably destroy the Church, something our ancestors fundamentally understood. Millions of Christian souls that were lost to the pernicious and foul heresies of modernity could have been saved if heretics had been silenced before they had been allowed to propagate their false beliefs. Heresy is a poison that rots from the inside, and while it may not manifest itself in cults of Chaos as portrayed in Warhammer 40k, the result is no less disastrous to the hearts and souls of a nation.
The Imperium also promotes a selfless sense of dedication to defending humanity from the alien forces that wish to destroy it. Almost every artistic drawing or description of the Imperium shows that the humanity of the future is not some polyglot multicultural civilization, but is overwhelmingly led by and fought for by Whites. Many Leftists have complained that the Imperium presents a message of being pro-White because the heroes and members of the Imperium overwhelmingly are of European descent and militarism is portrayed as being the only solution to problems.
You cannot negotiate or have a sing-a-long with an Ork war band, you can only fight it and drive the invaders back into the stars. The spirit of the Christian crusaders is clearly demonstrated in the forces of the Imperium for as the Liber Imperialis states “The martyr’s grave is the keystone of the Imperium.” There is no room to work for selfish gain in the Imperium, men are called in defense of their homes and their people and willingly give their lives so that their home worlds and all of humanity are kept safe. To lose is not to face a political setback, but to have the annihilation of all that the men and women of the Imperium hold dear.
Even when commanders or leaders are shown as corrupt or weak in almost every Warhammer 40k book or story, the day is generally saved by the pluck and valor of dedicated Space Marines and Imperial Guardsmen who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their Faith and for their people. No civilization is perfect and hierarchy has its flaws, but Warhammer 40k shows that the only way to combat interior spiritual rot and external threats is to embrace a symphonic form of government in which Church and State calls men and women forward to service to fight for the things that matter; Faith, family and folk.
The Imperium of mankind stands dedicated to fighting for Faith and nation, a message that resonates with many young Traditionalists. The values of self sacrifice, a militant defense of your identity and people, and a religious fanaticism against the forces of darkness are all values that Traditionalists should and do embrace. In generations past young and old were able to tell heroic tales of our ancestral heroes and enjoy the myths of our forefathers, but now in the age of endless White guilt we are no longer allowed pride in our history and our Traditions. While starting off as a parody of militant resistance and religious zealotry, the Imperium provides a myth for which many important Traditional values can be found.
Obviously, Warhammer 40k is a fictional universe and we shouldn’t run off shouting “For the Emperor”, but to be able to have a fictional universe to explore during one’s leisure time that increasingly promotes Traditional values is something to cherish. The idea of a strong religious Faith protecting and guiding the Faithful is increasingly rare in modern media, but the Imperium stands built upon the foundation of Faith and service. Tick off your local Social Justice Warrior and explore the world of a religiously devoted civilization fighting tooth and nail for survival through martyrdom and dedication. Never fear the ruinous powers of materialism and modernity, the Emperor protects!