The Crisis Fetishist

Hey kids… you want a soundtrack
That’s gonna make you feel tense?
Let you express your frustration?
Make ya scared, wanna run out and buy a gun?

You’re looking for another rock ‘n’ roll record
That’ll make you feel like a victim
You’re like a victim, you love to be a victim
You love the United States prime-time victim show

Hey, bells, helicopters, machine guns
Listen to that, listen to that
Kill for Allah, kill for Jesus
1980’s shit, turn it down, tone it down

Hey, listen to me
All that 1980’s shit is over
Brothers and sisters, we’re gonna turn the volume down
Brothers and sisters, we’re gonna shut down
This mechanical stuff
That makes us feel like victims

Take those machine guns, and turn ’em down
Yeah, turn off those cop shows
Listen to those helicopters, listen to the sirens
Makin’ ya feel nervous, and anguished
1980’s shit, turn it down, tone it down

Now I ask you,
I ask you in a quiet tone of voice,
Is the helicopter a machine of pleasure?
Is the helicopter a love machine?
Turn it off

Silence those church bells, fuck the sirens
Let’s have some quiet, quiet silence
Yeah, yeah, I wanna hold you close
You wanna hold someone close
Hey, we wanna, we wanna feel good
I wanna make you laugh

Turn down that victim shit
Oh yeah, yeah isn’t that better?
Hey we wanna look each other in the eye
We wanna high five, we wanna whisper
We wanna whisper sweet things in our ears

I wanna tremble your earbones
Open your trembling earbones
Listen, turn that helicopter off, baby
We will not be angry victims no more
We’re gonna, we’re gonna say, yeah

Turn it off, turn it off
Turn that helicopter down
We’re gonna say yeah
We’re gonna say yeah
We’re gonna say yeah
We’re gonna make it all work out
We’re gonna have
A moment of silence now

Turn down the machines
Turn down the helicopter
Turn down the prime-time
Shut those guns down
Yeah, yeah, isn’t that better?

-Timothy Leary, from “Gila Copter”, Revolting Cocks, 1993

We have reached a point in human development where there is rampant crisis fetishism. There are people; not just politicians, not just mainstream media scum, but regular people who want a global pandemic, so they can force people to do what they want. They savor your pain and suffering. They delight at the prospect of the surrender of your dreams. They can’t wait to read about the death of someone you care about. Or yours.

Look around social media, now that you’re ordered to stay in your home. Take note of the people getting their jollies off on this crisis. Learn and remember their names. Not for the purpose of exposing them, but for your own safety. Because these are the people who wish harm upon you, just for existing. They don’t even hide it anymore.

Remember every single elected official who did anything other than protect your interests during this time. Every second they remain in office is our fault, and don’t kid yourself. We either elected them or allowed them to be elected, which means their every fuck-up is on our heads. If you support a single politician whose agenda is anything other than helping us right now, get your head examined, pronto. Presuming you live in an area where that’s still an option.

Any person who treats this crisis like karmic revenge is a psychopath. Beware those people. Give them extra social distance. Cut them out of your life. Leave them to their own hell.

When the towers fell on 9/11, there were store owners who refused to provide water to wash the aerated concrete out of the eyes of blinded NYC pedestrians. There will always be people too weak and selfish to rise to the occasion during a crisis. That doesn’t mean you have to publicly shame them, or put their names on a list. Just treat them as your enemy and vow to do better. Be better.