Author’s Note: The bourgeoisie currently controls the means of production and and defines the forces of production. Therefore, the civil society reflects the need for cheap labour and working class powerlessness. Yes – a Socialist society embraces “Internationalism” (where all nationalities, ethnic groups, and minorities are considered to possess “equal” access to the wealth and establishments of society) – but this is NOT bourgeois “multiculturalism” – which is in fact a product of working-class weakness. The EU, for instance, advocates the free movement of cheap labour across national boundaries – and achieves this by actively removing ALL Socialist institutions throughout the various constituent countries that comprises the European Union. US and EU propaganda, which is predatory capitalist propaganda, refers to this weakening process as contributing positively to “multiculturalism”. To be clear, this cohesive process negatively impacts ALL nationalities and ethnic groups – whilst seeming (falsely) to “empower” the very class it is attacking! This separating pressure causes human groupings to fall-back into solitary and self-serving “special rights” associations – which compete for “rights” in the market-place – usually at the expense of one another’s empowerment! Everything becomes about “money” and “money-making”! Group rights are portrayed as being “inefficient” – whilst “hyper-individualism” (greed incarnate) is presented as the most “efficient” and “preferrable”. This how we arrive at the content of this article! ACW (29.11.2024)
Religions possess a self-contained world-view – and even a self-contain “beyond” world-view (Seasonal joke out of the way). Whether religion is real in the literal sense – is a matter of personal view (that – and material scientific observation). People can convince themselves that virtually any point of view is right, wrong, or possibly both (simultaneously). Take the work of Emmanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), for instance, he believed he literally spoke to angels and directly perceived the reality of a Christian Heaven and Hell. Although supposedly a “Scientist” – he spent much of his later-life undermining the objective observation of material reality by assuming that the world of spirit is a) “real”, and b) exists “parallel” to the physical world (with the implication that spirit supersedes matter in the final analysis).
The typical (Christian) Monastic Rule states that on the day of the birth of Jesus Christ (Christmas Day), the monks, nuns and lay-observants (oblates), are solemn, humble, conscientious, profoundly aware, and committed to the structures of the Rule they follow. The interesting thing, however, is that the day of Christ’s birth is no more – and no less – significant than any other of the 364 days that exist throughout the year within the monastic cycle. Yes – various holy days (including Christmas Day) attract specific sermons and rituals – but these are inserted into the general daily framework of the Monastic Rule itself. Extra-food and extra-drink (outside of that already permitted by the Rule) is not allowed. A break from the daily round of monastic duty (outside the Rule) is not allowed. Finally, as the monastics and lay-observants own “nothing” (not even their robes) – there is never any giving of gifts (private property is not permitted under the Rule).
The modern Church (which exists outside of the monastic structure it upholds) is to blame for adopting capitalist market forces, and encouraging lay-people in general to indulge their appatites of greed during the so-called “Festive Season”. The solemn veneration of the Birth of Christ has been replaced with its exact opposite. The contemplative community has been replaced by the hyper-individualism that seeks to grasp all things unto itself at the expense of the well-being of all others (including animals and the environment). The individualistic possession of private money has replaced the communal abandoning of money-ownership. The individualistic ownership of private property has replaced the communal abandoning of private property. The birth of Jesus Christ, according to the Christian view, is the manifestation on the material earth of an entirely new spiritual (immaterial) reality. It marks a new beginning for humanity – an immaterial reality that is ignored even by many modern Christians – who are firmly ensconced within the capitalist system.
This is where we happen to be on the social-scale when it comes to contemporary reality. The political far-right is the product of a psychiatric and psychological dysfunctionality. Although a product of predatory (capitalistic) developmental forces (over the last four-hundred years) – I suspect that this distortion of perceptual reality is a perennial human characteristic premised upon a by-product of the evolutionary process. The far-right has an institutional narrow point of view – beyond which the adherent cannot see beyond – regardless of experience or obvious contradiction. This narrow perception is inherently inverted (it views reality the wrong way around) and exists to perpetuate itself through perpetual aggression and violence with all those who can see beyond it. As at least two-thirds of humanity can see beyond far-right rhetoric – this conflict is assured. Of course, given the right set of circumstances, the one-third that manifest fascist ideology can gain power and inflict their ideology upon the over two-thirds. Even when not formally in political power, the far-right continuously agitates to influence the point of view of all other people.
Boots the Chemist, for instance, is part and parcel of a ruthless capitalist machine that “sells” medicine (for profit) to the general public. It is not a monastery and certainly not a Church. It Xmas Advert is designed to boost sales – and nothing else. It makes no difference as regards its content – so we can place this to one-side. The fallacious argument would be to minutely dissect the content and try to extract some type of “higher knowledge” from it all. Greed-orientated exploitation is simply greed-orientated exploitation – and nothing more. The 2024 Boots Xmas Advert (starring Adjoa Andoh) has attracted tens of thousands of negative votes – and only a lesser number of positive votes (according to social media sites). Much of this negative content arises from the far-right and its dislike of Adjoa Andoh – who described the Coronation of King Charles III as being “terribly White” – whilst participating in an ITV commentary of the ceremony (Offcom took no action – despite thousands of complaints).
As Boots intends to boost profits through enhanced sales – it seeks to mould its advertising campaigns to reflect the current atate of British (secular – multicultural) society. As Father Christmas is a myth, and given that his Elves never existed, I suppose it does not matter what the skin-tone of the actors (who portray these characters) happens to be. Just as Christians (including monastics) possess all different types of skin-tones – it follows that (secular) myths about “Christmas” should also be comprised of participants that reflect this diversity. The far-right, of course, expresses its usual mental illness with regards to this matter, and attempts to limit all participants of religion (and capitalist advertising and myth-naking) to that section of the population that possesses “pink” skin. A pseudo-offence is assumed by the British far-right when non-pink people appear in adverts – and it is this fake moral outrage (and illogicality) that permeates all far-right rhetoric. As none of it is religious in the genuine sense – none of it matters.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 