Barbarism vs. Posterism
A Philosophical Divide in COVID-19 Narratives
Recently I had the honor of recording my first ever podcast episode, guesting on We Want Them Infected with Dr. Johnathan Howard and Wendy Orent. It was a wonderful experience and I highly recommend you check it out. When I speak on the episode, I mention that many of the villains Jonathan and I have written about considered the disaster of the pandemic to have been a brand building opportunity, exploiting social media to raise their profiles and mislead the public for profit.
In my spare time, I’ve also been enjoying the Dark Horse run of Conan comics, adapting the classic works of the late author Robert E. Howard. Across many tall tales of adventure fantasy, as we watch Conan grow from thief to pirate to general to king, the wandering brute frequently brushes up against villains inspired by the real-world nasties of 1930s’ America. Dark Horse’s trade paperbacks end with a series of essays about Robert’s life and philosophy shining a light on this.
This began to light a spark in my mind.
In his written debates with fellow author H.P. Lovecraft, Howard lashes out against the excesses of modern civilization: police brutality, corrupt politicians, and capitalist exploitation as a whole. Robert considered “civilization” to be an inherently corrupting influence, with Conan frequently taking matters into his own hands to avenge matters of grave injustice:
“These men were cowards and traitors who sold their own people into slavery and death. They deserved their deaths. And any who stand with them deserve death as well.”
-Conan #7: Blood for Blood, Kurt Busiek & Cary Nord
It’s hard to not find some sympathy with Howard’s views, when we compare the brutality of 1930s America to the nation of today. Mothers struggle to feed their babies, protestors are cut down in the street, and hard work doesn’t pay - while scam artists prosper, given special privileges by a corrupt government. In the news today, we are learning more and more about a billionaire pedophile who was embraced and defended by many seemingly respectable men in our most prestigious institutions.
How can anyone begin to defend such a “civilization?”
Before we can connect this to COVID-19, we need to outline the terms of two defining narratives: “Barbarism” versus what we will call “Posterism,” the guiding philosophy of modern America’s public health leadership.
