A Cautionary Tale of Babylon, Berlin and Bessemer
In our last article, The Normalcy Bias Part I: Why History is Doomed to Repeat Itself, we proposed that one reason we continue to repeat the mistakes of history is that we allow ourselves to be lulled into a cognitive state known as normalcy bias. Normalcy bias is an unconscious tendency to underestimate the likelihood or the impact of an adverse event or action. Part I of the article, we established the warning signs from the historical events of 9/11, the Afghanistan retreat, and the COVID-19 mandates. The result of this cognitive bias is that every step forward by the woke/unhinged is a step forward to the brink of destroying the American Dream and the American Promise.
In The Normalcy Bias Part II; A Caustionary Tale of Babylon, Berlin and Bessemer, we will compare how the advancement of America’s woke/unhinged policies are akin to those of past failed states. We will examine the similarities, and although many factors led to the fall of these once great cities, the slow, steady advancement of the woke/unhinged ideas and policies also hastened their demise. We will see how these cities parallel America’s current condition.
Although some may regard this observation as a warning to my conservative brothers and sisters, I mean it to be a warning/wake-up call to my progressive brothers and sisters. This article is intended to be a canary in the coal mine. If your answer to the social injustices, inequality, and suffering of our time (that we all should be attempting to correct) is to burn it all down and replace it with incoherent ideology such as the 1619 project, children’s sexual transformation surgery, the lie that America was, is and will always be, systemically racist, and (my favorite) men can give birth; then you are only hindering us from addressing tangible means to “put our house in order.”
This article will conclude by presenting five common sense actions to restore this once great “city on a hill,” not to its former glory but a much brighter glory: the promise of an America of the people, by the people, and for the people.
BABYLON – BERLIN – BESSEMER ALABAMA
There is a commonality that runs through historical accounts of past fallen civilizations. The commonality is that their destruction started from within before any invaders ever set foot in their cities. The civil and governmental decay, the population’s abandonment of their rights and freedoms, and their governmental control of individual agency weakened these societies to the point that their adversaries could capitalize on their lack of unity and conquer those states (many times very quickly).
BABYLON
Babylon was located in modern-day Iraq, near the Tigris – Euphrates River Valley. Its peak was from approx. 1800 BCE to 500 BCE, this area is still called the “cradle of civilization.” Much like modern America, Babylon was the most powerful and influential empire of its time, leaving behind a vast legacy still used today in the fields of such sciences as astronomy, mathematics, law, and literature.
ASTRONOMY
The first sophisticated system of studying and accurately predicting the movements of planets, stars, and other celestial bodies was in Babylon. It was the Babylonians who created the zodiac constellations, which the Greeks and Egyptians later adopted.
MATHEMATICS
The Babylonians developed a system of mathematical processes that included addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Their more complex math allowed them to calculate celestial movements accurately.
LAW
The Babylonians had a sophisticated system of laws, including criminal, civil, family, and property law. Some of the basis for their laws are still used in various forms today.
ARCHITECTURE
Babylon was world-renowned for its ability to plan and engineer architectural achievements, such as the Ziggurats, used as temples, palaces, and government meeting places (still visible today). Also, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
TOWER OF BABEL
How did this once great state become a mere historical footnote in time? It was not at the hands of foreign invaders, not the plague, not an earthquake, and it was not a comet that ended the Babylonian empire. Their demise came from the slow advancement of apathy and moral indifference within the Babylonian population.
At the height of its power, Babylon became drunk on its prestige. “Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, which made all the Earth drunken: the nations hath drunken of her wine; therefore, the countries are mad” Jeremiah 51:7. The historical artifacts, known as the Babylonian Chronicles, dated 590 BCE, are stone tablets that recorded momentous events in Babylonian history. These tablets tell of the extravagance and decadence of the Babylonian people, which contributed to the societal divisions of their times. Although historians can (rightfully) argue that many factors contributed to their final demise, it is a certainty that even our ancestors were susceptible to their normalcy bias. After the social, cultural, and moral decay had set in, it was only a matter of time before the “wolves would be at the gates.”
The story of the Tower of Babel is one every Judeo-Christian Sunday School child knows. It is a story that biblically attempts to explain how humans have evolved to speak different languages. More importantly, it is a warning to humanity to respect and fear the power of the Abrahamic God. Gen11-1-9
However, the truth of the fall of Babylon is much more straightforward and obvious, and it is more familiar to the West than we would like. Here are three elements that “set the stage” for the social and cultural implosion that proceeded with the Persian invasion and conquering of Babylon in 539 BCE.
THE ROT FROM WITHIN
The social assault on the Babylonian family unit and social structures that supported the families. Babylon (much like present-day America) was a society where their socially agreed upon norms were constantly challenged, and their morays began to be assaulted by a small fringe of radicals (like the worshipers of the goddess Inanna, the goddess of love, war, fertility, sex, and beauty).
As with Babylon, America is facing a betrayal from within: the assault on American families by the teachers’ union, the infiltration and the takeover of the American medical, education, and legal systems by progressive social (in)justice warriors, the weaponization of federal agencies against principled parents, clergy and the Military are not just examples of advanced instructions of our most sacred institutions and civil liberties, they are warning signs for where these woke/unhinged policies will lead us. What external enemies (Babylon = Persia/Hittites) (America = Iran/China/Russia) could never have hoped to accomplish is achieved from within their subversive population.
- The Greek historian Herodotus wrote extensively about the rule of Babylon at its pinnacle, and he referred to the city as being known for its political corruption and sexual licentiousness. The destructive nature of hyper-sexual and hyper-violent entertainment and (social) media is another parallel between Babylon and modern America. Much like America, Babylon was known for its decadence and hedonistic entertainment culture. America’s worship of professional athletes (grownups paid to play games), actors (who pretend they are someone they are not), politicians (who also pretend to be someone they are not), and, of course, reality stars and influences (who display the very worst of humankind) rivals any worshiping of the pantheon of gods and goddesses by the Babylonians.
- The corruption and moral erosion within the ruling class and the political/military leadership of ancient Babylon. Just as we (America) have been experiencing a lack of authentic, ethical leadership at our strategic and operational level, Babylon also experienced the corruption of its institutions from within (yes, the call is coming from within our house). This corruption of leadership is evident to (the world and) Americans in the dishonesty, democratic subversion, and moral scandals among political, military, and corporate leadership. Politicians who make, on average, $155,000 annually become multi-millionaires – how? Military Generals so far removed from the warfighter are willing to sacrifice the warrior’s life for political correctness and a chair on a corporate board or as a Congressional Lobbyist. Our corporate leadership is so scared of the cancel culture that they sacrifice ethical behavior to pursue the asinine ESG (environmental, social, and governance) score.
The corruption and erosion of moral leadership is what I consider the most threatening to our country. In the last 30 or 40 years, we have seen a staggering amount of America’s leadership abuse their power and authority for personal gain and profit (where are the Colin Powell’s of our time). The ruling classes’ exploitation of those beneath them has left many young Americans bitter and cynical about becoming the next future leaders. Our disillusionment with the system has created a significant loss of trust in our historically revered institutions – military/ law enforcement/ civil servants/ education and healthcare.
The secret of effective leadership is that relationships are built on trust- no trust – no ties. The breakdown of faith can be seen in America’s education, health, and legal/justice systems: no trust = no relationship.
BERLIN
A little-known and often misunderstood period in German history is their short-lived democratic experiment known as the Weimar Republic (WR), from 1918 till the rise of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist Party (Nazi) around 1933. Much like America’s “roaring twenties,” Germany’s “goldenen zwanziger jahre” was a time of unchecked morals, sexual experimentation, social turmoil, and political/military subversion.
In the 1920s and 30s, Berlin was referred to as Babylon Berlin due to its resemblance to the fabled ancient city (mentioned previously). Both cities were renowned for their excessive indulgence, sexual experimentation, and progressive social policies. The city of Berlin in the 1920s and 30s was known as the most developed city in Europe, especially when it came to diversity and inclusion. Berlin, famous for its cabaret culture, nightclubs (over three hundred), illicit drug use, sexual openness, and laxed civil and immigration laws, was where the first recorded male-to-female gender transformation surgery was done in 1922 by surgeon Erwin Gohrbandt at the Charite Universitatsemedizin. Born Rudolf Richter (April 1892), Richter legally changed his name in February 1934. Richter underwent numerous surgical procedures; he died (unknown date) during an operation to place a uterus into his body.
The blowback to these unconventional, progressive values, lack of integration of traditional culture, terrible economic instability, political in-fighting, and widespread social disillusionment created a juxtaposition that most Germans found aggressive, intrusive, and unacceptable. Behind all the glamor and indulgence of the times lay an undercurrent of darkness. The rise of socialism began to take hold in Germany during this time, leading to a threatening sense of unease among much of the population. This sense of fear that swept across Germany was capitalized on by political opportunists, leading to increasing governmental and societal censorship and repression of many civil liberties. This was the original “cancel culture” (on steroids).
ADOLF RISING
As the divide between the German authoritarian right (majority) and the alt-liberal left (minority) grew, a fledgling political group known as the National Socialist Party (Nazi) moved to fill the void. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party skillfully created a narrative capitalizing on the discontent of the time’s moral decay, economic struggles, and political instability.
The National Socialist Party began to use propaganda in a campaign of anti-Semitic policies to unify those disillusioned with the abandonment of traditional German values. They created an “other” (auslaender) that people could rally against. This enabled those disenfranchised by the societal and cultural deterioration to channel their fear and hatred towards those considered “a threat to democracy” (sound familiar, Joe).
The Jewish community, the communist, the gypsy, LGBT, and the disabled were all deemed “unfit” according to the Nazis. They cultivated the view that those who were “outside” the norm were wrong or evil. This, in turn, fueled further hatred and violence towards those whom the political powerful had isolated. This isolation (of their compatriots) by the politically powerful eventually took the next step into a full-blown genocide during WW II.
FROM EINSTEIN TO AUSCHWITZ
As a self-proclaimed history buff, I have often wondered how the country that gave us Bach, Beethoven, and Immanuel Kant could also give us the concentration camps of Dachau and Auschwitz. The most cultured government of its time enacted (what they called) the Final Solution; how could this happen? The answer is painfully simple: complacency and normalization of the irrational and unthinkable within the population.
The lesson of 20th-century Germany is how easily a country can turn morally evil. Nazi Germany is a stark warning to all present-day nations – abandon principled governmental and social morality to your peril. As President Ronald Regan said over 55 years ago, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”
Much like 20th century Germany, there is a minority of Americans who have adopted what the Polish psychologist Andrew Labaczewski (1921-2008) termed as pathocracy. Pathocracy is when pathological thinking becomes institutionalized. This is why I refer to the left-woke as woke/unhinged. It is the unhinged who are a small pathological minority occupying positions of power.
BESSEMER ALABAMA
Founded in the postbellum era, Bessemer was incorporated as a city in September 1887. The town of Bessemer developed into an industrial juggernaut in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The area had significant iron ore, coal, and limestone deposits, so the city was considered an upcoming middle-class community that could compete with Birmingham, Alabama.
By the middle of the 1980s, however, the mining industry had dried up, and steel-making jobs had moved out of the area, and one-third of the city’s workforce became unemployed. Illicit drug use, alcoholism, and crime more than tripled as other societal problems continued to grow; in 2019, Bessemer was named “the worst city to live in” and is one of the most violent cities in all of America.
Like many progressive cities today (New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Washington D. C., Pittsburgh), Bessemer had let unchecked crime skyrocket. In this small township of less than 26,000 citizens, those who live and visit there have a 1 in 30 chance of becoming a victim of violent crime (1 in 168 chances in the rest of Alabama). Bessemer is rated a 0% safer neighborhood than any other of America’s neighborhoods. Property crime (per one thousand residents) in Bessemer is 79.33; the National average is 19. This once beautiful and serene community has been overrun with the use and distribution of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamines. Prostitution and human trafficking have replaced community and civic involvement in Bessemer.
Again, like many cities in America, the slow, steady deterioration of the value of hard work, individual agency, and responsibility has given way to the progressive ideology of victimhood and dependence on governmental handouts in Bessemer.
It is worth noting, however, that the extent to which the cultural progressiveness of the times has directly influenced the fall of these once-great cities is complex and intertwined with many factors. Economic instability, political turmoil, governmental overreach, social propaganda, and widespread social disillusionment are some of the influences that helped facilitate their demise.
A CALL TO ACTION
After The Normalcy Bias Part I, a friend asked the best question: what can we do? Here are five things I believe every American can and should do.
- “Know the enemy (opposition) and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be in pearl” Sun Tzo. To “know the enemy” means being a good consumer of information. Read, study, cross reference, and examine multiple sources of information. To “know yourself,” we must understand EVERYBODY has unconscious biases (regardless of gender or pigmentation); it is in knowing that we overcome those biases.
- Engage in Rene Descartes’s (the 17th-century French Philosopher) method of reasoning, referred to as “radical doubt.” Radical doubt is periodically examining and/or reexamining your long-held ideas and beliefs. It is exploring the “why” of your thoughts, not merely the “what” of them. My dad would say, “Listen to the person you are talking with as if they are someone who is teaching you something.” That does not mean to “suffer fools” or “cast your pearls before swine,” my Sergent Major buddy would say, “you have to know when to cut sling and move on.”
3. “When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you,” African Proverb. Fear not, and never give up your intellectual honesty. There is a price to pay for standing up to the woke/unhinged and defending American principles, values, and ideas- every warfighter knows this. But it is a small price to pay to live life fearlessly.
4. “A single twig breaks easily, but the bundle of twigs are too strong.” Native American Proverb. Create and support an eclectic group of allies. My two closest and dearest friends are both mentors of mine and on the surface, they are my polar opposite. One is a left-leaning former professor and a Rhode Scholar in philosophy and world religion. The other mentor is finishing his dissertation for his Ph.D. and has a photographic memory. I regularly meet with each of them, and we have the most satisfying and enlightening conversations. Our allies (what I would refer to as virtuous friends) give us hope when we are wavering; they challenge us, encourage us, and (like steel on steel) sharpen us for further battles.
5. “Fight the good fight, finish the race, keep the faith,” 2 Timothy 4:7. The only antidote to the absurdity of the woke/unhinged is to FIGHT. Not physically, but mentally, intellectually, and morally. Remember that the cancel culture (left and right) is betting on your normalcy bias to force your head down, silence you, and keep you compliant.
In today’s instant information age, words are currency, and the woke/unhinged know they do not have to get you to say you agree with the absurdities they are pushing; they merely need to intimidate those who disagree with them by making the most absurd claims.
When they (unhinged) proclaim that there are as many genders as you want there to be, stand up for intellectual honesty and present the scientific (biological) evidence. (It is either XX or XY, baby.) When they claim that America is systemically racist, offer them the historically accurate account of how Americans dismantled the institutionalized and legalized racial discrimination of the past (slavery, Jim Crow laws, separate but equal schools, redlining, and past prohibitions on voting or owning land).
When politicians, teachers’ unions, and the social (in) justice warriors say that your children belong to the state, vote those politicians out of office and attend school board meetings so you know what is going on and how to “push back.” Even if you have grown children as I do, we still pay property taxes and have the right to know of and be heard by our city and school administrations.
Finally, when they claim it takes a village to raise your child. Remind them who your child belongs to and that it does not take a village. It only takes a family!
Living Life Fearlessly
Your Brother in Arms (YBiA)
Vincent