The Battle for a Human Soul

The soul in my title refers to that of a writer and editor in establishment media who displayed a moment of kindness. I think I too well understand the nature of the beasts who aim to rule us. Where I see a spark of humanity in the writer, they see weakness. So, in way, what this man may endure could be a blessing or a curse, depending upon how he values his own worth.

Some will surely accuse me of making a leap here. If it is a leap, I have good reason to believe it isn't all that far of one.  That is because I am informed by warnings: those written by some in the past, and those exhibited by the behavior of many on the contemporary scene.

Wretchard wrote today of Clive Crook's disparaging of the Restoring Honor Rally. Judging from the reaction in Mr. Cook's publication, The Atlantic, to hear of such disparaging is why they read that publication.

However, what I noticed at the end, and for which many other Belmont Club members also noticed, was that Mr Crook seemed to soften his opinion of those who attended the rally. Not only that. Mr. Crook spoke less than approvingly of the kind of people who read The Atlantic. In his closing paragraph we see:

This afternoon, walking back to my home in predominantly white North-West DC, I paused for a bite to eat in the predominantly white Dupont Circle area, in a cafe whose clientele was predominantly white. There, I did see something mean. A family wearing "Restoring Honor" T-shirts walked by outside, and a little girl tripped over and hurt herself. The couple at the next table laughed.

The prospects for that man -- or any man in his position -- are now less than certain. As one BC member put, we will see what else he writes in the days to come. However, I think he has cast his dice and his fate is on a different track than others are willing to ascribe. It could be a good path, and I hope it is, but the given the nature of the beasts, well -- I hope I am wrong in the dire nature of what follows.

I’m with those who think that Mr. Crook has now varied from the narrative.

Let us hope — no pray — that things have not yet gone so far that he may be forced to endure experiences similar to that of outer party member Winston Smith. Mr. Crook showed a hint of humanity toward that little girl and more than a touch of hostility towards well-healed party members. Sentimentality is not tolerated, unforgivable by the inner party.

It would not matter to Mr. Crook’s fate were he to return to the narrative in the coming weeks. The inner party would not see his performance as Wretchard initially did — as an intentional ambiguity, and thus fitting in with “duckspeak.” They will see it as we hope it was.

So Mr Crook has nothing to regain but his humanity at this point. Again, let us pray that he continues in this new view in the coming weeks. He'd be on our side. We need more humans, not Progs, reinvigorating decency back into our culture.