The Masks of Empire

There are many masks of Empire, faces which must be removed by turn.

First Empire claims to act from morality:

It carries the banner of civilisation, wears shining armour and ringed by a golden Halo.
It holds the sword of truth and leads an army of priests, philosophers, and artists.
The world is full of barbarians, it says.
Empire is a force for good and for progress, a beacon of righteousness in a world of darkness.
We must be this way, empire says, for we are the shining beautiful future.

And so, we must tell Empire it is wrong;
It is no force for good, but one that kills, maims, and destroys.
The empire of our time claims to be for progress, but that is what they all said.
And yet the history of empire is strewn with genocide, with murder, with violence.
We strip the mask of morality away from empire, deny it the cover of goodness.

 

Then it claims to act from necessity:
It comes now in muddy battle armour, stained with blood and protecting a heavy heart.
It holds the blade of need, leading an army of soldiers, generals, and politicians.
The world is full of villains, it says.
Empire is a harsh thing, but it must keep the people safe from evil enemies.
We must be this way, empire says, for such sacrifice is the defence of morality from evil.

And so, we must tell Empire it is wrong;
It does not act from necessity, but from wilful greed and naked desire.
The empire of our time claims to act from need, but that is what they all said.
And yet whenever given the chance, they expand, they dominate, they assimilate.
We strip the mask of necessity from empire, deny it the cover of justification.

Then it claims to act from normality:
It appears now as a natural force without intent, an inevitability in a cruel world.
It comes on stormy skies and leads an army of professionals, merchants, and bureaucrats.
The world is full of empires, it says.
We do nothing someone else hasn’t done already, Empire is just the natural way of life.
We must be this way, empire says, because there is no other way for us to be.

And so, we must tell Empire it is wrong;
It is no natural thing, not a tide or a star or the result of tectonics.
Empire is intentional, the active will of those who will, and permit, violence and domination over others.
The empire of our time claims to be a natural thing, but that is what they all said.
Colonialism, slavery, ethnic cleansing, genocide; all were justified as inevitable outcomes, and none of them were.
We strip away the mask of nature from empire, deny if the cover of being ordinary.

Then, when all the masks are pulled away, the monstrous true face of empire is revealed.
A demon of hell, its gaping jaws dripping with the blood of innocents.
It carries the executioners’ axe, and leads an army of genocidaires, conmen, dictators, and brutes.
Its path is littered with death, as it marches ever forward.
The world is full of targets, it says.
Empire is a glorious thing, for it reveals and affirms my power, that of the strong over the weak.
I will be this way, empire says, because it is how I choose to be.
Its true motivation and real purpose is uncovered: “I can do this, because you cannot stop me.”

And then, it is our duty to show Empire it is wrong.

– The Teaspoon. Image Source