Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Enemy Thrives Within
    The Enemy Thrives Within
    The Enemy Thrives Within
    Ebook8 pages3 minutes

    The Enemy Thrives Within

    By Rori O'Keeffe

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    How can a tree stand when it is being eaten out from within? The hollowness of modern life, democracies without true leaders, the scapegoating of the weak and persecuted by the men of power and gold - all point to the futility of building a society where it is not the wise who rise to the top, but reckless parasites instead have their way with our world. Pompous, thin skinned leadership is taking the once-promising democracies to the precipice, and the very class responsible for most of our woes purport to be the ones who can drain swamps and fix it all. Dictatorship is the next logical step for the wealthy-and-connected. Can one poem say it all?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRori O'Keeffe
    Release dateApr 30, 2014
    ISBN9781311302632
    The Enemy Thrives Within
    Author

    Rori O'Keeffe

    rookee75@gmail.comA thought for my fellow journeyers:The new narrative of the right, I've noticed, is downright scary. Is the following an accurate characterization of the new right, or is it satire?"Women have been oppressing men. People of colour have been oppressing white people. LGBTQ people are oppressing straight people. Political correctness is nothing more than a concerted effort to advance those people's agendas. If democracy leads to rule by the weak, stupid and perverted, then to hell with it. Dictatorship is the best and surest way of enshrining the status of the the male, the white, the straight."I wish I could say it's just satire, but observing the multitudes of right-wing voices on social media, as well as paying close attention to the American GOP's ultimate fulfillment of Reagan's dream, it's obvious that Americans are flirting with catastrophe. Beware modern conservatism: It's nothing but authoritarianism, pure and simple.How long will it be before Canadian conservatism becomes infected with this virus? Not too long, I don't think. The same well-moneyed forces are at work here as in the U.S. Expect a sharp shift further to the right if the Republican party takes control of both chambers in the next U.S. midterms.What are whites, men and straight people afraid of? I think the common denominator of their fears is the challenge of having to compete for jobs and status in an inclusive society. Most are insecure because they are woefully unprepared psychologically to compete on a level playing field, having been sheltered by generations of unearned privilege. Soothe them, don't make them feel worse about themselves (think of Hillary's poorly-considered reference to the "basket full of deplorables." That comment may have cost her the election. It proved to many that liberals just hate the uneducated and mostly poor white people of the country.)Whatever you do, don't try to make them feel inferior. That is central to their fears about themselves in an increasingly inclusive social environment. It's important, because if the U.S. goes down to dictatorship, then most or all the other democracies will as well, and civilization will expire in a global Orwellian nightmare. There are so many scathing things I could say about these democracies, but they are almost paradises compared to what a future of dictatorships would be like.Please be kind, unwind.Peace.

    Read more from Rori O'keeffe

    Related to The Enemy Thrives Within

    Related ebooks

    Poetry For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Shelf Life

      Apr 6, 2023

      Shelf Life
      6 min read

    • Article

      Reactions

      Apr 13, 2022

      Feedback from readers Books sometimes speak to each other in a kind of question-and-answer. My 1980s transnational quest novel, Go Home (Knut House, 2016), reclaims the xenophobic taunt and repurposes it. The opening paragraph of Go Home poses the re

      3 min read

    • Article

      A Wave Of Hope

      Feb 1, 2024

      A Wave Of Hope
      6 min read

    • Article

      Trope: My Favorite Dirty Word

      Oct 18, 2021

      Trope: My Favorite Dirty Word
      7 min read

    • Article

      Some Notes On Poetry

      Feb 28, 2023

      Some Notes On Poetry
      12 min read

    • Article

      Cut The Flannel

      Sep 7, 2023

      Cut The Flannel
      2 min read

    • Article

      Holly Black

      Feb 13, 2023

      Holly Black
      11 min read

    • Article

      International zine Scene

      Aug 6, 2020

      Verily is a US web journal for women. The editorial team ‘sifts through the noise of the world to elevate what is honest, real, and beautiful for the modern woman’. Columns requiring subs are Travel with a Local about the ‘hidden gems’ in your neighb

      3 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Jonathan Escoffery

      Dec 15, 2021

      This year, perhaps more than any other in my adult life, I’ve yearned for narratives that promise big things will happen in the lives of the characters they feature. The post A Year in Reading: Jonathan Escoffery appeared first on The Millions.

      5 min read

    • Article

      We Mean Business

      Jun 14, 2017

      BY KEVIN LARIMER To say there are a lot of literary agents out there is an understatement—almost like saying there are a lot of writers looking for an agent (but not quite). The Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR), a nonprofit membership or

      17 min read

    • Article

      Georgia Summers

      Dec 29, 2023

      Georgia Summers
      1 min read

    • Article

      We Mean Business

      Jun 13, 2017

      To say there are a lot of literary agents out there is an understatement—almost like saying there are a lot of writers looking for an agent (but not quite). The Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR), a nonprofit membership organization founde

      17 min read

    • Article

      Why Write Fiction in 2017?

      Dec 12, 2017

      Why Write Fiction in 2017?
      7 min read

    • Article

      Will There Ever Be Another Writer Like Philip Roth?

      May 23, 2018

      I first discovered Philip Roth at age fifteen. My parents, bless them, placed Goodbye, Columbus in my hands. Having grown up in the suburbs of Detroit—the rock-ribbed WASP enclave of Grosse Pointe—I found him exotic, thrilling. His audacity staggered

      2 min read

    • Article

      Orlando Spirit Of The Age

      Jun 11, 2019

      Orlando Spirit Of The Age
      5 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Sophia Stewart

      Dec 22, 2022

      Sophia Stewart reflects on 2022 through the books she read. The post A Year in Reading: Sophia Stewart appeared first on The Millions.

      7 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Enemy Thrives Within

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      The Enemy Thrives Within - Rori O'Keeffe

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1