‘Liberate Te Ex Infernis’

     Today I finally watched ‘Schindler's List’. It was extremely long, and even dull at times despite the horrific events the film portrayed, but some of the quotes were very striking.

     At one point, Oskar Schindler says the following:

That’s justice, not power. Power is having every justification to kill.. And we don’t.

     I can relate, especially now because of all the pent up anger and resentment towards people I have collected. I’m obviously dealing with a much smaller scale – and personal grudges – but I know it’s within my power to destroy lives, people’s lives. I’m not talking about physical murder, but social murder. I could do it, it’s within my grasp and yours. Only, perhaps it’s closer to my reach than others because I recognize it. The power, the self potential. I’m not sure if I should say unfortunately for everyone, but for some, realizing what humans are truly capable of can be a dangerous recipe for destruction. It can mean complete – or partial, as if either are pleasant – annihilation of classes, civilizations, countries... Specific people, in my case.

     Never have I ruined a person into oblivion, beyond being able to reconstruct themselves. I’ve had personal and outside justifications for doing so that are far from being outlandish or unfair. However, something in me has always begged for me not to, even the people that I know deserve it most.

     If a poll were constructed and votes were cast, I wouldn’t doubt that a majority of the votes would agree with me in believing that my ‘targets of hate’ don't deserve to exist as whatever is most important to them.Yet, somehow, in a mixture of conscious and subconscious, I remain free to say I haven’t ‘killed’ anyone.

      Why did I ever look for liberation elsewhere.


     (After writing this and further speculation, I cannot help but wonder if Marilyn Manson was referencing ‘Schindler's List’ in the lyrics of ‘Vodevil’...

VIP ADD TRD violent shiny hate crime
“Total Requested Dead” it's
Version point (less) downloadable suicide.
The only ones left standing are the ones not demanding...

     Even if not a direct reference to the movie, perhaps Manson recognized the principle of Schindler's quote without it being the enlightenment to hold as a driving force. I have reason to wonder, however,  that it is a reference to if not the film, Oskar Schindler himself. ‘Vodevil’ appears on the album ‘The Golden Age of Grotesque’. ‘The Golden Age of Grotesque’ was heavily influenced by Nazi Germany and the history of degenerate art, which was originally a result of – correct me if I'm wrong, I haven't studied WWII in-depth yet – the Holocaust. You can read about the already recognized references here and here on the Nachtkabarett. I recommend you do, they are not only a fascinating glimmer into Manson's mind, but educational.)