This post is inspired by Rodrigo Duterte’s interview with Al Jazeera, available here.
I won’t be long. As I said last time, Excursions Around the Right are meant to be short.
I don’t care what the Human Rights guys say. I have a duty to preserve the [next] generation. If it involves Human Rights [violations], I don’t give a shit. I have to strike fear, because as I said the enemies of the state are out there to destroy the children.
Rodrigo Duterte does not give a shit about human rights. I have two observations about this.
First, Duterte’s attitudes remind me of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Concepts like “human rights” are a product of modern, western safety. We in the west (usually) don’t have to worry about death lurking around the corner. So we can focus our energy on the higher order issues, like freedom, democracy, and getting the newest video game. We forget that the rest of the world does not have that luxury. Trying to force third world countries to deal with their issues while respecting first world conceptions of human rights is like trying to get Rick from The Walking Dead to read every zombie their Miranda Rights before arresting them.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND THESE RIGHTS AS I HAVE EXPLAINED THEM TO YOU?
The second point I’d like to make is that Duterte reminds me of what would happen if one of the fathers from Rotherham just decided to say “Fuck it” and take over the country. Duterte gives off the vibe of someone who the system had failed repeatedly, in brutal ways, and so decided to take matters into his own hands. Like Trump, he resembles a Man with a Chest. He’s The Punisher. He’s Charles Bronson. He’s “A man taken too far, taking the law into his own hands,” but now in charge of a country.
This guy, but with the full power of the state behind him.
The best part in all of this?
Duterte is a post-post-modern anti-hero. He’s not ironic in his attempt at heroism. He’s fully sincere. Sometimes, when you become trapped in a reflection of a reflection of a reflection of real life, the best course of action is to smash the mirror.
