By Joe
So far I believe I've managed to collect my thoughts on the self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell. The general landscape of the online dissident sphere seems to have split even further under arbitrary lines, vaguely I observe under those who uphold morality vs those who uphold ideology (neither of which is directly inferior or superior outlook than the other). However, regarding this, there seems to be a constant usage of allegory and the great misuse of historical analysis, on this matter.
Aside from the obvious Buddhist monk, two other figures come to my mind regarding sacrifice and ultimately martyrdom for some kind of belief, one which has been brought up in the dissident sphere being Yukio Mishima. The other is a figure I hold in high regard and the rest of you are familiar with, Francis Parker Yockey.
There seems to be some weird glorification of Bushnell's action comparable to Mishima's or Yockey's sacrifice, however, I find this very vapid if not an accidental joke. Martyrdom and more importantly sacrifice have a major distinction over arbitrary suicide, which is the application of "values" or beliefs to one's death. I can with good confidence say at the very least Bushnell was a true believer in what he attempted to stand for regarding his actions; However, the value of sacrifices is never equal.
First, the example of Mishima should examined. Mishima himself was not only a well-known dissident but a famous and well-acclimated author during his lifetime, and his writings although to some extent reaching outside his cultural bounds were directly in regard towards the Japanese populace. The coup itself he orchestrated was by design destined to fail, his writings predict this outlook. Mishima held Japanese culture and way of life close in a post-war world that was attempting to remove that. As it's written in Hagakure dying is a valiant act in his culture, and his stories pinpoint towards the concept of striving towards a goal, even if futile. The important takeaway is that Mishima's death was a culmination and a succinct conclusion to his life's work, beauty in death.
Yockey, I have written ad nauseam on, but it's rather important to lay this out as well. Outside of his general political analysis, Yockey's actions were of far more importance. His outlook written in his own words is inherently a long time horizon. Whether or not he or his fellow cultural vitalists would see the fruition of the restoration of the West's Destiny in their lifetime is irrelevant to the goal on the grand scale. Understanding his worldview and taking it upon himself to attempt to create a network for that cultural vitality was his undertaking. When he had been arrested and when it proved a fair legal system was non-existent for him, he understood the risks at hand. The fear of the federal authorities torturing or threatening him to give up the contacts which allowed his vision to go forward ultimately forced his hand, taking death over and sacrificing all he worked towards.
These two, in comparison to Bushnell, are like observing 2 different species entirely. Like studying a vertebrate vs an invertebrate. Bushnell, in the grand scheme, was a nobody. Outside his political convictions never created, never had a guiding philosophy towards his death. Marxism of whatever branch he followed never expounded such moral takings. His choice of joining the United State's armed forces despite being of an ideological strain in revolt against this system requires an outstanding level of cognitive dissonance. Unlike the former 2, Bushnell was a materialist. His grievances against Israel were not regarding the damage done to his culture and people at home, but rather to a foreign populace he had no relation to, not even ideologically. Though the media is shielding the conversation with talks of "mental health", it must be said the sanity of Bushnell must be a part of the conversation. He did nothing meaningful in his life and died for nothing.
"Big takeaway is that if one of you burn yourself alive please for the love of god at least write a manifesto before you do so, give it at least some more meaning."
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