From the vault, September 4, 2014 (revised):
In the biblical book of Revelation (chapter 6, verses 1-8), the so-called “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” are described. The first wields a bow, wears a white crown, and rides a white horse; he is called “Conquest.” The second wields a great sword and rides a red horse; he is called “War.” The third possesses a pair of balances and rides a black horse; he is called “Pestilence.” The fourth is sometimes depicted as carrying a scythe, but it is not described in the bible; yet, he rides a pale horse and is called “Death,” and “Hell” rides after him. The Four have the power to kill a fourth part of the Earth.
I should like to update the Four to reflect the modern era.
The new “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” I call “Fear” and “Paranoia” and “Bigotry” and “Injustice.” They are armed with automatic rifles, ride in unmarked vehicles, and have the power to kill the whole Earth.
The election of Donald J. Trump as the president of the United States of America changed this country radically (and he’s not through yet!). Americans now see “terrorists,” both foreign and domestic, behind every bush and tree, under every bed, and in every closet. If a person does not look “American” or speak “American” or worship “American,” why, (s)he is instantly suspected as a threat to “real” Americans. And anyone who has befriended and/or sympathized with suspect persons also come under scrutiny. Police forces, and more recently, armed soldiers, patrol the streets, and self-appointed “citizen watchdogs,” i.e. vigilantes, “assist” them. The Four whispers in many ears and kept “real” Americans in a state of hysteria.
The Four have been around a lot longer than Donald J. Trump, of course. He is merely their most recent servant. The history of the United States is filled with their utterings and their deeds. (But sometimes they did travel by horse.) They could be seen on all of the highways and byways of the country in a never-ending road trip, and no one was safe from their visitations. Nowadays, if you’ve followed news reports on TV and radio and the internet and social media, you will know how active – and how unabashed – the Four have been in establishing control over the hearts and minds of the general populace.
“Fear” oversees the manufacturing of propaganda which alerts everyone to so-called dangers they never knew existed. This rider’s output takes many forms, from innuendos to baseless accusations, from ethnic profiling to slander/libel. “Paranoia” has charge of distributing that propaganda and uses the means of transmission listed in the preceding paragraph. “Bigotry” sets up organizations designed to convince everyone to act upon the propaganda they receive; this rider’s organizations are sometimes called neighborhood watches or militias, but they all do one thing – keeping everyone moving in the direction the Four want them to go. Finally, “Injustice” goads everyone into actually acting upon the propaganda and targeting “suspects.” This rider remains behind the scenes, of course, but he is never far from the action.
Would you recognize the Four if you saw them, dear reader? Perhaps not – they usually look like you and me. You would have to listen closely to what they say and how they say it in order to see them for who they really are. I am reminded of the late, great cartoonist, Walt Kelly, whose comic strip “Pogo” featured a host of anthropomorphic animals who lived in a bayou. The title character, a philosophic opossum, once famously said, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” This is the end product of the Four’s manipulation – to keep us at each other’s throat.
If we fall into apathy and allow the propaganda of the new “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” to rule us, we become their willing slaves. Be warned, dear reader, that they are relentless and that it takes a great deal of will power to resist them. But, once they are resisted, they will all fade away like the phantoms they are.
Just a thought.