Previous chapters at the bottom.
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Dear Uncle Screwtape,
The admiration expressed in your last letter is more than deserved, though I must confess that without the generous cooperation of creaturely limitations we could never have achieved our recent triumphs. The watershed, as you well know, came with that delectable spectacle of the 2016 election.
No doubt we could have continued our normal temptations with the other outcome. But how exquisite it is to look back upon the convergence of follies that gave us the upper hand in the direction we thought most profitable for our adventures.
The novelty of their "social media" proved one of our most inspired instruments. So few of the creatures possessed the faintest ability to discern truth from fiction. Each morsel of nonsense was swallowed so long as it pleased their passions.
We were most fortunate, too, to have foreign allies already deep in our pockets. I still relish the memory of that delicious incident in which a young man, convinced of hidden evil, stormed into a pizza shop in search of captive children. Never mind that the cellar he imagined did not even exist.
All of this, of course, was the fruit of the misinformation we fed into every vein of their society. Since then, we have refined the art to near perfection. They now live in the fog we have discussed, each one persuaded that they possess secret knowledge.
Some of these fantasies only contain the faintest speck of truth, which makes them all the more intoxicating. Others are of course pure invention. Through these channels we succeeded in portraying the opponent as the vilest candidate ever to seek the office.
The fact that the Democratic candidate in 2016 was a woman proved a most serviceable advantage. In that season, it remained uncommon to speak so bluntly against women in public. (Thankfully, we are returning much of the country back to earlier, more male-dominating days.) But we could easily use the fact that she was a woman to manipulate the feelings of people in ways of which they were not fully conscious. Those same currents proved of use again in later contests.
As the campaign season grew rowdier, an unlikely figure rose who seemed to traffic as much in spectacle as in arguments over the usual policies. He campaigned with mockery and insult, and crowds adored him for it. He did not so much offer proposals as permit his fans to vent long-bottled frustrations in a voice that sounded like their own.
What began as publicity and provocation evolved into a movement. The rawer elements among them flocked to his side, glad to find their bitterness voiced without apology. He made them feel empowered at a moment when many believed society had turned away from them. That feeling of vindication, more than any reasoned platform, proved the engine that carried him forward.
At that time, many of the churchgoing sort found themselves uneasy about the candidate’s demeanor. In the weeks before the election, certain recordings surfaced in which remarks most unbecoming toward women were made. How delicious, then, to observe how thoroughly the scene has changed. These same churchgoers now count among his most ardent supporters!
We quickly drew on a cadre of apologists to reassure the faithful that, while this man might not match their pious ideals, he was at least preferable to the alternative. Perhaps he was a baby believer who just needed some time to grow in his faith. Perhaps he had repented of earlier days. People love a redemption story. At the very least, we promoted, he was not as vile as the other.
We pressed the question of the unborn with unmatched vigor, knowing it would drown out every other consideration. Those unable to vote for him directly were persuaded that abstaining -- or diverting their votes to hopeless alternatives -- was the only righteous course. Meanwhile, our forgeries of distortion painted his opponent in colors far darker than her own. Thus, through passion, fear, and a narrowing of moral vision, the office was secured by one who seemed to have little plan for the role.
We immediately knew what our agenda would be because it is what our agenda always is. We would sow chaos. We would feed anger. We would inspire fear. We would work for destruction.
Perhaps I will write more as time allows.
Your devoted nephew,
Wormwood
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Previous chapters
- 1 -- The Operations
- 2 -- The Veil Technique
- 3 -- The Fog
- 4 -- Hard Hearts
- 5 -- Focus on Feelings
- 6 -- Blinding Indignation
- 7 -- Spiritual Inoculation
- 8 -- The Fumes of the Enemy
- 9 -- Moral Inversion
- 10 -- Reliable Race
- 11 -- Misdirection
- 12 -- The Very Elect
- 13 -- The Great Wedge
- 14 -- The Revolt
- 15 -- Deepening the Wedge
- 16 -- Church over State
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