An Opinion About Sect (The Sect of Revolutionaries, the Conspiracy Theories and “Bad Conscience”) more

The Sect of Revolutionaries, the Conspiracy Theories and “Bad Conscience” Christos Iliopoulos A lot has been written and said about the Sect of Revolutionaries after the assassination of the journalist Socrates Giolias on 19/7/2010, and even more after the admission of responsibility by the group. Thus, roughly speaking, two tendencies have flourished among the public opinion. The first is the one that clearly expresses its rejection and abhorrence for the actions of the “terrorists” whilst the second one is, more or less, in favour of those who take vengeance “in the name of the oppressed”, especially during this period of harsh austerity. Nevertheless, they are all making a serious mistake, according to the “side” they are on. The comments and arguments that reject the Sect of Revolutionaries are based on either the disability of comprehending the type of action of such a group or on the reproduction of conspiracy theories, concerning the interference of secret agents and provocateurs to its activities. This sounds quite reasonable if we take into account that such a view fails to understand what it means, for a revolutionary group, to adopt a nihilist philosophy. A careful reading of the – up to date – proclamations of the group can clearly lead us to the conclusion that its members share a vision of destruction of the present social, financial and political reality, by all means, with furiousness and dedication, without hesitation, and with almost no reference to any future utopia. The scale to which they seek to impose their subversive vision suffices for calling them revolutionaries. The means they choose and their preference for deconstruction can label them as nihilists. As a result, what the part of the public opinion that detests these actions needs to understand – whilst in the meantime has reached the self-contradictory point of feeling nostalgia for the “political purity” and “morality” of previous groups like 17N or E.Λ.Α. – is that never before has a nihilist group included its actions in a platform of debate or conciliation with authority. One who is full of hatred, who seeks to deconstruct, who does not consider himself to be part of society, would seem rather inconsistent if he didn’t try to destroy, directly and as a whole, the structures he opposes, without second thoughts or negotiations. Moreover, this very fierce and absolute destructive action, in combination with the incapability of understanding what revolutionary nihilism means, make lots of people believe that the Sect of Revolutionaries constitutes a lair of secret agents and spies who aim at harming and exposing the Greek State, or distracting people from the current burning issues. Yet, this line of argument which is based on the question “Who profits by these actions”, may be sufficient for Hercules Poirot, the well known detective of Agatha Christie, but not for the much more complicated social-political reality: My enemy’s enemy is not always my friend, and quite often an action can cause results equally “useful” to two sides that not only have nothing in common, but can also be regarded as hostile to one another. Of course, a possible interference of domestic and foreign agents in this group’s actions cannot be excluded. Nonetheless, such a possibility cannot be based on this argument. On the other side stand those who secretly welcome the actions of the Sect of Revolutionaries, as the glaive that will punish all those who live at the expense of the middle and lower classes and step on the bodies of wage earners, all those who, as aptly noted in the last proclamation of the Sect, make use of the absolute value and sacredness of human life occasionally and selectively. However, here also lies a trap. In the Genealogy of Morals Friedrich Nietzsche speaks of all the people that have quitted life, whereas the social conventions and restrictions, together with their weakness to act on behalf of themselves have made them form an inner “bad conscience”, oppressed and corroded by the venom of vengeance and resentment. A result of this psychological condition is heteronomy and dependence on others, since no one takes responsibility for the realization of his/her desires and expects that someone else will avenge on his/her behalf and make the step that he/she does not and probably never will, dare to make. These weak people are all who identify the Sect of the Revolutionaries as their personal avenger. They are carriers of a bad and ugly conscience that castrates every initiative or subverting and liberating activity. In conclusion, the projection of every hope for change, justice or restoration on a group, personality, political party or whatever makes a “sectarian” part of a whole just prepares tomorrow’s oligarchies today. The emancipation of the oppressed and the weak can only be a result of their own will. Otherwise, we will find ourselves with the usual outcome of so many historical insurrections and subversions that pinned their hopes upon a General, an Emperor, a Party…