On Satire and the Understanding Thereof

As a general rule, a person too stupid to understand satire shouldn’t try to use it as an affirmative defense.
—John Scalzi, July 20, 2013

Now, obviously I understand satire, and one would have thought the satirical nature of my response to McRapey’s hilarious ode to rape was sufficient evidence of that. But since I am never one to forgo the beating of dead horses, even the unnecessary beatings of equines long since deceased, allow me to present further evidence, conclusive evidence, of my grasp of the art of satire.

As you can see, I do not merely grasp the art of satire, I am observably a best-selling satirist, right up there with Juvenal and, apparently, someone by the name of Freida McFadden who would appear to sell a lot more books than me, Juvenal, and John Scalzi combined.

However, DEATH AND THE DEVIL isn’t just satire. It’s also litricha, as is demonstrated by the appearance of my name in between literary immortals Salman Rushdie on the one hand and the late David Foster Wallace on the other in the Literary Short Stories category.

So, if anyone needs me, I’ll just be here in my library, wearing a velvet robe, smoking a pipe, and contemplating my next public pontification for the semi-literate masses. Although, deep in my contemplations, a terrible thought struck me. What if the rightful heir to Terry Pratchett’s SF humorist throne is not, as some have suggested, Jasper Fford, but rather, Vox Day?

Or, as is more precisely the case, Vox Dai?

Let the wailing and gnashing of teeth begin.

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Mayor Mamdani

Actions have consequences. History does not repeat, but it rhymes. Insanity consists of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

New Yorkers elected their first socialist mayor Tuesday, handing far-left Democrat Zohran Mamdani a historic victory — as he claimed a mandate for his potentially budget-busting progressive agenda and all but declared war on President Trump. The Associated Press and NY1 called the race for the 34-year-old Mamdani about 40 minutes after polls closed at 9 p.m., eliciting cheers from his supporters at his campaign’s Brooklyn watch party.

Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, carried 50.4% of votes to independent candidate Andrew Cuomo’s 42% at midnight, with nearly 98% of precincts reporting, the city Board of Elections said. GOP nominee Curtis Sliwa came in third with a rock-bottom 7.1%. The Uganda-born Mamdani will be the Big Apple’s first Muslim, first South Asian and first socialist mayor, as well as one of the youngest.

In the spring of 711, a Muslim army invaded Iberia led by Tariq ibn Ziyad, serving the Arab governor Musa ibn Nusayr, at Guadalete they swiftly defeated Roderick the Visigoth King and then marched northward to the Visigoth capital of Toledo. Both Latin and Arabic chroniclers record that the Jews of the city “opened the gates of Toledo” to Tariq, who conquered the city.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. In 1965, Emanuel Celler finally achieved his lifelong goal of opening America’s gates with the passage of the Immigration and Naturalization Act that ended 44 years of a restrictive immigration policy that made the USA the greatest and most powerful country in the world. And now, as a direct result, both the Big Apple and the Mini-Apple are governed by foreign Muslim mayors whose interests are absolutely antithetical to the American “Posterity” for whom the Constitution was written and whose rights it was intended to defend.

“New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants. And as of tonight, led by an immigrant.”
— New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani

Translation: It will remain a foreign enclave run by foreigners for the benefit of foreigners.

The handwringing by conservatives and by liberal Jews alike about the loss of New York City is as pointless as it is ironic. New York City and every other urban center in the United States long ago ceased to be American. Now they’re just distribution centers for foreign tax farmers redistributing everything that can be skimmed off, stolen, or scammed from the productive to the interest groups presently in demographic power.

None of this is a secret or a surprise to anyone with even a modest grasp of history. Mass immigration marks the end of every society and every empire, even on those occasions when it doesn’t directly cause it. I certainly welcome the new regimes in New York City and Minneapolis, and will watch with interest, if not amusement, to see how they take advantage of the wretched retards who actively encouraged these foreigners to come and rule over them.

I only hope the beleaguered residents of New York City and Minneapolis and other cities blessed with vibrant rule will remember that all the bad things they are complaining about, all the terrible things that they will be complaining about in the future, are things that they were warned about, but dismissed as impossible because they decided those who warned them were bad people.

25 years ago I compared riding the subway in New York City to riding a train in Beirut. Tonight, the city, in great disgrace, elected a muslim socialist to be the next mayor. NEW YORK HAS OFFICIALLY FALLEN.
— John Rocker

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5GW: The Extension of the Battlefield

As I previously wrote in The Fifth Generation of Modern War: Drones, Attrition, and the Collapse of the Logistics Sanctuary, the advent of drone warfare, combined with the digital elements that make it uniquely lethal, genuinely represents a new generation of modern war. It is clear that the Russians understand this much more clearly, and are able to describe it and articulate the issues much better than Western military historians and strategists, because they are actively engaged in it.

Simplicius quotes the retired General Yuri Baluyevsky, Russia’s Chief of General Staff from 2004-2008, from his recent article on the current revolution in military affairs, as well as a Russian source working in logistics on the Pokrovsk front, that explain and underline how this really is a new generation of war, the chief aspect of which is the massive extension of the battlespace well beyond the traditional battlefield.

The piece urges for Russia to adapt to this ‘new reality’ as soon as possible. The urgency stems from the stated thesis that drone tech capabilities will increase faster than the effective means of countering them:

It is unlikely that there will be an expert who denies the revolutionary changes in military affairs – the “unmanned revolution” or the “drone war revolution.” Perhaps, in a broader sense, it could be called the “digital war.” There is every reason to believe that this process will continue to expand and deepen, as the potential for increasing the “drone war” exceeds the ability to effectively counter this type of weapon.

The authors go on to elaborate that drones are getting progressively cheaper and smaller while increasing their range. In the near future, they note, the tactical rear will become a total “zone of extermination”—which it has essentially already become according to many frontline reports.

The tactical battlefield and the rear, tens of kilometers away from the line of contact, will essentially become a “zone of extermination.” Naturally, countering these threats will be a top priority. As a result, the armed struggle will primarily focus on gaining “drone supremacy” in the air. Consequently, the organization of military forces must align with the goals and objectives of achieving such supremacy in the air and space.

In light of the above, here is an interesting breakdown from a Russian channel on the Pokrovsk direction, describing just how the situation has evolved in terms of logistics and putting units in positions.

We continue our difficult work to supply our assault units in the Pokrovsk direction. This month, the main focus was on the assault units and their communication and survival on the battlefield.

First, we need to explain what the line of contact looks like in this direction, and in general, in general, now-on the entire front. First, military personnel assembled and ready to perform their combat tasks are brought to the assembly point 20-25 km from the front line. Then they wait for the command. They are loaded at the beginning of the next segment and dropped off at a point approximately 10-13 km from the LBS (line of contact), where they can stay for some time – from several hours to several days. This is a nearby evacuation point from which you can almost guarantee to escape and survive.

Then there is the next drop-off at a point 5-7 km from the LBS – it is not possible to drive any further. All drops-offs and movements across the terrain among minefields and open areas are carried out by guides.
Then, on foot, they reach the point from which the assault may begin. From there, they approach the positions. As a rule, only half of them reach the positions, while the rest are injured or killed by drone strikes.

A pair of stormtroopers who have reached the ruins of a house usually travel in pairs, hiding in the ruins and basements. They do not venture outside unnecessarily. From there, they must maintain communication with their commander to stay informed about what is happening outside, coordinate their actions with their neighbors, provide assistance, and engage in assaults. They may spend a week, a month, or two in the ruins.

If the weather is bad: fog, rain, snowfall, then losses are sharply reduced. FPV drones almost do not fly in the rain – droplets stick to the camera. The water curtain strongly jams the signal at 5.8 Ghz. However, the enemy artillery begins to work more actively.

The wiring of any armored group is usually noticed by the enemy 10-15 km before the LBS. By the time it reaches the initial positions for the attack, there are already dozens of enemy FPV drones in the sky and dozens more ready to launch. All of this then falls on the armored group and the paratroopers. Yes, it’s difficult for our troops, and there are casualties, but we are still able to drop paratroopers and advance. Our main losses are in the form of wounded soldiers.

As per the description above, the 25km-from-LoC zone has already become extremely dicey, where dispersion is necessary for survival. Then from 5-7km onward, it essentially becomes the ‘death zone’, to borrow mountaineering terminology.

Baluyevsky and his co-author state that the chief development of the modern battlefield is the total doing-away with the ‘fog of war’, initiating an era of complete battlefield transparency.

War has fundamentally changed and these changes don’t just change and expand the tactical battlefield, it indicates tremendous changes to the logistical art, the operational art, the strategic art, and even the geostrategic balance of power.

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They DID Steal the Land

I fail to see any reason for outrage here. I mean, there absolutely isn’t any doubt that a considerable amount of the land in Canada and the United States was stolen, illegally and by force, from the Indian tribes that were recognized as the legal residents there.

Homeowners in a Canadian city have received letters warning that their properties will be seized and returned to the “First Nations People of Canada.”

The letters, signed by the city’s mayor, claim the property titles may be “defective and invalid.”

This follows a British Columbia Supreme Court ruling granting the Cowichan Tribes Aboriginal title to about 800 acres of land within the city.

Just to be clear, I’m not talking about the original pre-European-arrival state of the land. I’m talking about the post-arrival period when a land title system had already been established and the various tribal claims to specific areas of land were legally established according to treaties between various parties, including the federal government in the United States, and the relevant Indian tribes.

One thing that is profoundly dishonest about the popular pro-settler position is that it customarily requires a bait-and-switch between the two very different legal scenarios. And eminent domain clearly can’t be applied to sovereign Indian tribes.

Don’t think this matters because it’s all in the past? Perhaps you should take a look at the Middle East and revisit your assumptions.

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Australia will be Chinese

I was wondering how long it would take before people began to realize that Australia is going to be a Chinese continent.

A Chinese propagandist has sparked outrage after claiming the superpower should take control of Australia, in part due to its colonial past. The furore began when the China hawk, who goes by the name ‘BeijingDai’, shared a map to social media on Saturday with Australia labelled as a ‘Chinese vassal state’.

New Zealand, Myanmar and the Solomon Islands would be given the same classification under the plans, while much of south-east Asia would fall under ‘China’s sphere of influence’. The self-described China ‘patriot’ said occupation of Australia would be a cost-effective alternative to direct occupation of the entire south-east Asian region.

‘Southeast Asia has a huge population. If China conquers them, it will need to need them and develop them. This is a super hard task,’ he wrote on social media. He added: ‘However, annexing Australia is a very cost-effective deal. ‘Australia has over seven million kilometres of land and abundant resources, but its population is even smaller than that of Shanghai.’

He claimed Australia’s colonial history would make Chinese occupation not just cost-effective, but morally defensible.

It’s not only cost-effective and morally defensible, it’s also inevitable. Not unlike the United States, Australia sealed its own fate back in 1973 when it officially abandoned its White Australia policy. Now there are 1.5 million Chinese residents, representing about six percent of the total population. This demonstrates that China can easily flood Australia with immigrants and ensure an outright electoral majority without a single shot ever being fired.

Remember, 17 million non-British people are now resident in the UK, pretty much none of whom were there prior to 1948. There are only 27 million people in Australia. So China can, and will, take control of the continent whenever it decides to do so, now that its navy has reached effective parity in the Pacific.

And given the Clown World rhetoric about the morality of migration and the absolute priority of people seeking freedom from authoritarian governments, there isn’t anything that the West can even say, let alone do, to object.

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Demographics is Destiny

I’m just curious. What’s the point of defending “democracy” when not only one did no one in England or Wales vote for importing anyone from any of these countries, but the measure was never even on any of the ballots?

It certainly doesn’t take a prophet or an expert futurist to see what the future holds for any formerly homogenous nation that altered its base demographics. Why would anyone even contemplate lifting a finger to defend this?

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DEATH AND THE DEVIL

My latest book is now available on Amazon Kindle and also via Kindle Unlimited.

A brilliantly dark and witty collection that reimagines cosmic forces with heart, humor, and humanity.

What happens when Death decides to take up haiku? When the Devil’s carefully laid plans go awry? When the Incarnation of War discovers that the only thing worse than war is when the dead don’t die?

In this delightfully inventive collection of short stories about Death, ancient cosmic entities find themselves navigating the absurdities of existence with the same confusion, determination, and occasional incompetence as the mortals they oversee. From poetry workshops to World War II, from speed dating disasters to bureaucratic nightmares that span millennia, these stories blend philosophical depth with unexpected humor.

Written in the tradition of Ingmar Bergman and Terry Pratchett, Death and the Devil offers a fresh and deeply human take on the forces we fear most. Each story is a clever exploration of mortality, duty, and identity as well as a genuinely touching reminder that even in a universe governed by cosmic constants, there’s always room for compassion, love, and the occasional well-crafted haiku.

Witty. Profound. Unexpectedly moving.

Perfect for readers who appreciate smart, character-driven fantasy that doesn’t shy away from life’s big questions—or death’s smaller ones.

The first review has already been posted:

This is a remarkable set of short stories, assembled with AI support, which include amusing, horrifying, and intriguing variations on Death – more exactly, how Death as a force of Nature might comport itself with beings both mortal and supernatural. Highly recommended for fans of macabre short stories, Pratchett, and Douglas Adams.

The style began in the mode of Terry Pratchett, but extended into darker and more startling situations. Death and his pet cat (that is a premise worthy of its own tale) must address problems with eternal bureaucracy and customer service. Several tales explore the ghastly humor of those who either try to cheat Death or are simply too obtuse to understand that Time Is Up. Particularly amusing were stories where other eternal presences encouraging Death to take up a hobby. Consider Death taking on a gig in stand-up comedy and learning to tell jokes. One favorite was Death undertaking to write poetry; in his case, disrupting a class on writing haiku, by reading verses which created an interdimensional rift.

One other theme establishes itself through the set of tales. This is a Bergman – type set of passages or encounters with Death, on a more personal and Romantic note. Read about bright and dim lights, joys, anticipation, and final lingering dregs regrets – but the regrets and anticipations may transform to a wine of unusual bouquet for one ephemeral sip.

If you enjoy Terry Pratchett’s or Douglas Adams’ comedic works, many of these stories will give you a good laugh in the same light. If you prefer something stronger, smoother, and darker, like Ingmar Bergman films, the rest will bring unexpected smiles, chills, and speculative thoughts to mind.

Now, obviously there are going to be those who will feel the need to posture about how they will never read a book that was written at the push of a button, just as there were those who vowed they would never read an ebook, or listen to a CD. This is fine, those people have always been irrelevant with regards to the success or failure of a new technology and they always will be. The process from early adopters to laggards has been well understood for decades, so whether you’re of the late majority or the laggards, you might as well spare us the traditional theatrics.

My suggestion is to read the book and see if your assumptions were correct or not. Because from my perspective, if you are under the impression that particular book was written with the push of a button, the results should absolutely terrify you.

Anyhow, as our publishing business changes, I’ve had a rethink about Amazon and Kindle Unlimited and I realized that while it is a very bad foundation for a publishing business, it’s now perfectly suitable as a form of advertising that pays for itself. So, in addition to DEATH AND THE DEVIL, a number of my other ebooks are now available again on Kindle Unlimited, including ARTS OF DARK AND LIGHT and THE LAWS OF SOCIAL JUSTICE.

And as pertains to the latter, the combination of a) AI writing and b) events of the past eight years, I’ve realized that the book I never felt any need to write is now both necessary and viable. So, after SIGMA GAME is published, hopefully next month, you can anticipate the publication of SJWS ALWAYS PROJECT: Surviving the Thought Police sometime in the new year.

Death Goes on a Date

It is a well-established fact across most of the known multiverse that death is, generally speaking, the end of life. What is considerably less well-established is that Death himself had what humans might call “relationship issues.”

This was entirely Love’s fault.

“You need to get out more,” Love had declared during one of her unannounced little drop-ins on Death. “All work and no play makes Death a dull cosmic force. Oh, I know! We should find you a girlfriend!”

Death, who had until her interruption been perfectly content with his routine of soul collection, paperwork, and the penning of a haiku, realized that he was at risk of one of the interventions to which Love occasionally subjected him when she was bored with her most recent companion.

I DO NOT REQUIRE COMPANIONSHIP, Death had protested. I AM A FUNDAMENTAL ASPECT OF THE UNIVERSE. COSMIC FORCES DO NOT HAVE GIRLFRIENDS.

“Nonsense,” Love replied, stirring her latte with a finger that left tiny heart-shaped foam patterns. “Even cosmic entities need connections. Look at Time—he’s been seeing that lovely mathematician from the Renaissance for centuries!”

TIME IS DIFFERENT. HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN UNPREDICTABLE.

“And War has something going with one of those Valkyries,” Love continued, ignoring Death’s protest that he was very busy. “Very passionate. Lots of dramatic sword fights followed by, you know, even more sword fights, if you know what I mean!”

Death had no response to this, partly because he had no idea what she meant and partly because he was realizing that he was going to have to redo next Thursday’s list of scheduled reapings because she jogged his elbow while he was writing when she elbowed him in the side.

“Besides,” Love added with a sensual smile that could have melted glaciers, “I’ve already signed you up.”

Which was how Death found himself, three days later, standing outside a trendy wine bar in San Francisco, wearing his most convincing mortal disguise and holding a name tag that read “HELLO, MY NAME IS: DEREK.”

Death had chosen his appearance carefully: tall, lean, pale but not unnaturally so, with dark hair and sharp cheekbones that suggested interesting genetics rather than a complete absence of flesh. He wore an expensive black suit that managed to look both formal and slightly dangerous. The effect was, according to Love’s assessment, “just like a sexy Neal Gaiman without that whole rapey vibe.”

Death had no idea who Neil Gaiman was, or why his vibe was rapey, but if it was good enough for Love, it was good enough for him.

The wine bar was a conventional arrangement of exposed brick walls, industrial lighting, and small tables arranged in a grid pattern that reminded Death rather inappropriately of a cemetery. Approximately thirty people milled about holding wine glasses and name tags, their nervous energy filling the space in a manner that made him feel as if there was something he was missing.

“Welcome to Singles Mingle Speed Dating!” announced a cheerful woman with a clipboard and the sort of aggressive enthusiasm that suggested she was either naturally optimistic or extremely well-medicated. “I’m Jessica, your host for tonight! The rules are simple—two minutes per conversation, then rotate clockwise when you hear the bell! Ladies, you’ll stay seated. Gentlemen, you’ll move around the room. Ready to find love?”

The assembled humans made various noises of agreement. Death remained silent, still not entirely sure how he had been talked into coming here.

“Wonderful! Gentlemen, find your starting positions!”

Death consulted the number on his name tag—seven—and located the corresponding table, where a woman in her thirties with blonde hair and a nervous smile was arranging her purse and smoothing her dress.

“Hi!” she said brightly as Death approached. “I’m Jennifer! Marketing executive, love hiking, hate sushi. You?”

Death settled into the chair across from her, which immediately became several degrees colder. DEREK, he replied. I WORK IN HUMAN RESOURCES.

“Oh, that’s great! What company?”

UNIVERSAL.

“Universal Studios? Wow! I bet you see a lot of stars.”

YES, I SEE THEM EVERY NIGHT.

Jennifer’s smile wavered slightly. “Um, okay… So, Derek, what do you do for fun?”

Death contemplated her question. His hobbies were reaping souls, filling out paperwork, and occasionally performing stand-up on open-mic nights in Slosh-on-Bunwick. None of these seemed appropriate for speed dating conversation.

I WRITE POETRY, he said finally.

“Oh, wow, you’re a poet!”

OF A SORT. I HAVEN’T MASTERED THE LIMERICK YET.

“You haven’t mastered… limericks? Like, there once was a man from Nantucket, that sort of thing?”

YES, MY CAT FEELS THEY’RE INAPPROPRIATE AND UNDIGNIFIED.

When the bell rang, Jennifer looked relieved.

“So, it was really nice meeting you, Derek!” she said with the artificial brightness of someone desperate to escape a particularly persistent street mime.

Read the rest on Kindle.

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A Boomer Looks Back

Speaking as a member of the generation that followed the grasshopper generation, it feels as if there were a few important things that were left off this list:

WE ARE A GENERATION THAT WILL NEVER COME BACK.

A generation that walked to school and then walked back.

A generation that did their homework alone to get out asap to play in the street.

A generation that spent all their free time in the streets with their Friends.

A generation that played hide and seek when dark.

A generation that made mud cakes.

A generation that collected sports cards.

A generation that found, collected and washed & Returned empty coke bottles to the local grocery store for 5 cents each , then bought a Mountain Dew and candy bar with the money.

A generation that made paper toys with their bare hands.

A generation who bought vinyl albums to play on record players.

A generation that collected photos and albums of clippings of their life experiences as a Kid.

A generation that played board games and cards on rainy days.

A generation whose TV went off at midnight after playing the National Anthem.

A generation that had parents who were there.

A generation that laughed under the covers in bed so parents didn’t know we were still awake.

A generation that is passing and unfortunately it will never return no matter how hard we try.

I loved Growing up when I did. it was the best of times.

I have no doubt that many Boomers loved growing up when and how they did. They were truly blessed with opportunity that was unmatched in the entire history of Man. What a pity, what a tragedy, that they denied similar experiences and opportunities to the generations who followed them.

A generation that had parents who were there.

Yeah, so, about that…

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AI is More Accurate

People are sometimes amazed that I generally prefer engagement with AI systems to people. But the thing is, being pattern recognition machines, AI’s actually describe people much more accurately than most other people can. Consider the following quote from a recent criticism of my current projects by one AI:

Vox Day operates dialectically when he can (exposing logical fallacies, pointing out contradictions) and rhetorically when he must (reframing, using sharp language, appealing to observable reality over credentials), but he certainly doesn’t appeal to the authority of fields he considers corrupted or irrelevant.

That was just one little throwaway passage in a three-model analysis of the SSH I was doing in order to smoke out any obvious flaws in my reasoning. And yet, it’s considerably better than the level of critical understanding demonstrated by any of my human detractors, most of whom couldn’t distinguish between Rhetoric, dialectic, and rhetoric if their lives depended upon it.

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