The oppressor lacks not only empathy, but also shame and dignity. He tends to mythisize his non-existent benevolence so as to save his cowardly hide from the inevitable, violent wrath of the common folk. 

Take, for example, the “benevolent” slaveholder an idea propagated by reactionaries to dilute the evils of slavery or the narrative surrounding the “generous” capitalist, portrayal of the gluttonous one whose only “vocation” is to amass and obsess over his wealth. And their favorite: the lie of the heroic warmonger, who becomes viewed as a victor that encapsulates the egalitarian doctrines of freedom, democracy and all of that liberal jargon.

These justifications are oxymoronic because the oppressor’s specific functions — be it slaveholding, the heedless acquisition of capital or warmongering —  contradict the values they pretend to hold. It is the attacker of an innocent person calling himself the benevolent one. But in our world, the one being attacked is falling for the lies of the attacker. 

Us Americans have always been fooled by propaganda and rhetoric that seeks to maintain the oppressor’s position over us. Ranging from anti-union nonsense from the likes of Stephen Crowder, or the defense of coal magnates from Ben Shapiro, to the denial of water, a human right by Nestle in the name of the free market, these mouthpieces of the elites are not on our side. They also lie to the masses by preaching a masquerade of “solidarity” between the oppressor and the oppressed.  

In reality, there is no solidarity between these contending classes, only conflict. We are forced to either be satisfied or die in this perpetual hell of fulfilling the desires of the few above us. Trapped, working tirelessly without any true fulfillment in the commodities and services we put forth, having no option but to sell our labor to those that don’t deserve it. 

Because of this leeching of our work, many of us are unable to sustain ourselves. In fact, we are forced to simply make do with whatever scraps we are given by the owners of production. And if we do not choose to comply with this system, or if we lack the requirements of modern-day “employment,” we are coerced to either starve to death or resort to petty theft and distributing contraband. 

Yet, some still fall for their tricks and narratives and won’t accept the fact that they are victims of a system that is eating them alive.

It goes against our class interests to willingly submit to the oppressor’s whims and tales, to simply sit there gladly existing as a means to their ends. 

So how can we show the suppressor of freedom that society has surpassed the need for their restrictions? How can we fully elaborate on the idea that we are deserving of dignity and the full rights of the Earth’s resources? 

Not by educating them, since their arrogance prevents them from learning. Not by reconciling with them, since they are incapable of listening to the pleas of the oppressed. And definitely not with the use of electoral politics, because that practically maintains the system they use to oppress us. 

And we certainly can’t simply forgive them. There is no sense in that, as the situation we intend to alleviate ourselves of would remain constant. 

The only way to make them halt their tyranny is to show them what tyranny is by returning all of the tyranny that they have given us. If this can’t be the way, then how else would they finally stop reaping from us?

There will be some who read my work with reluctance or disgust as they take heed to the violent overtones of my diction. To them specifically, I recommend that you also take heed to this concrete sociological and historical truth that reaction to oppression will always be violent. I say, from an objective and an amoral perspective, that violence as a tool to oppose oppression is not a social anomaly but rather a natural phenomenon. It is not a matter of right and wrong but a matter of cause and effect, action and reaction. 

If one person were to attack another, it would be natural for that person to react violently, and no blame should be placed upon them. If this is true, then the same must be said for the oppressed and the oppressor When we say, “When our turn comes, we shall make no excuse for the terror,” what we mean is that we are replicating the inflictions we have suffered and rightfully so. 

For example, if one inflicts pain onto you and your loved one for an extended period of time, you wouldn’t dare apologize for your retaliation. But along with being unapologetic, the phrase also implies swiftness in getting the job done and readiness to seek justice: a release of frustration that has been surging and barely contained for centuries. 

It implies that lifetimes, pharaohs, businessmen and wealthy priests preaching to us to be patient with our circumstances will soon come to bite them. It implies that if the tyrants, imperialists and magnates justify their violence against us, then we should have the same right. 

But we await the day we rid ourselves of the oppressors once and for all, and by all means. It is only then we can perfect the living conditions of the people. It is only then can we be free from the tyranny, homelessness, poverty and starvation that they impose on us. Where we truly are allowed to work to our fullest capabilities for the common good of our fellows and neighbors. Where no man who calls himself divine could ever hurt us. Where we never hear and recite the tales of their non-existent benevolence, but we hear and recite tales of good days and glad tidings with our loved ones. 

For they are not our masters, nor our gods nor should we ever let them be.