Thursday, May 13, 2010

William S. Burroughs: The Cat Inside


A Nazi initiation into the upper reaches of the SS was to gouge out the eye of a pet cat after feeding the cat and cuddling it for a month. This exercise was designed to eliminate all traces of pity-poison and mold a full Übermensch. There is a very sound magical postulate involved: the practitioner acieves superhuman status by performing some atrocious, revolting, subhuman act. In Morocco, magic men gain power by eating their own excrement.
But dig out Ruski's eyes? Stack bribes to the radioactive sky. What does it profit a man? I could not occupy a body that could dig out Ruski's eyes. So who gained the whole world? I din't. Any bargain involving exchange of qualitative values like animal love for quantative advantage is not only dishonorable, as wrong as a man can get, it is also foolish. Because you get nothing. You have sold your you.
"Well, how does a beautiful young red-haired body grab you?" Yes, He will always find a sucker like Faust, to sell his soul for a strap-on. You want adolescent sex, you have to pay for it in adolscent fear, shame, confusion. In order to enjoy something you have to be there. You can't just sweep in for dessert, dearie.

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