Some people disparage the Global Sumud Flotilla, calling their enterprise “foolish” or “wanton”—while in my mind, they mark a very high point in the moral history of humanity.
The prime minister of Israel has declared that the deadly attack in Manchester was caused by “weakness” in the face of terrorism—as if he did not drop bombs on civilians for two years, killing many thousands.
The Israeli minister Katz has just declared that those civilians who will not leave Gaza City in the next few hours will be treated as terrorists, i.e., summarily executed—even though many Gazans have no means to leave, and this amounts to planning the worst mass murder of modern times.
It is particularly obscene, in my view, that Tony Blair is tasked with the rebuilding of Gaza City, after its inhabitants are washed away. A journalist asked: “How significant is it that Tony Blair is involved in the plans for Gaza?” A Palestinian woman—who is my hero now—answered: “It’s because Satan was unavailable.”
We live in the age of the death of truth and the triumph of opinion. Yet in front of the tragedy of Palestine, there seems to be just two diametrically opposed truths. How to understand this?
Perhaps Mary Daly was right: patriarchy is our one problem, as a species, and it’s quite intractable. Those who earnestly believe that Netanyahu is not a terrorist and a war criminal, that Tony Blair is a nice guy, that Katz is a legitimate democratic actor, and that the Flotilla people are just a bunch of fools or are paid by Hamas, are not just wrong. They are captives of the patriarchal way of thinking, which is deeply afraid of feelings and pain.
I am not talking about those many actors on the political scene who are in bad faith, including those named in this DM, but about the crowds who follow them.
Netanyahu, Blair, Trump, Katz, and so many others of their kind and level of power we could call—following Daly—“active agents of sadofascism”. But they would have no power at all if large enough masses did not agree with them.
And who are these people? I would call them “passive agents of sadofacism”. People who have little power—like most of us—but are either locked inside their little unfeeling worlds or are lashing out all the time on the people around them.
Powerful necrophilic men all over—and a few patriarchally identified women—pontificate and make victims. But many common people don’t see that they are being lied to. Why? Because if they opened their eyes, they would have to feel the pain of others, and they fear (unconsciously) that they would be submerged.
Maybe in fact they would be submerged, as they have built no inner defenses whatsoever. Such is the level of complication that we are given to confront. Including bearing the weight of being “awake” for no particular merit of ours—perhaps just a good upbringing or a fortunate encounter—except the stubborn decision to answer “yes” to life.
Sandro Pertini, the president of Italy in the 1980s, used to say: Fascism is not a political opinion, it is a crime. Sadofascism presents itself as a true opinion—for example, Israel has the right to defend itself!—but functions as the legitimization of many horrendous crimes.
Of course, every person, and every group of people whatsoever, has the right to defend themselves. But what the sentence “Israel has the right to defend itself” means is: 60,000 Palestinian lives and counting are a good price to pay to preserve a sadofascist state of affairs—in this case, Israeli supremacy.
It is a truly complex situation, the one we are facing at the turn of the first quarter of this century, because it involves the shadow sides of entire human masses, but at least we have the tools to understand it.
Banner Image: Ruins of Beit Lahia, in the Gaza Strip, destroyed by Israeli bombardments, February 23, 2025. Wikimedia Commons.
Queries for Contemplation
Do you find the notion of “sadofascism” useful? Or how would you explain the diametrical opposition of two truths?
Related Readings by Matthew Fox
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Trump & The MAGA Movement as Anti-Christ
Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth
Prayer: A Radical Response to Life
The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine
Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation (by Matthew Fox and Adam Bucko)
Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality
4 thoughts on “Two Truths and Sadofascism”
Thanks, Luigi. A very good article.
I agree with you GG that “sadofascism” is what is happening not only in Israeli and US governments, and other authoritarian regimes around the world, but I think it would be helpful to our DM readers and others if you elaborate more specifically what is meant by this term and how many people can be brainwashed by these types of leaders/movements which are basically motivated by racism, control, power, greed, and anthropocentric/dualistic patriarchy. Mary Daly’s recommended book, “Beyond God the Father,” probably gets into the historical and religious roots of destructive patriarchy, our societal shadows, and modern political movements such as “sadofascism.” Yesterday Amy Goodman of ‘Democracy Now!’ interviewed the director and producer of their recent documentary, “Orwell, 2+2=5,” which seems to be a good one to watch about these modern political movements of “sadofascism.”
Consciousness of Our personal and communal spiritual journeys of our Beloved Source~Co-Creator’s Spirit of LOVE ~WISDOM Truth~Peace~Justice~Healing~Freedom~Strength~Transformation~Creativity~
Compassion… PRESENT within and among Us seems to be more important than ever in Our Human Evolution….
Maybe we who have been out of touch. https://www.caledonianrecord.com/opinion/letters/how-sado-fascism-works—david-hunter/article_7ecf47a5-c1eb-541f-b3ae-c12eb190d4c6.html
Thank you, GG (and Matthew), for your ongoing efforts to point out the travesty that humanity is experiencing and causing. And GG, thank you for constantly reminding us how complex the situations are – at least as we look at them from our current perspective. I continue to hold a vision of this current timeframe being a period of upshift as the powers of patriarchy do their best to hold on, while bubbles of love/compassion dominance are arising in the masses. I believe there already is a critical mass of higher-frequency “awakeness” although the outward effects are not yet visible on the global scene. Bless you for your woke work!