OPINION: The Downside of Satanic Meritocracy
The meritocratic structure with considerations given to actual effort, vulnerable populations, and the socio-economic effects of an unjust society inherent in TST brand Satanism is largely major strength. However, there is an irritating downside.
The skeptical among us have often glanced at our Facebook timelines and wondered, “How does this person have the appropriate background or knowledge to draw conclusions on this topic and promote their work as though they do?” It often appears as though many people think that their unique perspective in one context, their Satanism, grants them some kind of equally unique perspective in other places, and then in their minds, this uniqueness turns into “superior” a bit too quickly.
Clearly, this is false. This happens at the highest and most public places of society, so it isn’t exclusive to us. Dr. Phil and Dr. Mercola are great examples of this. They have expertise in one area of study (arguably in Dr. Phil’s case), but speak as though they are experts across multiple fields to gain fame and money. Despite this being a relatively common phenomenon, it is the first time I’ve seen it so prevalent among the community of a religion.
Rule of thumb: If a subject has a professional contingent of people already existing behind it, decades of research, and entire university schools dedicated to it, it is probably not a matter of opinion. This is a sign that one should be credentialed and should perform actual research in that area before they offer up a position, educational component, or advice that they believe should be accepted by others.
Note: If you’re reading this and thinking, “Is this person saying we can’t share opinions or have blogs?” No, of course I am not saying that at all. I’m saying it matters how the information is presented. I’m saying that there are real limits to what people should present publicly. I’m also saying it matters if they also happen to be extremely fucking wrong. Not just because of tenet 5, but because of basic integrity and self-awareness.
So what is actually going on here? Is it just the Dunning-Kruger Effect? Or is there some kind of personality correlate between people attracted to Satanism and being this particular type of obnoxious? Maybe…and maybe. But I also think there is something else going on.
Our religion is very new and small in the grand scheme of things, and many people are excited when they discover it, which is great. But this excitement mixed with certain personality traits already present are possibly coming together to create this (for some) cringe-inducing trend. The most pessimistic among us may think this reads as, “Gee if I get Satan-famous now, I’ll go down in the Satanic-sands of time as important!”
It is possible that this isn’t so bad. Some may argue that self promotion is Satanic and I might agree. The other thing is that this doesn’t stop actual experts on things to contribute and share things in our community. But self-awareness is also Satanic. Integrity is Satanic. Knowledge is Satanic.
What I would freely argue however, is that our system is still better than what is normally found in traditional parts of society. So whatever annoyance I may feel with this, dissipates when I think about how my weird ass would have been pushed out a long time ago if not for what I would consider a socially-conscious form of meritocracy.