The profits of doom
At the dawn of a new millennium, the Western World is reeling from the chaos caused by decreased social spending, mind-achingly dumb politics, computer viruses, spam, reality-TV programmes and the grinding juggernaut that is Europop. The situation has got so bad that it has prompted some to feel that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are saddling up for what Christian evangelist cowboys might call ‘The Big Ride’.
But rather than hunker down in terror at the possibility of a world sliding towards the biblical ‘End of Days’, millions of people are eagerly gearing up to celebrate this big holy barbecue in spirited fashion.
How else are we to interpret the jaw-dropping success of the Christian fundamentalist storybooks known as the Left Behind series?
Having eschewed papyrus for virgin pulp, the Christian Right in the US is in rapture over the enormous success of the series, which describes a world enslaved by the former Secretary General of the UN (the Antichrist of course). Not only is he a sort of Greco-Russian Prince of Darkness, but he controls an army of stormtroopers (peacekeepers) to enslave the planet to do Satan’s bidding from that demonic hellpit – Iraq.
‘In an instant, millions of people vanish. For those left behind, the Apocalypse has just begun,’ reads the strapline. For the series’ backers, ‘the Apocalypse has just begun’... to rake in a hefty profit. There are over 60 million of these airport-thrilleresque doomsday books in print, translated into dozens of languages with numerous spinoffs such as comic books, teen novels, discussion groups, films and study guides (though no action figures just yet).
Given the series’ backers’ close links with the Bush Administration, one need no longer guess what inspired George W Bush to name his controversial education initiative ‘No Child Left Behind’.
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Voices from the margins:
Multimedia: video, podcasts, and more.
- Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
- The House of Hunger poetry slam held in Zimbabwe in 2006, and organised by the Pamberi Trust, showcased young artists performing inspirational work on issues from corporate power to child soldiers. The video features four of the poets.
Published by Pambazuka News.
- Iranian women speak out
- 3 March 2007, London. Women's rights activists marched through the English capital last week to celebrate International Women's Day with a protest against the misogyny of the Islamic regime in Iran and the threat of invasion by the US. Hear the voices of Iranian feminists Azar and Leila Parnian and the sounds of the demonstration as it passed through the heart of the city. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
Produced by Heidi Bachram.
- Raised Voices audio:
- Benny from West Papua on Corporate Power
- Vinayan from India on agriculture
