Conspirituality by Derek Beres

Author:Derek Beres [Derek Beres, Mat Thew Remski, and Julian Walker]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Published: 2023-06-13T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 20

NEW AGE ZELIG

The fictitious subject of Woody Allen’s 1983 mockumentary Zelig physically transforms himself to merge with whatever sociopolitical scene he finds himself in. In the salon, he’s a Republican with a Bostonian accent. In the kitchen, a Democrat speaking Brooklynese. He can grow the beard and sidelocks of a Hasidic Jew one week, then chop it all for a Nazi undercut the next. He’s a man without a center, a chameleon who survives by fading into the background of a history upon which he has no effect.

Now imagine taking this neurotic character and turning him inside out. Upgrade his willpower and self-esteem through theater school and life coaching workshops. Let him keep the ability to merge with the multiple worlds through which he travels, but also show him the power of manifestation. Teach him The Secret—that he can transform any scene to reflect the radiance of his self-image. If successful, he’ll be able to LARP as Democrat or Republican, Indigenous rights activist or MAGA apologist. He’ll be anybody for anyone, while remaining equanimous, perfectly coiffed, and always on message (at least about himself). He will have gone from a soulless husk to a spiritual Everyman, convinced that his presence alone blesses a troubled planet. Meet New Age Zelig: a shapeshifter, pulled inexorably toward history-shattering events, so that he can put them back together with love and light glue.

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