Girardian Isekai Part 6: The Weaponization of Powerlessness

There's Nothing More Dangerous Than a Man With no Free Will

In the form of Nirvana Moebius, Girard’s antichrist reveals that there is also great offensive power within the crowd.

By sacrificing individual agency and responsibility, one gains the ability to inflict violence. To understand why, we need to return to Girard’s understanding of the Christian revelation. Christ showed that the victim of the scapegoating process was fundamentally innocent. He revealed the lies of Satan, the accuser. Jonathan Bi paraphrasing Girard:

Christ knows that reason alone, that an analytical articulation of the scapegoat mechanism, like the one I've just provided you, is not enough to shake societies out of this perennial cultural practice. What we need is an equally compelling story that shakes us into a new moral framework that automatically identifies with the underdog, makes us automatically side with the victim -- and in doing so, see through the lies of the scapegoat mechanism and all of pagan religion.

By assimilating the self into a group identity, the antichrist disguises itself in a different form. The cry of the assimilated antichrist is “we are not accusers, we are simply automata”. They justify the scapegoating process by pointing to a perceived lack of agency. This is the pattern of regulatory capture. By assimilating into a group identity as an industry, the most powerful and monopolistic players can weaponize the concern for the victim to persecute their competitors.

In the world of ORV, Dokja defeats this rhetorical tactic through omniscience.