Colin Wilson: Deconstructing (Bourgeois) Racist ‘Nihilism’! (28.11.2022)
By Adrian Chan-Wyles PhD
Author’s Note: I visited Upper Egypt (on the Nile) during the Summer of 1996. After spending around two-weeks visiting every ancient site I could. These buildings (and structure) were on average around five-thousands years old. Some of these structures, even when they were considered ‘old’ by the ethnic Egyptians themselves, contained evidence of the presence of Alexander the Great (and the graffiti his men left behind). Even Christianity and Islam - as distinct religions – came and went! The structures – including the tombs buried deep underground – contained beautifully inscribed hieroglyphs, a coherent (written) language that probably equals that of China in antiquity, and possibly pre-dates it. The grand Egyptian buildings – particularly the Karnak Temple and the Tomb of Tutankhamun – despite their age, look distinctly ‘new’! As if built with cutting-edge (modern) building technology and inscribed with lasers! I happened to be visiting Egypt with members of my ethnic Chinese family – and it is a common belief in China that ancient Egyptians were African ‘Black’ in origination - and not ‘Asian’ or ‘White’ as suggested by many Eurocentric historians today. I believe this is a ‘racist’ theory designed to exclude African Black people from one of the greatest cultural creations the world has ever seen! As I immersed myself in the local culture, I witnessed first-hand the difference between the culture of the ‘Arab’ and ‘Asian’ Muslims who now dominate the country, and the African Black people who live in a subordinated state. When I returned to the UK, I was seriously enthralled with Egyptian history for quite some time - and still am – a habit of positive interpretation I have passed-on to my children. This included the reading of every book on the subject of ‘Egyptology’ I could find, and at one-point this included a (1996) book entitled ‘From Atlantis To The Sphinx: Recovering the Lost Wisdom of the Ancient World’ authored by Colin Wilson. Checking my notes from the time, I had written ‘Eurocentric nonsense’ - and I then went on to list every racially biased assumption that this author made – including my assertion that he never visited Egypt and possessed no real knowledge of its history, architecture or culture. What I witnessed in that (hideous) book was described to me by an Egyptian friend as a ‘White man’s dream’ of what they thought an original ‘White’ Egypt must have been like before it was ‘corrupted’ by the presence of ‘Blackness’! Like all the best White racism – the assumptions in this book are ‘implied’ and ‘hidden’ - like landmines waiting to go off when stepped upon by the unwary! I believe Colin Wilson is a ‘White’, working-class fraud propelled into the (affluent) limelight by a fawning Bourgeoisie for reasons of its own entertainment. Much can be ascertained from short bursts of intellectual output – and the above uttered by Colin Wilson speaks volumes!
ACW (26.11.2022)
ACW (26.11.2022)
Colin Wilson (1931-2013) was a working-class person who learned the number one lesson in life – and he learned it well – namely that working-class people are made to struggle and work far harder (and for far less) than their bourgeois counterparts. Although he never attended University, he nevertheless, through the publishing industry, fully aligned himself with the consummate ‘ease’ that defines bourgeois existence, following a publisher’s decision that what Colin Wilson had to say would ‘sell’ and, therefore, make ‘profit’ for all concerned! To be clear, Colin Wilson had nothing ‘new’ to say or add to humanity’s understanding of itself, but as a working-class man brought up in the era of Britain’s experimentation with post-WWII ‘Socialism’, (roughly 1948-1988), the Bourgeoisie thought it would be ‘enjoyable’ to observe (obviously at their own leisure), a working-class man so desperately striving to be intellectually ‘recognised’ amongst them in such a way that always guaranteed his place on the ‘High Table’ so-to-speak, always joining his fellow ‘Bourgeois’ in throwing his unwanted scraps toward the ‘common people’ he had so obviously (and thoroughly) transcended and left behind!
This observation is the foundation that explains the inner and outer processes that Colin Wilson employed to betray his own class and transition his mind (and body) firmly into the domain of the ‘false consciousness’ so ably explained by Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, Che, Sankara, Mao Zedong, Nelson Mandela, Ho Chi Minh and a host of others! Yes – Colin Wilson is so obviously a ‘class traitor’ when viewed from the independent thought that defines the very essence of ‘Proletariat’ class consciousness (and its ability which mirrors Buddhist dialectics according to Marx and Engels), that this point need not be laboured. We all have to make our way through life and Colin Wilson’s angle was that he was a tantalizing plaything for the Bourgeoisie that paid his wages. Whilst we – the ordinary workers – handle and direct the machines on the factory floor, Colin Wilson follows the ‘Fat Controller’ (since renamed ‘Stout’) as he takes his leisurely (bi-hourly) strolls throughout the complex, before returning to the comfortable chair for yet another nap...
This is how the working-class Colin Wilson became a ‘lap dog’ of the Bourgeoisie – and as can be clearly observed, he relished this role in life! And so – to business! As a White, European male - born and brought up within that Judeo-Christian culture - Colin Wilson (although working-class) is seen here typically expressing the ‘racism’ of that Bourgeois class he prefers to mimic, and which has chosen to fetishize his quite ordinary experiences of poverty and alienation - all of which has been quite clearly dealt with by such great writers as Marx and Engels, (not to mention the Buddha and many other 'great' non-European thinkers) etc. As this is the case, Colin Wilson offers nothing new! Indeed, in reality he made a career out of peddling the White 'privilege' generated by the society that spawned him. His racism is also nothing new - but as can be seen in the clip above, it is presented with an unusual freedom and clarity of thought, so ‘safe’ does he feel that he will not experience any recriminations.
Of course, he is not critiquing Buddhism as such (which, after, all is a vast and complex subject), but rather his misinterpretation and misunderstanding of what he thinks (or perceives) Buddhism to be - expressing attitudes typical of those born outside of Asian culture - and who possess no genuine understanding (or authentic connection) with such cultures. As a result, the anti-Asian racism expressed by Colin Wilson is presented in an almost 'throw-away' and 'cartoonish' format - the effectiveness of which can be gauged by the level of 'laughter' and 'applause' elicited from what can only be interpreted as a predominantly 'White' and inherently 'Bourgeois' audience. Ironically, this thoughtless racism is expressed by a man who made a living (and a career) informing the bourgeoisie about what it already knows - namely that the unjust socio-economic system it maintains is unjust and 'alienates' those it discriminates against.
On the day in question (recorded and preserved in the above clip) - Colin Wilson confirms that a) he is a class traitor, and b) he knows NOTHING about Early or Latter Buddhism! Colin Wilson is, in effect, contributing to the 'alienation' of that vast segment of humanity described as 'Asian' - by attempting to criticise 'what he does not know' when attempting to discuss Buddhism! Colin Wilson, through expressing this kind of casual racism, demonstrates his own ignorance, and 'shame on you' if you think racism in any form is 'acceptable' and/or 'enlightening' (as many members of his audience do)! Of course, since 1945 the Bourgeois West has hijacked and appropriated Buddhist thinking and culture – whilst continuing to ‘alienate’ and ‘discriminate’ against the very Asian people whose historic cultures have produced Buddhism – and whose contemporary cultures continue to preserve and perpetuate Buddhism! Buddhism is now a Bourgeois ‘fad’ in the West (and amongst ‘White’ ‘middle-class’ people) to be discussed whilst luxuriating for long weekends whilst inhabiting the country estate!
Despite all his ‘pretence’ at being something he is not; this working-class man unfortunately gives the game away by fully expressing working-class ignorance when he falsely interprets Buddhist philosophy as being ‘Nihilist’ in nature – an allegation the historical Buddha used pristine knowledge and wisdom to refute time and time throughout the five thousand scriptures attributed to him! In this short-clip, Colin Wilson reminds me of the pretentious attitude expressed by that other Trotskyite – Christopher Hitchings – another British fraud who established himself amongst the Bourgeoisie as a ‘free-thinker’ - whilst establishing methods of dialectical interpretation that ‘prevents’ and ‘hinders’ the very freedom of thought that both individuals claim a blind adherence to the principles that their theories construct! The point is that so much can be extracted, fathomed and reconstructed from this short-clip – but NONE of it tells the audience anything substantial about Asian Buddhism.
What we have here is a priceless (and ‘succinct’) expression of a clear British (White) racism premised upon ethnic dominance and socio-economic control – which for the duration of the clip is being allowed to run rampant and unquestioned by an insane audience thoroughly ‘brainwashed’ by the White (capitalist) system, to accept any old twaddle provided that twaddle is presented through the suitably established and well-recognised channels of communication and commerce! After-all, the last thing the Bourgeoisie wants is an outburst of genuine ‘Proletariat’ observation and interpretation, as the exercising of such an expression of ‘freedom of thought’ would not only present the Marxist view exactly – but also the view of the Buddha – and it is exactly this point that people like Colin Wilson do not want you to know about or disseminate!
Colin Wilson made a career by gathering information from already established (and ‘historically’) prominent thinkers (through ‘reading’ their work), and then he mimicked the ‘Bourgeois’ method (and ‘standards’) associated with ‘academia’ - and passed on those collected facts to his readership via his published books. His living was made through his readership ‘paying’ for the books he produced. In other words, money had to change hands if the average reader wanted to ‘access’ the ‘facts’ Colin Wilson had gathered from the intellectual labours of others. As described above, Colin Wilson offered nothing ‘new’ to philosophy, religion or spirituality (other than the fabricated ‘cult of personality’ he constructed and occupied), and indeed once the spell is broken surrounding his hijacking of the work of others, the shocking (and terrible) academic errors he makes are truly extraordinary – and I would imagine ‘dangerous’ if they fell into the wrong hands!
Certainly, the racist disdain with which Colin Wilson (and his followers) is allowed to treat Buddhism is extraordinary (but is to be expected within a ‘Bourgeois’ society) and warrants its own recording for posteriority! Colin Wilson represents the ‘false consciousness’ of Marx, and is the very embodiment of the mind saturated with greed, hatred and delusion as explained by the Buddha. Meanwhile, Colin Wilson’s example is even better than this, as he exhibits in just a few minutes of audio – the very ‘inverted’ mindset that Marx uses to describe the misfunctioning of the ‘Bourgeoisie’ mindset (including its religiosity) - and the Buddha used to describe the ‘unenlightened’ state in all its multitudinous variations!
©opyright: Adrian Chan-Wyles (ShiDaDao) 2022.