Greetings and salutations. I have a question of curiosity concerning the reverence of Lovecraft and the reconciliation of the fact he was wretchedly racist? I would be interested in hearing what The Order of Dagon has to say on this topic, as surely the founders would be aware of this painful flaw in Lovecraft.
https://lithub.com/we-cant-ignore-h-p-lovecrafts-white-supremacy/
Given the on going struggle for the achievement of equality, it is something that must needs be acknowledged, regardless of the discomfort such acknowledgement may cause.
Personally, I struggle with this fact any time I encounter it in his writings. The same rings true for Robert E. Howard as well. One always tries to look beyond the character flaws of their fellows, as no one is perfect. Yet, there are certain beliefs that are so transgressive, that to see beyond, or compartmentalize them renders the observer capitulant.
I am prepared for the oft touted argument of "he was a man of his times...", please understand that holds no validity, as many people of their times were not racist. Please realize that in order for the cult to be recognized as a valid entity, this will have to be addressed.
Thank you to any who thoughtfully engage on this uncomfortable topic. My hope is that it helps us all strive for better understanding of one another and what can actually be done to combat racism as individuals, and collectives.
Greetings, I appreciate you bringing this to attention. However we have answered this question many times. The Cult does not take H.P Lovecraft's xenophobia as something to praise, we have made it clear many times that racism is not something The Cult embraces. We are all equally insignificant, meaning no one person is worth more or less than the other. Thank you for bringing this to attention, should you seek a debate or conversation, the discord is the best place to go.
The Cult should not concern itself with the fleeting, manufactured concerns of the mundane herd as you are doing. These are Inside concepts that are of no concern to a seeker of the Outside. If you are thinking in this way, parroting propaganda, it indicates that your mind is still Inside, controlled, and you are not ready for this path.
Shoggite, its no one's job to tell others their views are wrong. And its also not your place to tell someone if this path is for them or not.
Hello @She who shall not be named
It's always right and encouraged to question, and the cult always appreciates a person with an open mind.
As above, this question has indeed been answered HERE already, and is also covered by the Miskatonic University should you wish to delve into it.
I will simply copy and paste my answer for you below;
""Hello CN, first and foremost welcome to the fold.
You without knowing it have displayed one of the key characteristics of a cultist, which is open-mindedness and the ability to question your own beliefs.
First let me start by quoting our founder Wyntre with the following text, which should answer your question entirely;
An incredibly common argument against The Cult is directed at H.P.L. "H.P Lovecraft was a racist. You worship a racist". As The Cult is not in the business of shame or non-transparency, we address such accusations openly: Yes, H.P.L experienced the common xenophobia of his time, in fact he perhaps felt it even more ardently that those around him, and it did sometimes leak through in his writing. Comparative to the times and the region in which he lived, Lovecraft was perhaps more racist than ‘average’ and compared to the present, his racism can be downright shocking. For one, we do not worship the man. What we 'worship' (if we are to call it that) are the ideals of his creations. It is curious that those that accuse us can separate the art from the artist when it comes to their own music, actors, art, and celebrity, but not grant the same for us. See 'Cognitive Dissonance' in The Bible of Cthulhu. As one commenter put it, "Authors are read, beloved, and remembered, not for what they do wrong, but for what they do right, and what Lovecraft does right is so incredibly effective. He's a master of mood, of sweeping blasted vistas of despair and the bone-soaking cold of space. He has at his command a worldview that the average human being, drunk on our own species-wide egocentrism, finds compelling for its sheer contrariness."
The genius of his work has nothing to do with his racism. For another, he was, after all, human. And his continued racism is questionable. There is a great Quora post that addresses this issue here:
Was H.P. Lovecraft ever a chill or a good guy at least even a little bit? I know his works basically put humankind to the lowest of the low, but was there even a tiny bit of good in him?
The answerer quite succinctly puts it all in perspective and even closes with the incredibly wise: "Someone may pass through a phase of hating the world only to grow out of it later."
I hope this answers your question with regards to the racism, but if you have any further probing surrounding this I would be more than happy to discuss this with you.
I hope you take the time to search around a little, and join us on the Discord server so you can meet some of the members and discuss the questions you have in an open environment. ""
That is not dead, which can eternal lie.
D
I see I fell short of educating myself by not delving deeply enough for the knowledge I sought. My apologies if I offended anyone. Thank you for the thorough and thoughtful responses.
No need for apologies, i can guarantee no one took any offence. The cult is not in the business of being offended.
If you're interested in further exploring your call, then please join us on the Discord Server.
We are all black in the void
Maggots floating in the primordial soup of the void we are all equally insignificant,once taken appart we are all the same yet diferent
I have never had Lovecraft's racism affect my views of his work, many say he was racist but this would not be entirely truth, a better term would be xenophobic. He was afraid of all that was different than him, this included other races and so he saw them with fear, and as many know fear turns to hatred, thus his racism was a symptom, not the cause. There is evidence to show that as he aged he learned to be less afraid of other races and so his racism dulled and he began regretting his former actions. Many forget that Lovecraft was an ill man in body and mind, his racism should not be viewed with contempt but with sorrow that he was raised in such a way and never got the help needed to stop his xenophobia from completely consuming him.
Edit: I just read the article and I actually have to agree with Shoggite, not in the telling of who is right or wrong (nobody can say who can take this path or not) but in the case of that was indeed a propaganda piece. It focused so much on his racism but completely took it in a political direction rather than a moral, you can see it with how they keep trying to call out the right wing rather than focus on the subject at hand, they also didn't grasp the idea of context. Lovecraft was a mentally unwell man who feared all other races and bloodlines. this reflected in his works which discussed fears of unknown things, who better to be the worshipers of these entities than the people he saw as alien. Taking away from his literary genius because he was an unstable man is ironic since they are the same people who look up too Karl Marx who is known for being the same thing. I have contempt for both political parties so this article does nothing for me but reinforce the view that humanity is doomed if this is what is running our system. All the article did was show how racist he is, not discuss how it couldn't be ignored, one does not have to support the ideals of a man to enjoy and see the beauty of his work. Lovecraft's work has become greater than any one man including himself. Let us not focus on the morality of a man twisted by his own fear but instead on the vast vistas of the cosmos he has opened for us to peer into.