The defining difference between Roman and Greek art was in the face. The Greeks sought to show the face in ideal proportions and perfect skin, while the Romans desired “warts and all”. Greeks were idealistic, Romans were brutally honest.
Considered for a moment that these two aesthetics co-existed for over a thousand years under the same empire. It’s easy to understand why some have argued the Roman Empire was more a Union of two empires than the conquests of one. The eventual mostly peaceful partition of east and west hints at that being true. But while it was one, neither won. For a thousand years, honestly and ideally never overcame each other. They simply co-existed for the entirety of the classical era.
But their co-existence did not remain bound up to in the arts. Consider for a moment how this aesthetic divide would affect other fields. How would it effect governance? What about religion?
The Temple of Democracy
That curious viral term from January has kept me up at night. Not because of the violence that precipitated its impregnation of mainstream narratives, because Democracy as a religion is a scary thought. Democracy having denominations is terrifying. And in light of these ancient aesthetic differences, would it be that we vote a consensus of ideals? Or do we vote a consensus of what is real?
Capitol as temple is not a novel concept. The French attempted this. Arguably the Soviets too. China is something akin to this as well. And of course, Rome is the greatest example. If America is the most recent attempt, it’s important to note the longevity of these projects doesn’t appear long term. Rome holds the championship of lasting some 258 under this idea, from 27BC when Augustus centralized the Roman state, until Diocletian decentralized the roman god-state into four children.
Before going forward, let’s define some terms, as there’s some language at play here. We don’t have a word for a “high temple” like we have for a high priest. For one example, today Jews call their synagogues temples, but there was only one “Temple”, situated on the mount, and the synagogues were local nodes of what that central temple determined truth. Contrarily, Pagans had many temples, but what did they use to differentiate a village temple to the famous ones of Rome and Athens? The Romans named the main temple of Jupiter the Capitolinus, or head temple. Though this is also the name of the hill it was built upon in Rome. The origin of common words to their geographic importance is for another time. Suffice to say, the US Capitol Building is the Capitol Temple. The Head Temple. Or simply, The Temple of Democracy.
So what would be the house shrines? The Synagogues and village temples? I believe most Media Studios would be something akin to a Synagogue, where the Temple’s truths are taught to the people. Likewise a Television - or perhaps any screen these days - is a house shrine. A place to genuflect before the truths, mantas, and proclamations of the civil religion.
I do note that using some of these terms may be misinterpreted as antisemitic or worse. For that purpose, I will create my own blunt hierarchy of America’s civil religion in time. But suffice to say, here are some good ‘ol fashion Anglo-Saxon words to fit the bill.
Bedehaus: Lit. “Incantation house”. A place where mantras are forged. A good description for any media corporation these days.
Maþelian: Lit. “To proclaim in assembly”. A good word for any screen where news is proclaimed.
On that note, my purpose for writing this piece comes from recently reading up on how the television became so ubiquitous to the American household. So, on with the news.
Imperator Eisenhowerious
Most people are familiar with Eisenhower’s farewell warning, where he uttered the famed words:
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.
Though perhaps his lines a few ways past the parts people actually read are more prescriptive to our lived reality today:
As we peer into society's future, we – you and I, and our government – must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for our own ease and convenience the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.
Thanks Dwight, but we messed up. The chief priests of your democracy became thieves of our future’s past. And perhaps the greatest hint of this inevitable outcome-as well as the president’s warning-can be found three years before this speech, when in 1958 Dwight performed a dedication ceremony to NBC’s first color studio. This is a very curious thing to watch. What, exactly, is a television Studio other than a synagogal relationship to the Temple of Democracy? And what clarifies this relationship is exactly who was leading NBC at the time. None other than General David Sarnoff, the man responsible for Eisenhower’s European Communications in WW2.
Praetor Sarnoff
David Sarnoff is one of those forgotten world-builders of yester-year. It’s tragic how much his influence has been forgotten. The man took a job at one of the first wireless telegraph stations in 1906, and by 1925 he had founded NBC and delivering the latest news to all Americans. What do you plan on doing after 20 year’s work? Retiring? Ha!
In World War II, David would find himself a member of Eisenhower’s personal staff. His job was mostly tech support for the old geezer. While keeping the radio comms working, David also managed to found Radio Free Europe out of a ruined Paris radio station - which he personally brought up to snuff! Imagine fighting in World War II as a member of Eisenhower’s personal staff - with all the stress that entails - and still having time to found media companies. . . I must emphasize the sheer will of this man in all his undertakings. He simple kept winning.
For his efforts, David would reach the rank of a General, and Eisenhower’s personal friendship. He would wear his single star with pride and insist on being buried with it. Proof of his loyalty to the United States, and her causes. For you see, David Sarnoff was not born in America. He was of hardy Russian blood! Born in Minsk Belarus, he made sure everyone knew just how much he hated the reds! And always a technologist, David found in Germany, the perfect tool of propaganda to destroy the reds: The strange new world of television.
To what extent David knew about the potential of the technology is a bit unclear, but it is clear it took an interest in the device even before serving Eisenhower. As early as 1928, David Sarnoff met with Russian inventor Vladimir Zworykin, himself loyal to the Tsar. Having fought with the White Russians against them until their collapse in Siberia, he fled to the United States.
A curious note. Belarus, Sarnoff’s homeland, literally translates to White Russian too. Belya being the word for white. One might imagine The Belarusian had some jokes with the Belaguard. More on that later.
The Two white guys collaborated. And the product of their interwar creativity was the cathode tube television.
After the war, they felt the best way to defeat communism was not with nuclear bombs, but with truth bombs. Bombed into every mind to inoculate them against communism. And the best delivery of that antibody was the television. Specifically, the color television, as it wasn’t long after adopting the first that he upgraded to second.
The White Man’s Color Temple
And so that brings us back to 1958, at the first color television studio, founded by NBC in Washington DC. Where Eisenhower visited to personally congratulate his old staff officer’s newest accomplishment. There also was Robert Sarnoff, the General’s son, who was also a board member of Wall Street’s directors. But we’ll pretend that’s irrelevant. Instead Robert’s role is to introduce his father and the president. The thing I felt watching it is that it’s all so very. . . religious. Before Robert introduces anyone, an earlier speaker reads out mantras:
NBC is part of the “Capitol Family”
NBC is “uniquely privileged”
NBC is “obliged to the community of States”
NBC is dedicated to the “service of the country”
Following NBC’s creed, Robert Sarnoff finally goes to his speech, stating:
“During the past 10 years, the NBC cameras in Washington have focused on many of the individuals in our audience. But seldom have we been able - with a single sweep of the lens - to show America so many of the faces of the men who govern it. The presence here of so many ranking members of the government is a persuasive reminder of our role in interpreting the Washington scene to the 97% of Americans withing reach of our sight or sound signals”
This is quite a strange statement to me. Almost pro-mind control, no? Robert finishes his speech by presenting the Dedication Plaque. The seal of America’s king that this building is dedicated to America’s progress. Something which in ages past would be placed upon great civil and religious works by emperors. This truly was the coming of the American High Imperial era.
Eisenhower is up next, with some absolutly stunning words:
I think all of us realize that in these fast moving times, it is highly important that our nation's capitol should be attached to every single citizen in this country by the very fastest best kinds of communications. Decisions of a nation - not a government - that at one time could tolerate 3-4 weeks of study, now demand almost instantaneous reaction. So it is again apparent that unless out citizenry can be informed of the things that happen in the world and are reflected through the eyes of legislative and executive leaders in such a way that they may understand exactly what they things mean then the united states cannot react as it should.
I hope, dear reader, you can tell why I found his speech here in 1958 far more prophetic than the snippet about the Military Industrial Complex? Eisenhower not only foresaw the infinity wars for profit, but the truth regimes clogging communications. He foresaw big tech.
Of course, it wasn’t Eisenhower I wrote a background for. And the final speaker is the man I’ve been glorifying in this text. David Sarnoff’s speech is up next, and it is perhaps most revealing to his own end goals. My favorite part of his opening is as follows:
Perhaps there are some persons in the world who may not be very keen about being seen in their true and natural colors. Some of their pronouncements may on occasion bring a blush even to their own cheeks. And this camera I assure you sir, is relentless in its revelations.Happily, however, this is not so in America. Here, we fear no revelations. We have nothing to hide. On the contrary, we want everyone in the world to see America in its true and natural colors. We want the people everywhere to see Americans at work, and at play. To see our institutions in action reflecting their ideals, and the ideals of our nation, as well as our human imperfections. Here, we do not seek to be anything other than what we are. And what we are is not hidden by curtains, nor what we say screened by censorship.
And here, you see, is why I so very love General Sarnoff. In him is the perfect mix of hatred for evil, love of reality, and pursuit of truth. He made it his personal struggle to defeat communism not with bullets, but with truth. Unfiltered truth. Raw truth. Roman Truth.
Listen to General Sarnoff’s words carefully, and you will see the continuation of those ancient aesthetic competitions between Roman Realism, and Greek Idealism. In his words, he has picked the Roman aesthetic and declared war against Greek aesthetics. Truly, nothing quite new under the sun. But instead of the sun or a campfire, he would show truth through the most radical change in domestic life since the fire: The television.
But what did he mean by those persons who may not want to be seen in natural color?
The General’s Ballet
Keen historians will know a broader context to Sarnoff’s words. Only a month before this speech, Sarnoff was at the Brussels World Fair of 1958, performing his most recent propaganda duties against the USSR. Ever the agitator, he had somehow managed to pull strings and get the US pavilion right next to the USSR!
According to Danielle Ward-Griffin’s excellent article (linked below), General Sarnoff came to the expo because he felt the Soviets needed to be “fought on the battleground of the arts.” To that extent, he sent an opera team to sing and display US cultural dominance against the Soviets. Do note the contrasting plans. The Soviet’s design is a secure cultural brick, while the Americans are an open theatre to be broadcast by television to all. I am not sure what happened at this expo that led to his words at the dedication ceremony, but it seems he made the reds red in the face. I do hope this further goes to show the sheer bravado of the good General.
Much has been said, of course, of what the consequences of the television were for domestic culture. It’s clear that Sarnoff won his war. He found a way to inoculate an entire generation against Soviet influence. But it seems the moment he passed, his successors co-opted that same technology to directly inject their own perversions into every house.
A note on Color
For a final note on this brief introduction to Sarnoff, I think it’s appropriate to speak about the use of color here. White Russia does not have to do with race. Nor the drink, sadly. In Slavic nations, color correlates to Cartesian coordinates. The origin of this is not clear, but it is very likely a cultural import from the Mongol Empire. Mongolia has a Color Cartesian system as well. The General coordination is:
Gold = center.
White = west.
Black = north.
Red = south.
Blue = east.
Placing title names makes this all rather clear:
Beli-Ruś - White Russia, to the West.
Siniy-Ruś - Blue Russia, to the East.
Krasni-Ruś - Red Russia, whose revolution started in the South
Chernit-Ruś : Black Russia, to the north.
Zoloto-Ruś : Golden Center, possibly Moscow or Kiev.
Where exactly these colors correlate to what parts is not explicit. And Russia’s influence stems from the much older Ruthenian homeland which is geographically dissimilar. But Russia has often played with these colors and symbols since achieving freedom from Mongolia.
One may be reminded of Tolkien’s wizard colors, which appears to be mostly the same as well, albeit with black replaced with grey and brown replacing red. But even so, the wizards of television deserve such a fitting description.
One can imagine, perhaps, Sarnoff the White having some geographical disposition against the Lenin the Red. But that is for another time.
And do note, General Sarnoff’s wartime hobby still exists! Radio Free Europe still broadcasts today, having shifted its broadcasting sphere to the Middle East and Eastern Europe, today reporting on the various civil wars there. Do also note, the good General was born in Minsk, Belarus. His pet creation somehow found itself back home.
Sources
I hope you enjoyed this brief introduction into one of my favorite technocrat unknowns. I hope to write more on him soon. For now, here are some nice sources to consoom!
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-dedication-the-new-nbc-radio-tv-facilities-washington
https://www.hagley.org/librarynews/cold-war-opera-rca-david-sarnoff-and-cultural-battle-soviet-union
http://www.quadvideotapegroup.com/restoring-the-earliest-known-color-quad-tape-the-dedication-of-wrc-tvnbc-washington-dc/