Navigating Trauma at the End of Illusions

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These past few years have been a reckoning on a global scale. From the genocide in Gaza to the rise of brutal fascist regimes to the revelations in the Epstein files, we are all bearing witness to the festering moral rot of the ruling class and the societal decomposition it has caused.

Own governments supported and funded a genocide that they told us wasn’t happening, even though we saw it with our own eyes. We saw them lie and obfuscate and smear those who spoke out and contort themselves into the most grotesque spectacle to make excuses for blowing children to pieces, burying families under rubble, burning them alive in their makeshift tents, erasing entire bloodlines, shooting toddlers in the neck, torturing doctors and nurses, murdering journalists, teachers, poets and artists, leveling hospitals, schools, universities and shelters. We saw them run cover for the complete destruction of a society. And then draw up blueprints for a luxury, seaside resort over the mass graves.

We have seen the ascendency of a cruel, despotic narcissist in the most powerful and ruthless empire on the planet. A sadistic rapist, conman and gangster. One whose entire parlance is mendacity. One whose own body is a suppurating blob of Big Mac grease with bronzer slathered over its decay. One who has inspired grifters who turn a profit from sycophancy and a mob who delight in ignorance and humiliation and terror. Who have no problem with shooting women in the face or men beaten on the ground.

We have seen a billionaire class obsessed with living forever while condemning everyone else to a scorched earth. Who revel in demolishing the modest safety nets that keep people from absolute poverty. Who think democracy is quaint, but useless. And who use mass surveillance, usury and AI to suppress and distract us.

Now we are getting a glimpse into the nefarious machinations of the elite. A shadowy and sinister world of the most wealthy and powerful men, where human decency is a punchline. A world that uses sex as a bludgeon and treats the most vulnerable among us as objects to be used and discarded. And all the while we are seeing it, we are being gaslit again. Told that the world wants to “move on.”

Of course, none of this is new. Human history is littered with casual cruelties, unprovoked injuries, and banal evil. This world sits on top of a mountain of murdered corpses. The difference now is that the living biosphere, the one we all depend upon, is in the crosshairs. And the scope of brutality has expanded beyond the colonized or enslaved or otherized or dehumanized to include us all.

We have been integrated into the machinery of our own collective demise. Shoveling coal into a machine intent on our destruction for the profit of a few. And conditioned to see it all as necessary. As “progress.” If you are feeling overwhelmed or lost or shattered these days, you are not the abnormal one. You are grieving a world of illusion as it crashes to the ground.

Trauma can be a catalyst for change, but it can also be a drug. It creates bonds which can be regenerative, or ones which mire us in despair. Either way, it is unavoidable. Those who try to skirt its implications aren’t “the lucky ones.” They are like the ones who tell you to “stay put” in a building that is aflame. They aren’t saving you, they are choosing normalcy bias over urgency.

The trauma we are feeling is real. It is raw. It is unforgiving. But it is also a rejoinder to lived experience. It lives under our skin and its grammar is sorrow and confusion and rage. When we face it with integrity, we can eventually let the illusions go. It doesn’t mean the pain will be forgotten. But it can become the currency needed to unlock a door for our escape.

The rulers of this world have shown us who they are. Perhaps it is time we show them who we are.

Kenn Maurice Orfanos, February 2026

Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ is a Glimpse into the World of Jeffrey Epstein

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When I first saw Stanley Kubrick’s movie ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ over 20 years ago, I was mesmerized. The film has a kind of dream/nightmare quality to it. A sense that you are seeing everything and nothing at the same time. And that you may not be understanding what it all means but knowing, on some level, that you do. This would be Kubrick’s last film. He died only days after the first screening.

Over the years, it has been used to peddle some unhinged conspiracy theories which attempted to use its imagery as proof of adrenochrome-guzzling elites hiding their dungeons in the basements of DC pizza parlours.

It is sad that it was demeaned in this way, because now, with the Epstein revelations, Kubrick’s dark film offers a way of grappling with the machinations of the wealthy and powerful in a far more nuanced and realistic manner.

The movie isn’t without its problems. Some of the scenes appear a bit jejune. And Kubrick himself is a problematic man, with legitimate criticism for his own misogyny, abuses and sexism.

But aside from these very serious concerns, it is a masterpiece. The imagery that is used not only speaks to the masks we all wear in society at different times and in different places, but the impunity and privileged separation that the ruling class enjoy in this world.

Kubrick didn’t inject the supernatural into the film, although some of the rituals might seem that they lean that way. This wasn’t a movie about satanic possession. There were no demonic forces or evil ghosts lurking about.

The sinister came from a particular protected class in society. It came from human beings who possess an unprecedented amount of power over society, and who delight in exerting that power over the most vulnerable and impoverished. It came from a portion of society who are untouchable, both in law as in culture. It came from men. Powerful and wealthy men.

‘Eyes Wide Shut’ wasn’t a warning about Jeffrey Epstein, or Donald Trump, or Bill Clinton, or Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. It was a glimpse into the mirror of our society. It focuses on the rich, but it is really about all of us.

It is about men and women, boys and girls. It is about the messaging and conditioning boys get from an early age about how to see girls. And it is about how class insulates. How it divides principles and ethics along hereditary, racial, gender and monetary lines. How it operates within circles and networks most of us have no concept of.

‘Eyes Wide Shut’ is one of the most unflinching portrayals of our situation than any other work of art. And it is because of this, that it has been lampooned, mocked, abused for conspiracy theories and warped into some of the most convoluted mental pretzels of our age.

Kenn Maurice Orfanos, February 2026

On Noam Chomsky and Jeffrey Epstein, the Red Flags I Chose to Ignore

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The new revelations about the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and Noam Chomsky are far more disappointing and loathsome than previously understood.

Chomsky did not simply have some academic connection with Epstein, he was advising this serial abuser on how to deal with accusations and the press. Chomsky reduced these allegations to “hysteria.” He sides with Epstein over his victims. And that is sadly telling.

I met Chomsky at a lecture years ago and I have read his books. And they were very valuable in changing my worldview and understanding of capitalism, propaganda and imperialism. But I am beginning to realize something that I probably buried a long time ago in regard to Chomsky and other academics like him. Mostly white men. The red flags I chose to ignore.

I have noticed that there is a sort of detached comfort among too many academics when it comes to geopolitics. A way of intellectualizing and compartmentalizing suffering and cruelty, so that empathy can be dispatched, but only for those that align with ones worldview. In Chomsky’s case and others, victims of the American empire’s adversaries simply don’t count as much.

Kenn Maurice Orfanos, February 2026

Liberal Zionism Always Ends Up Defending Zionism

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Batya Ungar-Sargon used to write about the working class and colonialism. She identified as progressive. But now, she is a columnist at The Free Press, the sham media outlet founded by journalist flunky Bari Weiss, who has since moved on to destroy what was left of CBS News.

Here, she sullies the legacy of Anne Frank and every other victim of the Holocaust by denigrating immigrants.

Of course, Ungar-Sargon is wrong. Jews in Germany and the occupied nations of the Reich were systematically stripped of their citizenship. They were deliberately made stateless.

Furthermore, they were routinely labeled criminals and terrorists. Schools taught children that they were not to be trusted. They were demonized and dehumanized so that they could be easily scapegoated, deported and most often exterminated.

The inability to see the universal lesson of the Holocaust as a denunciation of all human rights violations, atrocities and genocides is the problem of liberal Zionism and its inevitable trajectory toward the far-right and fascism.

Kenn Maurice Orfanos, February 2026

The Danger of Viewing the Epstein Files through the Lens of Puritanism

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As scores of people pore over the newly released, and heavily redacted, Epstein files, it is worth examining one very American phenomenon. While the files contain truly monstrous allegations and photos, they also contain things which are not criminal or unethical, but which are all too often lumped in with all of the awful things. And this is the legacy of American puritanism.

None of this is to excuse the crimes of the ruling class, which are copious. And it is not to downplay any of the allegations from the victims. What I have seen so far is absolutely horrifying. But I have also seen an all too typical response among many Americans to its content which has more to do with personal moral standards than any legal wrongdoing. And this bias can create conditions which have been traditionally used as a bludgeon against women and minorities, such as racialized communities, transgender, queer and sex workers.

So, let’s separate the criminal from the salacious. The criminal should be obvious. Sexual abuse of minors, human trafficking, rape are all things that should be unequivocally condemned. But there are other things which are not. Kink, fetishes, masturbation, orgies, adult pornography. These things are not illegal in the US. At least, not yet. They are merely different features of human sexuality and preference. And are perfectly healthy, so long as they are between consenting adults. The reason this is so important is because historically, the latter has been used to oppress, persecute and discriminate against marginalized communities.

Puritanism in America has a persistent, pernicious and cruel legacy. And it stemmed from settler-colonial white men who used religion as a means of protecting their power and stealing land and property. While damning women and queer people for their supposed “sins,” these men were able to commit heinous atrocities which were often either overlooked by judicial bodies or made completely legal for them.

And it extended out toward racialized others. Indigenous societies, which had a long history of gender diversity, were cast as savages. Black men were stereotyped as being sexual predators, a legacy which continues to this day. Black women were often portrayed as sexually promiscuous, as a way of pitting them against supposedly “pure” white women.

And women, as a whole, have been among the most abused by puritanical mores. The infamous Witch Trials in New England did not merely pertain to some accusation of satanic possession. They had more to do with accusing women of “unnatural” sexual relations or for exerting control over their own bodies. And this was most often done to provide cover for stealing the land of unwed or widowed women. We can see contemporary shades of this dark chapter whenever there is a satanic or sex panic in society.

The crimes of the wealthy and powerful men, and some women, in the Epstein Files are indeed monstrous. But it is ironic that they are part of a political system that routinely demonizes transgender people, drag queens, non-binary and sex workers for their identity or choices, while they participate in the most atrocious and abusive behavior toward the most defenseless among us.

It is important to see this distinction as more and more files are revealed. And to understand the power dynamic at play. This is about nonconsensual dominance by people who have no concern for the welfare of their victims. It is about humiliation and exploitation of the most vulnerable human beings in society by the ruling class. But if they are not seen through this lens, there is a very real danger that the ghosts of puritanism will sully their meaning. And if that happens, they can be easily weaponized against people who had nothing to do with these crimes whatsoever.

Kenn Maurice Orfanos, February 2026

The Takeover of TikTok was Never About China

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Despite what American politicians and some media talking heads claimed, the takeover of TikTok was never about China, or national security, or protecting data. And now that ownership has been transferred to pro-Trump and pro-Israel billionaires, it is not only being heavily censored, it is collecting far more data on its users than before.

The usual reasons for this are still true. Most data collection is for marketing. But why does TikTok need to know about your immigration status? Or your ethnic identity? Or your sexual orientation? We know that the Department of Homeland Security and other US agencies routinely harvest information from this kind of data collection.

Other questions have come up as well. Why is TikTok censoring the word “Epstein” and “ICE?” Why does the word “Israel” come up in virtually every search? The reasons for the latter become apparent when one listens to the new owners who have stated quite clearly that certain words, such as “Zionist,” will be considered “dirty” unless it is coming from someone who is a proud one. This isn’t about confronting and condemning antisemitism, especially since many Jews identify as anti-Zionist. It is about banning any interrogation of a political ideology which has resulted in the genocide in Gaza.

Some Democrats are saying that TikTok should be investigated, such as Gavin Newsom. But Newsom has always supported these kinds of draconian surveillance tactics. He signed the “Digital Age Assurance Act” which is wildly pro-censorship in the name of supposedly “protecting children.” So, his objections now are merely political theatre and it is only in reference to Trump. He wants to be able to keep up his completely useless meme war with him without providing any meaningful challenge to his fascism. And he doesn’t care one bit if Palestinian content is banned.

With all the bluster about China and their censorship of political speech, surveillance and data collection, a differentiating factor between it and the United States is that China does this largely to benefit its people. The US does not. This is not an excuse for authoritarianism, but it is a striking contrast between the two nations.

As TikTok becomes a free speech wasteland, other apps are rising. UpScrolled has seen a sharp rise in users. But it is based in Australia, which does not have the best record in online free speech either. Still, it is a far better alternative.

The hard truth is that the ruling, billionaire class feels like they are losing control of the narrative. Of “acceptable debate and dialogue.” They use terms like “civil discourse” as a cudgel against dissent and criticism. In this way, they never have to be interrogated for their role in atrocities, political repression and the global dismantling of democracy.

This is why they are busy buying up news outlets and social media platforms. And they do not care one bit if they drive these mediums into the ground, so long as they hold on to their wealth and every lever of power.

Kenn Maurice Orfanos, February 2026

Empathy is NOT in Hillary Clinton’s Vocabulary

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It’s stunning to see ghouls like Hillary Clinton resurface to pontificate about empathy.

This is the same person who defended a rightwing coup in Honduras in 2009 and legitimized its government. Since then, Honduras has seen a dramatic increase in violence against activists, journalists, and the LGBTQ community.

This is the same person who profited from a shady and weak charity project in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake via her and her husband’s Clinton Foundation. And who opposed minimum wage for Haitian workers.

This is the same person who was a primary architect of the U.S.-led NATO intervention in Libya in 2011, laughing about the murder of its leader. A military assault which plunged the country into misery and chaos and made it the biggest hub of the modern-day slave trade in the world.

This is the same person who recently claimed that young people’s opposition to the genocide in Gaza was due to social media “propaganda” from China and “made-up” videos. Who argued against a ceasefire, even as tens of thousands of civilians, including tens of thousands of children, were being systematically massacred by Israel. And who continues to support military aid to Israel and has refused to acknowledge that it is committing genocide, despite the vast majority of genocide scholars saying that it is.

Hillary Clinton’s legacy is forever stained with the blood of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of civilians, from Iraq to Afghanistan to Honduras to Haiti to Libya to Gaza and beyond. That she, of all people, dares to preach about empathy is not merely ironic, it is obscene.

Kenn Maurice Orfanos, January 2026

One More Step Toward a Full-Fledged Police State

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On Wednesday, the FBI raided the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center in Union City, Georgia. It was carried out because of unsubstantiated claims by Trump of widespread fraud in the 2020 election in Georgia. These claims were repeatedly rejected by the courts. But facts do not count under this regime.

With Trump’s ratings tanking and the regime under increasing condemnation for its brutality at home and belligerent recklessness abroad, the regime is feeling the pinch. They know they only have a small window of opportunity to carry out their plans.

And with a Supreme Court which rubberstamps virtually every executive action and a weak and ineffectual opposition in the Democratic Party, which seems more concern with optics and in posting memes, the regime understands it still has its hands on the levers of power.

What is clear is that this is one more step in the solidification of the United States as a full-fledged police state. Elections, which are more about show in a country where money dictates policy, are still important, especially on the local level.

But when an authoritarian and openly fascist government casts widespread doubt on the legitimacy of the voting process and intimidates minorities and anyone they deem a threat, the impact on democratic integrity is nothing less than catastrophic.

Kenn Maurice Orfanos, January 2026

Bread and Circuses, Without the Bread

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Since the US-Israeli takeover of TikTok, there have been endless complaints about censorship, banned content and banned content creators. Some are saying the platform isn’t even allowing viewers to type in the letters “ICE.” Others have said that the word “Israel” pops up in any search, regardless of the topic. And any search for the word “Epstein” apparently may get your profile flagged for violating “community guidelines.” It has been hemorrhaging members who are going to the new UpScrolled as an alternative.

This all began when billionaires and American politicians were wringing their hands over the influence it was having regarding Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Unsurprisingly, all of them claimed it was because of Chinese censorship, date collection and surveillance. But everyone, except the feckless, understood the real reason.

After ardent Zionist and billionaire, Larry Ellison, bought the company via his corporation Oracle, everything changed. The new CEO of TikTok, Adam Presser, boasted about banning the word “Zionist” as a form of hate speech unless it was used in the context of being a “proud Zionist.” If the content criticized the political ideology, it would be considered a “dirty word” and be censored. Anti-Zionists, which include an enormous swath of Jews, are not welcome any more.

Larry Ellison, sixth richest person in the world and close friend of wanted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu, has made significant donations to the IDF as it commits heinous crimes against Palestinian civilians, including children. His company Oracle is an enormous, AI-generated surveillance technology giant.

Ellison, himself, has said he would welcome a “1984-style” surveillance state where AI analyzes video feeds to track, record, and influence citizen behavior. The billionaire claimed “citizens will be on their best behavior” because they are constantly being recorded and reported. Larry Ellison and others claimed that they were afraid of “Chinese surveillance,” even as Oracle had ties to Chinese resellers who have provided surveillance technology to Chinese police.

What all of this means is rather simple and banal. Elites like Ellison understood that these social media platforms were sharing real content about the atrocities Israel was committing. For the first time in human history, a genocide became widely seen and livestreamed by the victims.

The new TikTok is shadowbanning and silencing critics of Israel and the political ideology of Zionism. But it is part of a larger project of social control in the United States. Larry Ellison financed his son David Ellison’s acquisition of Paramount Global (the parent company of CBS).

They then appointed journalist flunky Bari Weiss as the Editor-in-Chief of CBS News. Weiss, known for her crusade against woke windmills of the mind, has also peddled in genocide apologetics and denial from her virtually inconsequential platform The Free Press.

Since taking over CBS, Weiss has been busy making the once respected news organization into a facsimile of Fox News for old centrists. Her first big event was an interview with Charlie Kirk’s widow and grifter extraordinaire, Erika Kirk. It had some of the lowest viewership in the networks history.

What we are witnessing in the United States is the complete decay of its communications and journalism institutions. From CBS to TikTok to MGM Studios, the aim is in controlling the dialogue and manufacturing opinions and consent within the accepted framework.

MGM, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, is most notoriously known for its recent bankrolling of the documentary “Melania,” which follows the first lady around for a few weeks as she does practically nothing but exist and wear lampshade-sized hats.

Regardless of how much money billionaire elites spend, what they are managing is nothing more than the death spiral of American society. The rapid unraveling of an empire, now headed by a dying, narcissistic, rapist who is terrorizing Black, Brown, Indigenous, women, queer and immigrant communities and occupying American cities as he rattles his saber at allies and adversaries abroad. Meanwhile, Americans struggle to make ends meet, terrified of medical bankruptcy and choosing between rent and food.

This is Bread and Circuses, but without the bread.

Kenn Maurice Orfanos, January 2026

We Will Never Forget Hind Rajab

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Two years ago today, five year old Hind Rajab was murdered by the Israeli military as she phoned emergency services for help, bleeding and surrounded by the bodies of her family in a car. An ambulance was sent to save her. It was bombed by an Israeli airstrike as it approached her. The paramedics were incinerated.

Hind was shot 355 times by IDF soldiers.

In the months following this coldblooded murder of a child, her family and the medical professionals sent to help her, Western media repeatedly referred to Hind as a “young woman.” Many news sites ignored her story completely.

But we will never forget Hind. We will never forget what Israel did to her and to tens of thousands of children like her. Tens of thousands of children who were buried under the rubble of their homes, shelters or schools, deliberately starved, or who succumbed to disease from tainted water or malnutrition. We will never let them erase her life or any of the others who have died or who continue to suffer in this genocide.

Rest in peace, Hind. You will always live on in our hearts.

*artwork by Shepard Fairey, Instagram account: obeygiant