Brutality has been around long before human beings walked the planet. In ancient times, it was often a way of life. In moderns, however, brutality has taken on some additional dimensions. Media routinely delivers up brutality as entertainment with an ease and fascination never before possible—so that little children can contemplate thousands of killings before they’re even old enough to read or write; while brutes can exist today with a cool comfort that was impossible in past centuries. You can encounter the brute in the bully next door, or in the apparently self-possessed woman of means. Beyond this, we see a rising rage among who want to dispossess anyone more privileged or educated than themselves. A brutality of contempt, prejudice and negation. This rage and its associated brutality is growing in the world and may well be on the verge of changing the course of history.
This time the Devil’s Blog produced a recognizable face. The image of Pierre Metrice arose from the quicksilver swamp, grinned at Marten with a malevolent, toothy smile, and then disappeared.