On Pornocracy
Stefan Mattessich
On Pornocracy Stefan Mattessich (bio) In tenth-century Rome, one aristocratic family, the Theophylacti, rose to power in Holy See through a mother, Theodora, and her daughters, who manipulated process of papal selection their advantage affairs, arranged marriages, scandal, incest, murder. Sexual amorality also characterized popes they backed; sins ranged from simony running brothels Lateran Palace raping female pilgrims Saint Peter's. Long referred as nadir, or "dark age," church history, early nineteenth-century German theologians called this period Pornocracy, or, alternatively, Huenregiment, Rule Harlots. One event that prepared way for startling degeneracy era fell AD 753–54, when Pope Stephen II struck deal with Frankish king Pippin, acquiring sovereign rights over Italian land exchange fealty Roman Empire. Louis Dumont has singled moment out significant evolution modern state, which emerged shifted its otherworldly focus on private truth public affairs. Likewise Dumont, was history individual, he derived transposition priest's "out-worldly" asceticism "in-worldly" engagement (1986, 49–50). both registers, effects were transitive: compromised self-sufficiency acquired political power, assigned transcendent values new state subjects composed it. Authority obedience, spirit nature, soul body brought into "hierarchical complementarity" maintained integrity each displacement, model Incarnation.1 light, we might think followed disintegration Carolingian Empire more than century later, less an anomaly, pagan regression (a typical Catholic [End Page 65] reading), stage secularizing institutions subjectivity, "in-out" character, found obscene other principle—the "old in-out," say, so memorably expressed A Clockwork Orange by depraved Beethoven-obsessed protagonist, Alex DeLarge. To be sure, word pornocracy tells us much about Protestant sensibilities those anything else—particularly changed under pressures Enlightenment thought, value, action coming France. The Kantian internalization absolute law duty receptive imperatives yet taken introspective subject (closed off external world his cultural sense fusion belonging, Gemeinschaft) resonated paradoxical asociality Rousseau's social contract. As connotation helps recall, civilized life restructured contract often glossed ambiguous, artificial, vain, meretricious dimensions feminine. Rousseau misogynist bias ancien régime where monarchical (even nobility) it emasculated everyone except Bourbon kings; reason, fix exemplary trait courtesan exerted influence behind scenes, networks connections lacked transparency justice. came see republican rule law, predicated "natural" correspondence between inside outside, essence appearance, what you mean sharp contrast court salon society everything reduced pure semblance. priority gave illusion thus warranted equally demotion feminine qua principle unaccountable power. Equality men hinge restriction women roles privatized dependence—or, since dependence had long been rule, latter's wider application, especially upper classes. accounted lack liberty arrangement referring sympathy sentiment could manage communicate. He further elicited unexpected "power" right disposition (male) citizen, who...
Cultural Critique