The Portrait of King Charles: A Study in Institutional and Moral Decay

Warning: Do not look at this painting when under the influence of hallucinogenic drugs

We do not know what Oscar Wilde would have made of this chilling, or demonic, monotype of King Charles. When Wilde penned his novel the “Portrait of Dorian Gray” he intended to limn the horrific process by which Dorian Gray is seduced by hedonistic and narcissistic aristocrats and becomes so obsessed with sensual experience that he is willing to sell his soul for the opportunity to retain his appearance of youth, decency, and vitality. As part of this deal with the devil, a portrait of Dorian Gray, hidden away from view, grows old and depraved in accord with Gray’s true moral state, while he retains his youth.

Is this tale not an allegory for the horrific deal made by Great Britain, and its cojoined twin the United States, who sold their souls collectively so as to maintain a beautiful appearance while a portrait, hidden away in the attic, grows brutal and corrupt in reflection of their true nature?

You might ask what exactly is the portrait of Great Britain and the United States that represents their true form which is hidden from view by the deal with the devil.

The answer, I think, is quite clear. That portrait, that representation of London and Washington DC as they really are, is Israel. And today the Portrait of Dorian Gray has reached its climax.

When I watched the student protests in the United States focused on the Israeli slaughter of Palestinians, I felt the pain even more. Of course the students are right to be outraged at what Israel is doing, but Israel is the visible manifestation of what the United States and Great Britain have become.

I would venture to say that the torture and abuse of poor Americans in our private prisons is a match for what is done to Palestinians. The difference is that what happens in Gaza appears in the New York Times. By contrast, the 23 prisons in eight states that have deployed attack dogs on prisoners over the last five years (Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Virginia) are hidden from view. Hundreds have been mauled, disfigured or even killed, but the United States seems almost normal.

This story is nowhere to be found in the New York Times. I suspect that students protesting against the genocide in Gaza at Ivy League Colleges are as likely to talk about these crimes in America as they are to discuss the 9.11 incident and endless wars of America, or the Covid-19 operation and the mass murder by injection of tens of millions.