Gangsta King

'Gangsta King' is a term originally coined by Haz in a livestream that took place February 3rd 2023, titled "My GROUNDBREAKING political theory". It refers to rulers and leaders in the 21st century who — by their form of exercising authority, statehood, and sovereignty — go against universal enlightenment liberalism. The term is meant to invoke names such as Gaddafi, Maduro, Putin, Xi, Assad or Kim Jong Un.

Theoretical underpinnings

The term serves as a serious political statement presented in a jocular manner, a running theme in Infrared thought, which (partly inspired by Zizek) considers memes a serious conveyer of meaning.

Premodern sovereignty

Mandate from Heaven. Divine right of Kings. Right by inheritance.

The break from premodern sovereignty

The beginning of the end for premodern politics started in the citystates of Italy. In Italy, forms of accumulation began to emerge that operated outside the feudal order. One such system was the various mercantile banks during the 14th and 15th centuries. Families like the Medicis began to deligitimize heriditary or religious claims to power by simply growing their wealth. This material change correpsonded to a shift in the arena of political theory. The Prince by Machiavelli was considered "the first materialist political philosophy" by Luis Althusser. This is because Machiavelli described relations of power through a non-metaphysical lense.

'Paradise Lost' by John Milton. Hegelian/Zizekian concept of the fall.

After the enlightenment, the ancien regime could no longer legitimize it's own claim to power. Instead we saw the rise of 'universal politics', where everyone by law in a contractual manner is considered an equal participant of state politics. Enlightenment and the Universal state. Open societies.

This gives way to contradictions when material conditions assert themself over the pure form of liberal politics. For example, in western style democracies, we all have the true right to vote, but power itself is somewhere else; Deep states, oligarchies and burocracies.

Malign sovereignty - The so called tyranny and authoritarianism

In todays age, all forms of sovereignty not carried out in the liberal form are considered malign and deligitimate in the eyes of liberalism. Some even go so far as to claim that all forms of non-liberal government is fascistic. One example that Infrared has encountered is leftists and anarchists calling the sovietunion or China "red fascist"

The term is also meant to invoke a critique of the established view on tyranny.

Draconic law. Julius Caesar, book by Parenti.

Dialectic between oligarchy and tyrant. Cultural revolution. The red terror.