The Myth of Redemptive Violence is an archetypal plot in literature, especially in imperial cultures. At its core, the myth is the story of the victory of order over chaos by means of violence. One of the oldest versions of this story is the creation myth of Babylon (the Enûma Elish) from around 1250 B.C. Walter Wink coined the term as part of an analysis of its impact on modern culture and its role in maintaining oppressive power structures in his book The Powers That Be.[1]
The story that the rulers of domination societies told each other and their subordinates is what we today might call the Myth of Redemptive Violence. It enshrines the belief that violence saves, that war brings peace, that might makes right. It is one of the oldest continuously repeated stories in the world.[2]
Wink argues that it is the dominant religion in the world, found in everything from children's cartoons to ancient myths from Syria, Phoenicia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Germany, Ireland, India, and China. Much of modern entertainment relies on this myth, including spy thrillers, westerns, cop shows, and combat programs. It is the ideology of conquest, that life is combat and any form of order is preferable to chaos, according to this myth.
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