I wouldn’t turn anyone away on the basis of their disposition, and least of all for holding a well-adapted attitude and outlook, though I have made note of my hope that our collective will draw in a particular demographic which is not normally known to take part in the wars of society: the misanthropic and cynical. My ventures have long been based around an archetype which I call the eleanthrope: that is, the proactive, philanthropic misanthrope who refuses to become a part of the problem and seeks out a way to transmute their hatred and disgust into purest fuel.

Eleanthropy (from Greek éleos ‘mercy’ + anthropos ‘human’) is a simplistic concept with which I have worked for many years now, having developed from the realization that the words ‘philanthropy’ and ‘misanthropy’, while often taken as antithetical, would not appear to be mutually exclusive; for whereas misanthropy refers to the dislike or distrust of mankind, philanthropy most often refers not to an explicit ‘love’ or ‘fondness’ for mankind but to a desire to aid the well-being of the population; and with that being the case I acknowledged that one could technically identify as both a philanthropist and misanthrope concurrently.

The term ‘eleanthropy’ was settled upon to reflect a misanthrope which refuses to be ruled by their negative experiences and opts, instead, to use their awareness of the problems at hand as fuel for the greatest acts of altruism, willing that no other will be forced to suffer the same. Mercy, or éleos, is seen as an apt reflection of this mindset since the term implies that judgment is being withheld (which also implies that a problem has been identified by our minds).

How does this play into the topic at hand? Comprachicos has a long and complex history despite only being around since 2018 in its current state. Between the years 2013 and 2016 I took part in a collective known as the KHT, or Knights of the Hexagonal Table, whereto Comprachicos is, in many a sense, a spiritual successor. The focus of this endeavor hadn’t so much to do with activism outright but with expanding the application of psychology beyond the sterile environment in which it is regularly found and extrapolating its application in a host of novel ways with a more immediate impact on the public. For this endeavor I worked closely with a couple of individuals who I had met via the online psychology network of which I was a member and counselor for several years in my late twenties—both of whom were qualified psychologists specializing in delinquent psychology, which is one of the areas on which I, too, was focused at that time. As so, this endeavor placed much emphasis on misanthropy as a concept, for it has long been my belief that misanthropes, cynics and other outsider types are best equipped to shift the paradigm of modern society on account of their awareness and acceptance of the problems at play—an awareness refused by so many others in aspiring to a life of comfort and normalcy. The increased willingness of such individuals to face down the uncomfortable truths of reality creates for a decreased conditionality and a greater fighter overall. However, the average misanthrope regularly opts to set themselves apart from the masses in disdain, doing nothing with that awareness, and therefore I look to them like power untapped: the weapon that will win us this war.

The KHT operated in mind of the idiomatic “It takes a thief to catch a thief” which essentially expresses how none are better equipped to understand and stop the would-be antagonists of our world than those who are, themselves, disposed to such antagonism. The greater goal, in the case of our organization, was not to vilify such individuals and push them further into the dark but reorient their focus and enlist them, so to speak, by taking them through the process of refocusing their disturbation and aggression and bringing them into a place where their perspective could be used to repair the fabric of our torn and traumatized world. However, my experiences have also shown me that it doesn’t always come together as neatly as I had envisioned and must often be handled as a volatile chemical. Humanity is a nuanced thing, after all, and it merits all the respect that we can manage.

What happened, in this case, is that I surrounded myself with... well, jerks and nihilists, in a well-meaning effort to tap into that supposed reservoir of capability and my mental health suffered for it, causing me to abandon the KHT and give up, if temporarily, on my hope; however, these ideals have never lost their appeal and I do still romanticize a coming together of outsiders even if a lot of them are on the outside for very valid reasons having to do with their disagreeableness. Though I will say that this ideal seems far more feasible now that the format has been decentralized and I have renewed hope, viewing Comprachicos as capable of reaching into the darkest crevasses.

My interest in this topic, along with my approach, were primarily conceived in response to mine own life experiences—particularly my struggle against interpersonal trauma and the bitter (and oftentimes hostile) attitude that developed as a consequence. I have kept personal anecdotes to a minimum within this text for multiple reasons, although my backstory has been highly publicized, and therein you will find a most detailed account of my transformation from a world-spurning child into the compassionate individual I have since become. This concept of ‘eleanthropy’—to which I latched on in my early twenties—was instrumental in my changing attitude, being it a simple, yet effective catalyst for the realization that my suffering in life did not grant me an excuse to add to or disparage the suffering of others; nor did it prevent me from becoming an empathetic, constructive and upstanding individual.

As a concept it is not so complex, seeming almost like a meaningless distinction, although I feel that this realization is one that has the potential to inspire change in those who hear it and I dream of the day in which such resolve has permeated the cynical hordes, and this once-inactive demographic rises to become the most active and influential demographic of them all. To simply have these concepts circulating among the public could lead many to reconsider their position, as well as their responsibility, being that there exists this unspoken assumption that one must be healthy, beloved and moderately outgoing to contribute to this world. And while there is some truth in the idea that we cannot give to others that which we cannot give to ourselves, I do not doubt that we have limited ourselves with our stereotyping, which causes us to make assumptions when we should be seeking answers. Our archetypes, our standards, our laws all grant (or deny) us permission to not only act on but also recognize certain tendencies within ourselves, and it is a sad fact that, as of now, “social outsider” and “altruist” are seen as mutually exclusive due to our current archetypal mold which depicts outsiders as bitter and detached. With Comprachicos I wish to bring this new archetype forward in the hopes that the awareness brought on thereby will bring the population to re-examine itself in light of this information. For example, think of how many lives were changed to realize that asexuality, homosexuality, et cetera, were valid orientations—since even when these individuals did not live in doubt of their inclinations, the inability to have their nature and preferences reflected and reaffirmed by society left such individuals unable to integrate these aspects of themselves in full.

It is true that those who are beloved often go on to become lovers, while those who are despised become despisers in turn. I understand why this would be viewed as the standard, though for every standard there is an exception, and until the alternative comes into the public consciousness we will remain blind to the full scope of our humanity. And to see the scorned, the abandoned, fighting so fervently for those who sent them down the river to die… it creates for not only a powerful premise, as well as a powerful paradigm which does not bear all of the same limitations as the so-called standard from which it so deviates; and the popularization of such an archetype could shift the fate of our world, seeing as it is often those who feel themselves betrayed and abandoned who concede to violence and destruction.

You’ll notice that there aren’t many—if any—individuals within the social consciousness who embody such an ‘unlikely’ combination of traits, although even as I consider it ‘unlikely’ by our standards of what is and isn’t normal, I do not view it as uncommon but as underrepresented, and I wish to change that which is expected of the outsider. More than simply writing up some description and expecting you to buy my vision, I seek to bring you an example, a visual, a paragon in my own person and the life that I have led, knowing that I myself constitute such an extreme example of this seemingly unlikely archetype: the outcast that devotes himself to the good of a population who, by some standards, destroyed him. And that devotion comes neither from ignorance, nor out of desperation to be accepted, but through courage, recognizing and accepting that there may be no reward beyond the act itself. To be able to set aside our suffering and negative personal experiences and recognize the wonder of life which is not marred by the lives that we’ve led. To be able to set aside the unfortunate encounters of our lifetime and recognize the beauty of mankind and its boundless potential which is not limited by the faults observed. Worthy aspirations, these are.

It is a tricky matter, yet if through this collective we can manage to bestow the hurting and traumatized aspects of humanity a new paradigm—a new means whereby to understand and focus their hurt and disapproval, along with a means to make them feel less excluded in this thing called humanity—then that, in itself, would resolve so many of the struggles faced by our species even before any large scale campaign has been carried out. Indeed, if all our prospective ‘antagonists’, so to speak, can be convinced to join the fight against ignorance, we shall find that the only battle left to fight is one of upkeep and prevention. And since it may be many years before we are able to ameliorate the sting of structural trauma, even with hardcore campaigning, I see this as a step that may be carried out in the meantime and get us to that point.

With that being said, Comprachicos is not merely to be seen as some ‘edgy’ insignia to be taken up by bored, antisocial kids seeking validation and catharsis for their unresolved aggression. If that is all you’re after then I’d say you’re better off just starting a metal band. For this endeavor I require a more mindful and responsible breed: the rebel psychologists and philosophers and Existentialists and mystics and Aseitists and humanists and artists and apostates and eleanthropes and tricksters and outsiders that are willing to take their talents and insights into this arena wherein such talents and insights are seldom beheld. For this endeavor I require a more heartful breed, wherefore I welcome all those whose empathy and compassion has left them seething, weeping, shivering before a world in agony—and I speak not of those who opt to use the pretense of ‘empathy’ as an excuse to retreat from life and its many demands, where it is better viewed as a call to increase responsibility and vigilance in our dealings.

The character of our participating members is as crucial to the operation as its most central processes—so much so that I will go on record to state that those who neglect their character cannot be called a comprachico. That surely isn’t to instate or even insinuate some impossible criteria which demands perfection of a species to which such a concept is unknown (or at the very least improbable), although we must hold ourselves to the highest viable standards as individuals—higher than those to which we hold the masses—and those aspirations, as with any aspiration, should be plainly visible to (and scarcely doubted by) all with whom we are interacting, being revealed through our speech, our interactions and in how we opt to spend our time. And so you should not expect to find our affiliates standing around in the streets holding smoke-bombs and shouting at insentient walls. We are not the Illuminati, and we will not stoop to playing the role of your boogeymen, scowling from the shadows and disrespecting all those with whom we do not agree. Instead we shall become as pillars of our communities, for we understand that a society in which humanity does not have our priority and focus is a society that cannot sustain itself.

Those who do not meet these qualifications or otherwise do not wish to take part in the more intensive and operational aspects of our collective can still act as our ally in this effort to turn the page of human history. Yea, there are plenty of ways to support this collective and its causes without taking to the frontlines, as it were, and we will be looking for all the help that we can get.