Forbidden Texts

Prof. Al-Tikriti's FSEM

Category: manifesto

“Industrial Society and its Future”

November 18, 2019 /

The essay “Industrial Society and its Future” reminds me quite
a bit of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s works, which makes sense, as it is very similar
subject matter. Ted Kaczynski has written his manifesto in a very different manner
from the other manifestos that we have read. It is serious, scholarly, and actually
brings up some very good points, which can make it a disturbing read,
considering that the author himself has murdered and injured many people in the
name of his ideology.

Kaczynski’s description of “surrogate activities” is quite
solid, but I also find it to be exceedingly strict. He describes a surrogate activity
as one which would not be terribly missed if one had to work for survival
rather than spend time on hobbies. In these activities, he includes art,
performance, and scientific study. I find it difficult to imagine that, even if
humans had to constantly seek food, water, and shelter, we would lose the
desire to explore. It is arguable that the need for exploration and discovery is
actually ingrained in our instincts. Although this point is not very relevant
to the takeaway of the essay, it is one of the things that most stuck out to me
upon reading it.

If Ted Kaczynski had not killed people in order to make his
point, I might agree with him on some of it. It is a wide-spread claim that technology
has caused deterioration of the self-fulfillment and energy that makes life worth
living, and that hobbies may be a way to fill the time. However, it is also
true that, like many radically-minded people, Kaczynski has taken his ideologies
so far that they become unacceptable to the general public.

“The European Declaration of Independence” Reflection

November 17, 2019 /

There is not much to say about “The European Declaration of
Independence.” As manifestos go, it was fairly close to those that we have
already read, which is not surprising, considering that much of the writing was
plagiarized from works such as the Anarchist’s Cookbook and the Unabomber
Manifesto. However, the interesting part of the manifesto is the change that occurs
when the writing switched from that of others to that of the author himself:
Andrew Berwick. Berwick uses astonishingly casual language in his writing, such
as acronyms like “btw” and “lol.” He tells stories about how he and his buddies
“were out clubbing and drinking” when he had suddenly been attacked by Muslim “thugs.”
The writing undermines his argument arguably as much as its very subject, white
supremacy and prejudice.

There is a lot of repetition in “The European Declaration of Independence.” This is also unsurprising, as the entire work is over 1,500 pages long. I am curious about the length; why would Berwick make his manifesto so long, yet full of nothing but copied work and tidbits about what has made him so hateful, in stories that give the strong impression of being one-sided?

If I did not know what Berwick has done, I would probably think his arguments ridiculous and write them off. As it is, the man killed over 70 people. He is in prison serving a life sentence and shows zero regrets for his actions, even stating that he wishes that he had massacred more. This is a similar impression to that which I got from Mein Kampf: a delusional and narcissistic outcast who dreams of taking on the “evil” they see in the world. There are many people like this, who seem harmless enough because we have no evidence to suggest that they will go through with any atrocious acts. But it is not easy to predict who will become violent, and how they will carry out their ideological goals. This reading gave me food for thought that had less to do with its content, and more to do with the glance that it provided into the mind of a budding terrorist.

“The SCUM Manifesto” Reflection

October 7, 2019 /

The SCUM Manifesto was a wild read. It was unprofessional, sexist, hateful, and demeaning to men and women alike. The author’s use of words like “pussy,” “daddy,” “titties,” and other absurd turns of phrase make it very difficult to take her seriously; perhaps that is why there is a theory that the work was written in satire. However, I have a hard time believing this theory either. The length of and persistent hatred of men in the paper would have to have needed something just as extreme to have been written prior to it if it were simply satire, or some event that would kick off the start of the book. It is understandable that a radical feminist might throw herself into such a project due to frustration at the pushback against the feminist movement. I find it more unlikely that an anti-feminist would feel so threatened by said movement that they would write the Manifesto in retaliation.

The SCUM Manifesto claims that women have been shaped by men into becoming male themselves, which does not make sense for multiple reasons. The most obvious reason is that if, as the author claims, women are so much stronger, smarter, and more ambitious than men, why would they allow themselves to be forced into subservience as is suggested? The suggestion that the author makes is a paradox in itself; it is also an insult to women, because it claims that women who love or accept men as equals are weak and have simply been outsmarted. I understand the frustration that one would feel against men; women’s rights have been denied for far too long and it is tempting to think that violent rebellion might be the answer. I do not think that it is; then again, I was not alive when women were struggling to gain the right to vote.

I think that the author simply does not comprehend the idea of love or the notion that some men are not as sexist as she seems to believe they are. She does not ever attempt to explore the notion that both sexes may be equal, but simply polarizes the two groups more. The insults she says are used against women are far too personal to be blanketed over all of the female sex; among the most “obnoxious and harmful types” of men, she names “disc-jockies,” “owners of greasy spoons and restaurants that play muzak,” and “flim-flam artists.” The examples are way too specific, giving the impression that the author has had specific bad experiences with these types of people. The SCUM Manifesto shows, more than anything, the inability of a radical to accept any mentality other than her own, which she cannot imagine to be flawed. I do not see much in the SCUM Manifesto other than sexist ravings, a bit like the way that Mein Kampf was against Jewish people.

“The Anarchist Cookbook” Reflection

October 3, 2019 /

Reading the Anarchist Cookbook gave me a distinctly powerful feeling, as though I had acquired a new depth of knowledge on a little-known subject. Of course, this is no surprise; that is exactly what I did. What is surprising is that it did not feel as though having this information was enough to put me on a government watch-list, even though this is pretty much the definition of watch-list material.

I believe that it is the tone of the work that threw me off the most. I expected that the author would adamantly wish to push his views onto the reader; after all, the very essence of the book is that one must overthrow the government. Instead, the author gives the impression that “safety first” is his main value. I think that this is one of the reasons why the book is such a large symbol of anarchism; it contradicts the violent image that we think of when we imagine the ideology. This adds another layer as to why it is so dangerous; it gives a more innocuous aura to the intoxicating idea of being a rebel.

I am rather disappointed to have learned that the book is apparently quite unreliable. The author has been denounced by multiple people as a hoax who does not actually follow the values and ideals of the Anarchist movement and does not even know what he is talking about. Upon more research I also discovered that said author, William Powell, tried persistently to remove the book from the shelves but was ultimately unable to do so. I find that his regret, as well as his later repentance, cheapens the authenticity of the book (although I myself agree with him and highly admire his growth); it is viewed as such a powerful symbol of rebellion and revolution, only to, in truth, be the result of a rebellious teenager’s flawed research. This, to me, is a reflection of the Anarchist and other radical movements themselves. I can appreciate the idea of overthrowing a corrupt government, but the actual process of this is far less glamorous than it is made out to be. People die. Innocent people die, and it is not usually for any good cause; it is often the result of accumulated hatred and radicalism. The Anarchist Cookbook is a symbol of a powerful movement, but the crux of the matter is that the author of this work is pretending to be much more knowledgeable than he is, “guiding” idealistic people into a movement that they may believe has a more solid ethical and practical standing than it actually does.

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