Category: Reading Commentary

2083

December 13, 2019 / Skylar Houston

A European Declaration of Independence

2083 is the manifesto written by Anders Breivik whoo is responsible for the 2011 terrorist attack in Oslo. For most of the 1500 page manifesto it seems as if Breivik has done nothing more than copy and paste articles and sections of other publications together. This makes it come across as long and drawn out. Several times he even uses pieces from the Unabomber’s manifesto. Somewhere in the middle between all the plagiarism is a detailed plan of what Breivik was going to do on July 22 of 2011. It is interesting that he included this but even more so that he had smiley faces in there as he was happy about murdering people. I also find it interesting how he chose to spread it out which was via email and I believe a Facebook group. Granted his options were limited if he didn’t want to be stopped before he got to enact his plan.

Ultimately he received Norway’s equivalent of life in prison which is 23 years and then up for a chance at parole every year or so . after. Despite the fact he killed over 80 people many of whom were children. Now Anders is just sitting in what can be likened to a dorm room complaining that he lives in subhuman conditions because his coffee was served too cold. I know Norway doesn’t have the . death penalty . but this is one individual who deserves it.

On a final note at the very end of his manifesto there are some pictures of himself. I don’t know why he felt . the need to include them other than to please his narcissistic tendencies.

Dabiq

December 13, 2019 / Skylar Houston

The ISIS Magazine

Dabiq was an interesting read between the persuaive tactics used and the drastic contrast in the pictures. Overall I noticed why it might have been easy for those who dont have much knowledge of the evils ISIS is commiting to fall into their trap after reading several issues of their magazines. Everything thrpughout them is framed in a way to make them seem great. Theres sections where they claim to be helping the orphans.

Meanwhile just pages before theres photos of the acts of violence they committed in the name of Allah including dead children and beheaded men.

****THE PICTURE BELOW MAYBE DISTURBING TO SOME AUDIENCES****

It is also interesting how they use words of those they feel are against them such as Obama as a way to prove their point. In a section titled in the words of our enemy they select a quote that is going against ISIS and flip it around. This is a useful persuasive tactic. However they often refer to their enemies as crusaders which i find strange as it seems they themselves are the crusaders.
The only other notable thing about the magazines is the extensive sections about how their tactics relate to Islam which can be a bit difficult to read if you are not too familiar with the Quran and the muslim religion.

Overall it is well put together for a terrorist group despite its disturbing contents.

The Turner Diaries

November 13, 2019 / Skylar Houston

The Turner Diaries is initially a bit confusing putting the timeline together. Since the forward is from way in the future and the rest of the novel is a set of diary entries telling how the apocalypse as it happened from a first person sort of view. Once you piece that together its pretty easy to read and process. The content of the book its self is definitely concerning, but what should we expect from an avid white supremacists. You can draw comparisons between the Manson family’s idea of the race war and the novels race war thats laid out. It’s also interesting to see how the book represents gun control legislation and the response. In the book the whole war is started by the “Cohen Act” which bans all guns and the extremely conservative white supremacists lose their minds. We see some of this play out today as more and more people in America are pushing for gun control. I don’t think it would have the same effect that the book is prediction, at least I hope not, but its definitely interesting to see the slight parallels from today and the book. The other thing that happened in the book that made me confused was the portion describing how the Supreme Court legalized rape. The reasoning for this? Evidently it’s racist. That and the all out nuclear war that ensues has me scratching my head. I must remind my self who the book is written by.

Of course even the author (pictured above) looks like a cranky old white supremacist. He also wrote several other pieces of literature including a comic to recruit little kids. The comics portray a very messed up version of history much like the book portrays a messed up war that results in a apocalyptic world.

Satanic Verses

November 11, 2019 / Skylar Houston

The Aftermath

Shortly after Salmon Rushdie’s book Satanic Verses a fatwa was issused by the supreme leader of Iran at the time for Rushdie’s head. This resulted in several attempts on his life.

Do I think he was planning on his story to be taken that severely? No I think he wanted to piss people off and discuss what he thought falty in religion.

Do I think he was planning on having to be in hiding for 10 or so years of his life? No I don’t think he was planning on that. Of course who would plan on something like that after releasing a book? I also don’t think he wants to have a security detail for the rest of his life but it must happen to protect himself.

Its also insane to think that in . response to the book several book stores were bombed.

Following this Rushdie issued an apology which was rejected by Ayatollah Khomeini.

“I recognize that Muslims in many parts of the world are genuinely distressed by the publication of my novel. I profoundly regret the distress the publication has occasioned to the sincere followers of Islam. Living as we do in a world of many faiths, this experience has served to remind us that we must all be conscious of the sensibilities of others”

Salman Rushdie

“The imperialist foreign media falsely alleged that the officials of the Islamic Republic have said the sentence of death on the author of The Satanic Verses will be retracted if he repents. Imam Khomeini has said:

This is denied 100%. Even if Salman Rushdie repents and become the most pious man of all time, it is incumbent on every Muslim to employ everything he has got, his life and wealth, to send him to Hell.
If a non-Muslim becomes aware of Rushdie’s whereabouts and has the ability to execute him quicker than Muslims, it is incumbent on Muslims to pay a reward or a fee in return for this action.”

The Office of Ayatollah Khomeini

I personally don’t understand the purpose of the fatwa as Rushdie did not directly cause harm to Iran or the people of Iran. He just wrote a fictional book that some people took more offense to than others. Overall I think the whole book was blown out of proportion but my opinion is just that an opinion of someone who isn’t a Muslim.

Satanic Verses

November 11, 2019 / Skylar Houston

Blasphemous?

This story follows Gibreel through different portions of his past, present, and dreams. It exhibits elements of magical realism, Hinduism, and Islam. One of the dreams even transforms the story of Muhammad in Mecca. Due to this the story has been seen as offensive to Muslims. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa on Rushdie shortly after its release for its use of Muhammed and it promises a fair sum of money should you kill the author. I found the text a bit difficult to follow due to its jumping around. So I had to go back and reread sections after I was given more information. I also had to do some extensive research to put together all of the allusions which made it a tad more difficult to read. But over all it was a good story and very tame compared to other readings in this course. In fact if I hadn’t looked up why it was “forbidden” I wouldn’t have thought it was. It’s quiet along the lines of The Life of Brian. I think instead I would rather spend more time on one of the more clearly controversial books or readings. Satanic Verses is still a good read though.

Unabomber Manifesto

November 6, 2019 / Skylar Houston

Ted Kaczynski: A Mad Man or A Genius Ahead of His Time

Theodore “Ted” John Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber, is considered an anarchist in the Anarcho-primitivism sect, currently serving 8 consecutive life sentences for the 16 bombings he carried out from 1978-1995. He wrote what the media dubbed the Unabomber Manifesto, or as Ted called it Industrial Society and Its Future, a 35,000 word essay arguing against the Industrial revolution and what it has caused society to become.

“The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race.”

Theodore Kaczynski

Unabomber

Given his background I can see why someone would write him and his writing off as just a mad mans rantings but some of his arguments can definitely been seen as true today. For example his ideas on gene editing were cutting edge as in ’95 scientists were only just beginning to toy with that idea. But of course some of his ideas are out there specifically the idea that we can’t reform society we just need to revolt and start over.

“We hope we have convinced the reader that the system cannot be reformed in such a way as to reconcile freedom with technology. The only way out is to dispense with the industrial technological system altogether. This implies revolution, not necessarily an armed uprising, but certainly a radical and fundamental change in the nature of society.”

Theodore Kaczynski

Unabomber

Overall his reading is a-lot more stable than many of the other readings, such as DeSade or the SCUM manifesto, we have read aside from the fact that he killed 3 and injured 23 individuals. However had he not committed those crimes it’s likely that this whole writing would have flown under the radar. I definitely don’t think this is in my top 5 must keep due to its limited incendiary value. I would much rather spend more time on another reading or substitute another text.

The SCUM Manifesto

October 9, 2019 / Skylar Houston

This reading was definitely incendiary to our class and I can see why. I wouldn’t call it feminism but feminazism. The writer basically calls for a genocide of all males except those she deems worthy. Even if you are an acceptable male you may not live if you engage in rape, politics, and oddly enough lousy singing. Honestly, the writing comes off as insane and unintelligible. However, if you read around the text you find she tried to kill Andy Warhol since she thought he was going to steal her work. This coupled with the writing comes off more as paranoid schizophrenic to me based on my experience with my paranoid schizophrenic grandmother. Maybe she was mentally ill or maybe she really believed these things and was otherwise sane. The other astounding thing is that the organization N.O.W called her the first champion of women’s rights. I find this funny but also recognize they had only just started as a group they were not near as big as they are now. Overall I really feel these are the rantings of a crazy woman and I am glad she never really acted on any of these things aside from trying to kill Warhol. I also think that the writing wouldn’t have ever got picked up by an actual publishing company had she not tried to kill Warhol so I guess her insanity did something for her. Also, did you know she charged the price for the SCUM manifesto when she was self-publishing? I think this should also be kept but the actual book should be read and dissected since we did miss out on some of the ramblings of a Taylor Swift Hitler hybrid.

The Anarchist Cookbook

October 9, 2019 / Skylar Houston

A How To on LSD and Bombs

There are many things I find intriguing surrounding this reading. First being how did a teenager gets his hands on all of this information from making LSD and bombs to sabotage and surveillance. Even with the book, he said he used it seems unlikely a book available to the public would instruct you on how to make tear gas or LSD. I also found it intriguing that just a short 5 years later he renounced the book and converted to anglicism. Overall I find some of the information in there useful for things to look out for in the surveillance and the chemistry in relation to the bombs and LSD. Furthermore, I can see the reason why it could be a forbidden text as it calls for an end to all government and of course with the relation to various terrorist attacks both homegrown and international. And with the failure of the company who owns the rights to the book to remove the title after these events I can see why you might call it incendiary. I think it should definitely stay in as a reading assignment especially because it is a breakable book so it is easier to get through the read and still do other assignments. Even reading around it is intriguing. You get to see just how many terrorist attacks have used this as a source and learn about other sects of anarchism and the history of anarchism. Definitely not something I ever thought I would be reading or learning about but glad we read it.

Mein Kampf

September 26, 2019 / Skylar Houston

Part 1: A Narcissist’s Manifesto

Hitler’s autobiography reads like a cross between a biography and propaganda for his ideas. On top of this he seems to be writing in a stream of consciousness style. This is weird as a reader to experience this style of writing. It can be annoying at times however what I find most annoying his narcissistic tendencies. I also find these tendencies interesting as it plays a big part in his gaining control over a whole country and then commanding an invasion of Eastern Europe. I guess I personally find the psychology behind the writing and the writer more interesting than the content itself.