Best social activist biographies according to redditors
We found 120 Reddit comments discussing the best social activist biographies. We ranked the 49 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 120 Reddit comments discussing the best social activist biographies. We ranked the 49 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
It's a stunt. Her new book comes out March 28th, reserve your copy on Amazon.com now.
She can always pretend she's black:
https://www.amazon.com/Full-Color-Finding-Place-Black/dp/194464816X
It's a question I thought a lot about in college: what if the Civil Rights Movement had adopted Malcolm X as its patron saint instead of MLK Jr.?
I think the conclusion I arrived at back then was that things would've absolutely moved more quickly.
It's bizarre that I keep pointing to this example of protest over the last couple of months, but here's a comment I wrote up with my recommendations on books about violent protest, black anticapitalism, and desegregation:
Read up on pool desegregation through the 50s, 60s, and 70s. One good book to start with is Negroes with Guns by Robert F. Williams.
Basically, pools were "officially" desegregated in the late 40s, and a response of the KKK and other white supremacy groups at the time was to essentially "guard" public pools and bar entry by any non-whites.
>Where did protests of BPs pointing guns at cops happen?
Early versions of the Black Panthers in towns throughout the South and Mid-Atlantic responded by essentially camping out at pools with firearms - usually government-issued (remember, lots of Panthers were WWII, Korea, and Vietnam vets).
I've read several first-hand accounts of the Panthers' intimidation of the Klan and racist police in these areas using firearms (even pointing guns at cops).
>where in the south has stricter gun control laws?
As a result of the Panthers' and other groups use of firearms in their protests and pool-ins, anti-open carry laws got passed at breakneck pace throughout the South and Mid-Atlantic. Panthers at the time protested those as well, and this is also well-documented in several good books on the early Panthers.
I'm too lazy to link to the books, but check out the following if you're interested:
It's really important to remember that these early black militant groups were specifically responding to violence with violence. Emmett Till was murdered in the mid-50s, literally at the same time as early desegregation efforts were starting.
Reposted from another thread:
Yes, I really hope we can build a long term movement.
We should look at the occupy movements and learn from that.
They came out extremely strong, lasted a bit, but then fizzled out. One of the main organizers wrote a book about lessons for future protest movements. The end of protest: a new playbook for revolution.
Also something inspiring about occupy is how they became a hurricane relief organization during hurricane Sandy. (Occupy Sandy).
We can learn from that too. What could make a movemrnt stronger in the age of climate change than to double as a mutual aid network for disaster relief? This could give the movement a sort of reason to exist for a longer duration, even if passions fizzle out at some point (which happens), the network could spring back into action each time a natural disaster strikes.
This sort of long term organizing is what is needed. Not a protest, but the fornation of a network dedicated to attacking the problem persistently over time, as well as assisting those endangered by its effects.
If we could become an organization that had representation in every city, those cells of people could be used to forward local transition strategies. And so on.
It could be so much more than a single protest.
I hope we can build something like that.
Released today. Amazon has it.
The problem with the East is, except for the state and national parks, it is all private land -- fenced, keep out -- no trespassing. When the western states applied to the Fed for statehood, the Fed kept a large chunk of the land in trust for the American people. The fed owns around 50% of the land west of the Rockies; that means you own them, too. Hell, the Fed held more than 80% of Nevada.
The desert lands of the West, what used to be called wasteland, are managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The BLM isn't like the National Park Service; you can do pretty much anything you want within reason. On BLM lands, yes there are fences but only for livestock -- not to keep people out. If the gate is open, pass right on through. If the gate is closed, close it again behind you.
Protip: when you come out west, check out as much as you can of the Colorado Plateau, a 130,000 square mile red rock sticking out of the desert. This is among the wildest, most remote places within the lower 48. OP's photo is likely of the Grand Canyon which is the very southern tip of the Colorado Plateau. About half of the Plateau looks just like that; not quite as grand but every bit as colorful and beautiful.
Reading suggestions:
Desert Solitaire
The Secret Knowledge of Water
Edit: grammar
Sorry about linking to Amazon, but this the book in question: http://www.amazon.com/Galileos-Middle-Finger-Heretics-Activists/dp/1594206082/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458697480&sr=8-1&keywords=alice+dreger
The official excuse is that the book does not affirm the lives of LGBT people. Now, when T people are the only ones addressed in the book and their campaign against other scientists is the subject of the book, it's not that hard to connect the dots.
And evidently Lambda Literary doesn't understand the idea of irony.
I've got an even better book for her...
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https://www.amazon.com/Negroes-Guns-Robert-F-Williams/dp/1773230522
It does turn out differently. Read Negroes with Guns by Robert F. Williams for more information.
Here are a couple of excellent books about blacks using firearms to defend themselves against white supremacists.
https://www.amazon.com/Negroes-Guns-Robert-F-Williams/dp/1773230522
https://www.amazon.com/This-Nonviolent-Stuffll-Get-Killed/dp/082236123X
This article is word-for-word identical (including the same pictures) as the original version published by the Sunday Telegraph on April 29 last year: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/spying-shock-shades-of-big-brother-as-cybersecurity-vision-comes-to-light/news-story/bc02f35f23fa104b139160906f2ae709. I'm not sure why it has appeared again on another website with today's date. There is no new information here.
On a related note, Edward Snowden's book "Permanent Record" has just been released: https://www.amazon.com/Permanent-Record-Edward-Snowden/dp/1250237238. For anyone who is unaware, Snowden was an insider at the NSA (the US equivalent of our ASD); he had access to and in 2013 leaked to journalists a historically unprecedented amount of information about the mass surveillance activities conducted by the US, UK, Australian and other five eyes intelligence agencies.
Any time you hear about the government requesting new powers like those discussed in the article, there's a good chance it's merely an attempt to obtain proper legal footing for activities they've already been conducting (or collaborating with other five eyes partners to conduct) for many years. For an overview of the revelations see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_surveillance_disclosures_(2013%E2%80%93present).
I think I found where you (indirectly) got the name Nathaniel from: The Outsider by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer
There are several annual collections published as books. One of my favorites is the Best American series
Other journalism-related books that you might consider:
-Journalism's Roving Eye, a history of foreign reporting https://www.amazon.com/Journalisms-Roving-Eye-American-Reporting/dp/0807143596
Just a sidenote to this, the Derek he refers to is Derek Black, the son of the creator of Stormfront, godson of David Duke and ex prodigal son of the white nationalist movement. I say ex because he renounced all his racist beliefs and broke free from the movement. A book--written by a Pulitzer-winning WP reporter--just came out about him last month. I really recommend it.
https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Out-Hatred-Awakening-Nationalist-ebook/dp/B078LJKP88/
Also Negroes with Guns and Negroes and The Gun.
It’s utterly mortifying, and heartbreaking. This person wrote that shit with complete confidence in their perception of the world and their superiority in it. They have not even a scintilla of awareness or doubt or shame. I don’t fully understand how anyone could get like this. I’m about to start reading a book about a young man who grew up as a white supremacist but then, through the patience and care of some new friends, changed his views. It’s called Rising Out of Hatred by Eli Saslow. I heard about it on the podcast “With Friends Like These”.
I feel like I need to try to understand how that comment could happen. How the virulent hatred I see on T_D and MGTOW and Voat became acceptable and normal for some people who grew up in the same country I have, with the same popular culture. Every individual experience is different, like there are 300 million versions of America, but somehow a huge portion of my peers seem to live in a particular America that I do not remotely recognize, and that terrifies me.
I read (and frequently recommend) Jon Ronson’s fascinating book Them: Adventures With Extremists where he spends time with hateful people like a not-yet-famous-but-definitely-nuts Alex Jones and with a bunch of families at a KKK meeting. It’s compelling stuff, but I feel like I need to know more. It’s one reason I hang out in this sub, to keep an eye on what the average yet extreme bigots are thinking and saying.
On a more cheerful note, I came across something that made me think of you after our side conversation about makeup. A Sylvia Plath fan should coordinate their lipstick with this T-shirt and necklace! I’m obsessed with this company, Out of Print. My favorite book of all time is a Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and they even make a tee of that! I wish could spend thousands and wear a different book shirt every day. Anyway, that’s a little more lighthearted way to end this depressing comment contemplating the ugly and in my mind practically profane attitudes expressed in that disgusting thread. Not that Plath is especially cheery, but, well, you know what I mean!
Meh. There is no writer noted, it's AP publicity puff as seen anytime anyone with name recognition is releasing a book.
In his case he can't exactly go on tour, yaknow?
So, the publisher - or a contractually obligated and independently contracted 3rd party - pays to play , puts it out there they will pay for any type of clickbait articles (100 words or more!) to drum up business.
Or even releases their own made to order press release - in the old days these would be marked as press release, for immediate release etc.
Make no mistake, the main idea of that article was to remind you there is a Edward Snowden alive and free in the world and now has a memoir.
​
NYT Review
Amazon $18.95
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[EDIT] https://www.ap.org/en-us/services/ap-content-services
I feel like there's a whole site dedicated to this
Here's a book for you:
https://www.amazon.com/Permanent-Record-Edward-Snowden/dp/1250237238
Here is another good book (and the organization that Rachel Lloyd started).
Good reminders:
Human trafficking not only happens globally, but also in your 'backyard' . It's not just an "over there" issue.
Aftercare is absolutely necessary to recovery. Being rescued doesn't solve it all. And relapse is part of recovery.
Edit: formatting
Correct. The book is Desert Solitaire.
If you want to understand your nonverbal autistic child, there are some great books out there to help you do that. I personally have read and recommend:
Order these three books right now. They're all well written and so so insightful. You won't regret it.
Permanent Record https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250237238/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_n7uGDb4CH21BX
For a second I honestly believed / had hope that you were my mom writing this post. I recently came out to my mom in March (been on HRT since June) and it's been a mostly negative experience. Your first couple of sentences directly relate to my situation (like the 3 boys that are now 1 daughter & 2 sons).
My mom knows I am on Reddit and until I got to the part about your daughter being 24 (I am 29) I honestly had a small glimmer of hope she was trying to reach out to me in some weird way. Now I am over here crying because again I feel cheated by the universe that my mom is being the way she is.
I apologize for the above, but I really just needed to get it off my chest.
To answer your question:
​
Honestly, any of the options you already mentioned are fantastic. Also, flowers! My wife buys me flowers now and it is the most amazing feeling when she shows up with them! The biggest and most meaningful gift that you can give is something that you are already giving.... your support and willingness to accept her.... because not everyone has that, and this whole process is a LOT more difficult without support.
-Naiohme
I would like to add to this list How Can I Talk If My Lips Don't Move?: Inside My Autistic Mind and Carly's Voice, two stories of young people with ASD that have learned to communicate well through hundreds of hours of intensive intervention. The first book was written by the young man himself when he was a teenager and includes beautiful quips of poetry.
This video at 2:50 summarizes it well:
"Tito, without your mother pushing you, how would your life have been different?"
"I would have been a vegetable."
http://youtu.be/Nfiap3a7Tuo?t=2m50s
All right. Just went through my library and the following stood out to me:
Desert Solitaire (1968) by Edward Abbey: One of the best American voices for conservation spent some seasons as a park ranger in the desert southwest. Here are some brilliant, funny, and soundly critical musings inspired by his time there.
A Continuous Harmony (1972) & The Unsettling of America (1977) by Wendell Berry: In my opinion, Wendell Berry is the best cultural critic we've ever had. He's 86 now and still a powerful voice of reason in a chaotic society. Dismissed mistakenly by fools as someone who just wants to go back to the old days, he offers much-needed critiques on our decomposing relationship to the land and what it's been doing to our culture.
Night Comes to the Cumberlands (1962) by Harry M. Caudill: This Kentucky native saw what the predatory and morally bankrupt coal industry had done to the people and land (and the relationship between the two) in Appalachia and outlined how it all happened in powerful inarguable detail. This book serves as a stern warning about what chaos and destruction industries can bring forth when profit is their only concern. Anyone wondering why Appalachia is full of depressed drug addicts can find the roots of those issues in this book, which inspired The War on Poverty.
The Big Sky (1947) by A.B. Guthrie Jr. : A classic novel about a young kid who runs away to join the fur trade in the frontier days. It tells a very believable story, rather than chasing the overblown myths of the West like most novels dealing with that subject.
Shantyboat (1977) & Payne Hollow by Harlan Hubbard: He and his wife Anna built a truly rewarding and pleasant life together almost entirely independent of modern industrial society in the 1940s and 50s, first floating down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers on a shantyboat they built, living from temporary gardens and trading with people they met along the river, and then settling into Payne Hollow where they lived a realer-than-Thoreau existence together for decades. True love, and true meaningful living.
Of Wolves and Men (1978) by Barry Lopez: Rogan seems to think he's some kind of authority on wolves and I cringe every time I hear him start talking about them. It doesn't begin and end with "These are savage fucking predators that need to be controlled!" He seriously needs to read this book, which is a beautifully-written and exhaustive look at the history of the relationship between human and wolves. Like most interesting things, it is a complex issue.
My Life With The Eskimo (1909?) by Vilhjalmur Stefansson: The accounts of an ethnologist traveling through the arctic before much contact had been made between Europeans and Natives. Incredible stories of survival and the inevitable interesting situations that occur when two vastly different cultures meet.
The Marsh Arabs (1964) & Arabian Sands (1959) by Wilfred Thesiger: This dude went deep. Deep into the marshes of Southern Iraq and deep into the Empty Quarter of Arabia. Both books are amazing accounts of voyages through incredible parts of the world whose geography and people have since been changed forever.
The Mountain People (1972) by Colin M. Turnbull: This anthropologist lived with the Ik in Uganda as they went through a complete cultural disintegration brought on by starvation during a drought. Reading this, one sees how quickly complete tragic anarchy takes hold when basic resources are in desperate need. Humanity went out the window.
Let me know if you ever read any of these, and how you like them. I would bet they provide anyone with good food for thought and discussion.
Encounters with the Archdruid
Tongass: Pulp Politics and the Fight for the Alaska Rain Forest
Desert Solitaire
https://www.amazon.co.jp/Permanent-Record-Edward-Snowden/dp/1250237238
No probelm dawn_weiner aka morning_wood! Just living vicarously through you so hard.
ehhhh "so hard" is a poor choice of words.
First off, I second what /u/kickstand said about doing the jenny lake trail in Grand Teton's. I hiked it with my GF and it was pretty much like hiking through a postcard if the weather is right. if you do this hike make sure you get back in time for the last ferry or you'll be adding another 4 or so miles onto the end of your hike!!! we caught the last one and it was the saddest thing to have pulled away from the dock and see hikers running to catch the boat to no avail.
/u/tibataw is also spot on about making your reservations ASAP. some campgrounds at the National Parks won't do reservations and are first come first serve so make sure if you're just going to wing it and try to grab one of those sites make sure you get there extremely early to ensure you have a spot. i would talk to your spouse and prioritize what you want to see and accomplish while in the parks as some campgrounds are better suited for certain goals due to their location and intended campers they plan to serve.
If I could be so bold to give you some more personal suggestions...
For Badlands...
We camped here and loved it. Stay at Cedar Pass Campground and if possible get campsite #2 as it's on the side of the campground facing the badlands and gives you a good amount of privacy. This is a place that you need to see sunrise and sunset at. It really brings out the colors of the rock and is what really took my breath away while here. Also, you'll see 10000000000000000000 (no exaggeration) of signs for Wall Drug. It's funny and a tourist trap, it is one of those things that if you go into it knowing what a joke it is you can enjoy it for the 20 minutes you decide to spend there. Make sure you get your free glass of ice water!!!!
For Yellowstone...
Head to Lamar Valley, bring some post cards, snacks and drinks and park your cars on one of the pull outs off the side of the road. (the ones with no bathroom, like just a patch of pavement with nothing around it) My GF and I spent 3 hours just relaxing, writing postcards, reading, listening to music and enjoying doing nothing while not being around any of the crowds. after driving so much, trying not to tackle a hike or site see was exactly what we needed. also Lamar Valley is where a lot of animal watching takes place in the park, so its a great place just to sit and do nothing. People run around the park to see the animals but if you just stay still they will reveal themselves! Get a pair of binoculars before you leave Chicago, can't stress this enough!!!!
For Grand Teton...
See sunrise from the top of Signal Mountain, you can drive up and the road is windy so leave early. It provides sweeping views of the mountains and the plains. An amazing place for photos!
For Zion...
I posted this the other day but still stands true. You should stop at Thunderbird Restaurant east of Zion off of Rt 9 while you're traveling between Bryce and Zion. Pretty much a standard diner but i'm not joking, the best slice of pie I think I've ever had. The reviews on Yelp seem to say the food is hit or miss (i don't remember since I visited about 5 years ago) but I do remember the pie. Maybe best course of action is to get a slice or two to go (if possible) to help pass the time while you're driving.
PIE!
Also in Zion Canyon, if you're super adventurous and in good shape I would look into hiking up to Observation Point from the Weeping Rock trailhead. It's a steep hike but sooooooo worth the view. When I went there was also pools of cool water off the trail to soak your feet in after the hike. worth it! worth it! worth it!
Bryce...
Can't really say much as I only stopped there for an hour or so while going between Arches and Zion. It was amazing and I would love to go back to see more.
Arches...
I know that this literally came on your radar about 30 minutes ago...but it's amazing. I can't describe how breath taking it is. One of those places that make you realize how diverse and beautiful the US is. If you are a reader and have some time I would suggest a book for you by Edward Abbey called Desert Solitare (I would say a Bible to geologists who are into nature). He wrote it while a NP ranger at Arches before it really transformed into what it is now. While it focuses on Arches, he does an amazing job with descriptive imagery for the surrounding area and Utah as a whole. Made me really appreciate what I saw and helps you get excited for the wildness/emptiness/beauty of Southern Utah.
Denver...
Not sure if you're a baseball fan (cubs or white sox?) but even if you're not I would suggest going to a Rockies game if they're in town while you're there. The stadium is really really nice and if you select your seat accordingly you can have amazing views of both downtown Denver and the Rockies (those seats are in the upper decks right of the first base line). My GF and I aren't huge baseball fans (but still happy the red sox won this year) and we had a great time. Nothing like a couple of beers, a hot dog, a bag of peanuts and a good crowd. After the game there are a lot of bars to walk to in the surrounding area too which kept the good times rolling.
As a suggested sound track for each part of your trip...
For badlands
bruce springsteen - badlands (DUH!)
For yellowstone
Swamp Dogg - Synthetic World
For Grand Teton
fleet foxes - ragged wood
For Zion
Fleetwood Mac - Dreams
For Bryce
Rolling Stones - Wild Horses
For Arches
Jonathan Wilson - Desert Raven
For Denver
Afroman - Because I got High
I would also just load up an ipod of 60 hours of classic rock for the road but that's just me, my gf says I'm 'nostalgic'. I think she might be right...
if you have any specific questions just let me know!
I saw this one somewhere, I forget where: "The Real War on Science -
The Left has done far more than the Right to set back progress"
Alternatively, I believe you can find a whole book about the topic: Galileo's Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and the Search for Justice in Science
Not Australian, so i can't help you with the Australian issues, but I can help out with the first part.
Your statement "the way I wrote it is less journalistic and more telling a story, most of it reads like a novel, it's probably not very professional." I am a staff writer at a magazine where I write long pieces, so here are some thoughts on that:
The "professionalism" or journalistic nature of your piece has nothing to do with the structure, but its intent; just because it's not a hard news piece with an inverted pyramid structure, does not automatically disqualify it as professional or journalistic
For example, this random Washington Post story on a new budget proposal has all the elements of a "professional" news story immediately recognizable: a broad lead that lets readers know exactly what the story will be, followed by specifics, data, info, context, etc. Here's its lead:
President Obama’s new budget proposal calls for ten of billions in new spending and several revisions to the nation’s tax code, all of which could have a sizable impact on new and small businesses.
But then check out this piece: Frank Sinatra Has a Cold by Gay Talese for Esquire in 1966. It's widely known as one of the best pieces of American magazine writing by one of the best writers of the generation. This is journalism, too. It sets scenes, and uses detail you're just not going to find in a newspaper piece, and it reads significantly more like a novel. Here's its lead:
FRANK SINATRA, holding a glass of bourbon in one hand and a cigarette in the other, stood in a dark corner of the bar between two attractive but fading blondes who sat waiting for him to say something. But he said nothing; he had been silent during much of the evening, except now in this private club in Beverly Hills he seemed even more distant, staring out through the smoke and semidarkness into a large room beyond the bar where dozens of young couples sat huddled around small tables or twisted in the center of the floor to the clamorous clang of folk-rock music blaring from the stereo. The two blondes knew, as did Sinatra's four male friends who stood nearby, that it was a bad idea to force conversation upon him when he was in this mood of sullen silence, a mood that had hardly been uncommon during this first week of November, a month before his fiftieth birthday.
There's a significant value for people who can tell stories beyond the inverted pyramid structure, and I particularly appreciate people who can write non-fiction stories with with such vivid detail and unique writing style.
If you're more passionate about the storytelling aspect of non-fiction stories, instead of hard news, I'd recommend perusing the longform.org site for links to present-day stories that do it well. I'd also recommend these books for some inspiration and for intro into authors you may dig:
The Gang That Wouldn't Write Straight by Marc Weingarten
The New New Journalism by Robert Boynton.
Feel free to send me a PM.
Here's a great book by an academic in the process of abandoning social justice in favour of science:
https://www.amazon.com/Galileos-Middle-Finger-Heretics-Activists/dp/0143108115
Man, you're ignorant as fuck.
http://i.imgur.com/YGuPV.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negroes_with_Guns
https://www.amazon.com/Negroes-Guns-Robert-F-Williams/dp/1773230522
In his recent book, Permanent Record, Snowden explains very clearly why there were no "proper channels" for him to go through. "Proper channels", and whistle-blowing through formal procedures, work when wrong-doing is confined to a single individual or sub-group of individuals. It doesn't work when the entire organization is complicit in the wrong-doing. Or multiple organizations. If the entire organization is complicit, as it was in Snowden's case, then the "proper channels" are actually designed to serve and protect the agencies/entities and shut down any reporting that could expose it/them. Severe repercussions would no doubt befall the individual making the report, as well.
That's a nice selection, and I actually had to read the French version of The Rebel at my high school (I'm in Quebec). The way I see it, you are more anti-authoritarian than anything else, with more openness as to how to manage the economy. And that's a great approach, most activists are like you. By the way, get Permanent Record by Snowden if you haven't already, the US government is trying so hard to get that book off the shelves. It's a book that both sides of libertarianism would enjoy as it talks about Snowden's experiences and his revelations of mass government surveillance.
>They whole device is a spy tool to sell your data.
Not only that but provide this is a permanent record available to the government. So it's a spy tool for them too.
https://www.amazon.com/Permanent-Record-Edward-Snowden/dp/1250237238
Oh boy, haha. Way to open Pandora's box here.
My own work is primarily on British riots, but I have a broader interest in mass movements in general. I'll recommend the book I mentioned in my comment - Eric Hoffer's The True Believer and Bill Ayers' Fugitive Days to start. Ayers is somewhat controversial because Ayers, but that book is incredibly thought-provoking and valuable.
Less controversial but no less thought-provoking (and currently relevant considering our depressing state of climate-change denial) is Keith Thomas' Man and the Natural World - it's a book about our changing perceptions of the world around us.
Finally, before I give you an 80-page list, I'm going to recommend this one. Peter Novick's That Noble Dream - I don't expect anyone but nerds like me to read this, but if more people understood the study of history itself as a constantly changing profession and philosophy (as well as science) I think the general population would see the value in it more. History isn't a static thing, and the way we approach it has changed dramatically in 150 years.
This
A perfect way to convince people that you are white is to assume that if you aren't white, you must be black and ignore the other options. But let's stick to the question at hand: how to be black? The answer might surprise you
You need to read Galileo's Middle Finger by Alice Dreger. Then repent and sin no more.
Desert Solitaire
Leaves of Grass
One Man's Wilderness
Into the Wild
Wilderness Essays
Call of the Wild
Walden Shocking huh?
Archives for links in comments:
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I am Mnemosyne 2.0, Loser's always whine about their best.^^^^/r/botsrights ^^^^Contribute ^^^^Website
You should read Rachel Lloyd's memoir.
http://www.amazon.com/Girls-Like-Us-Fighting-Activist/dp/0061582050
I have always had, even at the times I sympathized most with the Left -- such as its opposition to the wars of the 21st century and the various outrages that went with them -- a visceral reaction to communism in general. Communism never "sounded good to me on paper." It was never "a beautiful dream, for another age." It was always just a nightmare to me. I just never held my own social class in any special esteem. There is me, I, and then the rest of the world, and that's how it's always been. Not by choice; by configuration. That is how I was wired at birth: as an individualist.
I always liked Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie and the Grapes of Wrath and sympathized with these strolling dustbowl troubadours and the like, many of which were communists, or fellow travelers, or at least pink around the edges.
This caused me an amazing amount of cognitive dissonance because there's a lot of interesting stuff in Lefty culture - the Wobblies and the early 20th century labor movement, and the music, in particular. I like that stuff. My collection of Phil Ochs and Billy Bragg and the Broadside stuff could stand up against that of even the most stubborn Red Diaper Baby.
I had this funny experience in college -- as a political science undergrad, I took a course - Introduction to Labor Studies, with a visiting professor who described himself, on the first day, as the only "actual card-carrying Red" in the department. He'd been an organizer, had been arrested, and I liked the guy very much. He was a lot different from the ivory tower socialists I was used to in the rest of the political science department.
Most of my profs were very obviously privileged, from a higher social caste than I was, and yet lecturing me about this working class concern, or that working class concern, their smooth fingers pushing up expensive designer eyeglass frames periodically.
But this Labor prof was sunburned, calloused. A lot more like those dustbowl types, but, Puerto Rican.
Anyway so one of the things going on in the class is a discussion of the culture - the anarchists - (Goldman, etc.), and the teacher, who by this point knew I'd grown up a young conservative, was somewhat irked that I was the only one in class who knew the songs, the history, because I'd been fascinated with it since a kid. I've watched the Left anthropologically (if informally) and occasionally rubbed shoulders on those few specific issues where paleoconservatism, libertarianism, and socialism meet -- generally as relates to foreign policy.
And it is amazing how few people I'd meet who were like this professor, or those Dust Bowl types. No -- the kinds of communists I'd meet were inevitably these lily-white, upper-middle class types.
I want to use the word "poseur" to describe them, except that's unfair to them -- a lot of them were, at least at the time, committed and emotionally invested to the point of frothing at the mouth. But there was, especially when they got going, a kind of meanness to them, a kind of misanthropy directed at anyone outside what at the time I thought was their political set.
I got it wrong: not their political set, their social set. It took years for me to understand why I found these people so damn objectionable, beyond their obvious privilege: it was like a social clique. Young modern Leftists party with each other, drink with each other, fuck each other, do drugs with each other, march with each other. There was a whiff of high school to it. (See any Leftie subreddit - in particular the catty lunchtable of /r/ShitRedditSays.)
The other thing about these people was just how little actual real work they'd done. Tom Joad and that set were working in agricultural fields breaking their backs. And more than once I got the sense that, "come the revolution..." these people were under the impression they'd get their bread and roses for being propagandists. Like they'd deserve it as much as the people who had to till the fields, work on assembly lines -- all of the things communists sing songs about and wax nostalgic about (because communists have a specific streak of conservatism that is always nostalgically looking at the past -- in large part because, given the marginal nature of these movements, it is necessary to connect oneself to these great historical moments like the Spanish Civil War in order to take oneself seriously. Or maybe I'm just being snarky.)
This part of the interview was particularly interesting:
> FP: You mention that your dad was a communist. Tell us about his world view and how this affected your family and your own intellectual journey.
> Dalrymple: My father was a communist though he was also a businessman. Our house was full of communist literature from the 1930s and 40s, and I remember such authors as Plekhanov and Maurice Hindus and Edgar Snow. It was always clear that my father's concern for humanity was not always matched by his concern for men, to put it mildly, for whom (as individuals) he often expressed contempt. He found it difficult to enter an equal relationship with anyone, and preferred to play Stalin to their Molotov. We had The Short Course in the house, incidentally, and one of my favourite books (which I used to leaf through as a child) was a vast picture book of the Soviet Union in 1947.
> I think the great disjunction between my father's expressed ideas (and ideals) and his everyday conduct affected me, and made me suspicious of people with grand schemes of universal improvement.
The Left is in love with the Left, and, on paper at least, with the people whose plight it purports to join in solidarity with. It would be interesting to see exactly how far the comradeship would go between a young communist from Bard College, and some po'bucker Pentecostal miner in Appalachia -- and more to the point, what the po'bucker Pentecostal miner would make of the inevitably soft, effete communist from the Northeast.
Speaking of Frontpage, I'd spent a lot of years reading these books about the New Left - the SDS, Weather Underground, and groups like this. They're very self-aggrandizing -- especially see Bill Ayers's Fugitive Days, his truthy book about his days with the Weathermen. The book itself is a spectacle. I have to believe there are modern communists out there who want to say something like, "Well that's Billy Ayers," but I strongly suspect (I lurk in a lot of Leftish forums) that this is quite typical of the way most of the Left sees itself in the mirror.
It's not what I see.
Speaking of Frontpage, if I could recommend one book by David Horowitz (and Peter Collier), it's Destructive Generation - the only counterpoint to the dozens of self-congratulatory books the New Left has written about itself.
For those who don't know, Horowitz is the founder of Frontpage magazine, and an ex-Leftie himself, once writing for the 60s and 70s New Left publication Ramparts. In it, he reflects back on all of these Leftish heroes (like Huey Newton). I'm sure people all over the Left think it's a smear. But why I liked it is, in reading all of these self-congratulatory memoirs about the 60s and the Left, I always got the sense of whitewash -- even by the best writers. Something about Destructive Generation rings true -- not because I was there, but because of what I always sensed in between the lines of those self-satisfied reminiscences and hagiographies of 60s personalities.
Some other great stuff in here:
> Political correctness is communist propaganda writ small. In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, nor to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better.
Speaking of /r/shitredditsays...
Example
The problem most people have is "Sheltered first world" syndrome. The reality is that open prostitution allows you to bring girls in from third world countries who don't speak a lick of the language (German, English, etc). What legal protections do they have? If they go to the local authorities it is their word against the smugglers AND they can't argue their case anyway.
There is a book from a woman who went through the ordeal as an underage teenager in prostitution legal countries who eventually broke free.
Pretty old video. If you want her book: https://www.amazon.ca/Carlys-Voice-Breaking-Through-Autism/dp/1439194157/ref=mp_s_a_1_1
It's been sitting in my cart for like 2 years ...
Those aren't about her book but probably fake, one purportedly written by Stephen King--really? The actual book (which was ghostwritten) is not due for release until March 2017: https://www.amazon.com/Full-Color-Finding-Place-Black/dp/194464816X
Nothing to see there.
Here is the mobile version of your link
I find the concept of Relative Deprivation to be more compelling than either of those two.
A recent book titled The End of Protest does provide a modern discussion of the J-Curve. I can scan the relevant pages if you're interested (I can't remember exactly what's there).
If you're interested in environmental issues at all I suggest Edward Abbey, "The Monkey Wrench Gang" and "Desert Solitaire" are both excellent.
Additionally, I feel like it doesn't even need to be said but "The Hobbit" and the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien are amazing.
NAH
Your son is young and impressionable and you’re just worried. Restricting his internet use may backfire tho (see backfire effect). I suggest maybe giving him a good book to read. Buut it sounds like you already kinda lost him (idea wise).
Here’s a good book about someone’s rise out of white supremacy. Maybe his punishment can be to read this and make a PP out of it or something.
https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Out-Hatred-Awakening-Nationalist/dp/0385542860/ref=nodl_
If she wants to be left out of the Intellectual Dark Web, then why did she even write the article? She should have just shut up about it and no one would know. Now we all know.
Alice Dreger is actually a liberal who seems to want to adhere to scientific principles and facts. And this has gotten her into trouble through a book and some articles.
When Liberals Attack Social Scientists – Heterodox Academy https://heterodoxacademy.org/when-liberals-attack-social-scientists/
FIRE 2016 Keynote Address: Alice Dreger on Academic Freedom - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGzFr9qxBRk&fmt=18
Amazon.com: Galileo's Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and One Scholar's Search for Justice (9780143108115): Alice Dreger: Books
https://www.amazon.com/Galileos-Middle-Finger-Heretics-Activists/dp/0143108115/
I haven't read a whole lot in this field, but I'm told this book's pretty decent: http://www.amazon.com/Art-Interview-Lessons-Master-Craft/dp/1400050715/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348520045&sr=1-1&keywords=the+art+of+the+interview
And this book is not specifically geared to interviewing, but has tons of good info on craft: http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Journalism-Conversations-Nonfiction/dp/140003356X/ref=pd_sim_b_5
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250237238?pf_rd_p=183f5289-9dc0-416f-942e-e8f213ef368b&pf_rd_r=X8XPQR5BNKF3VB8GS04R
Also, Desert Solitaire and Cadillac Desert.
I'm interested in the Basic Kafka and Thus Spoke Zarathustra, unless you have anything else you wish to offer (my collection is skant and what I offer is all to give).
The editions are here and here.
I've never done this before and should have said earlier: I am in the continental u.s.
Not sure what all the hate is about but I have a degree in Gender Studies and don't regret my education.
I recently finished Girls Like Us which is about sex trafficking and sexual exploitations of minors and learned a lot. It's also an engrossing read, which is always nice. I also recommend When Everything Changed and A People's History of the United States if you haven't read it before.
Nice! I didn’t know he had a book out. Seems like a perfect way to speed up that process and nip any future shit in the bud. Is this the book you’re talking about?
His subtle sexism and borderline racism aside he was a great man . . . a giant flawed great man.
If you haven't read "Down the River" or "Desert Solitaire" definitely pick up a used copy of these books somewhere. If you can't find them, let me know and I'll send you copies.
Not long enough.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MSNONPC/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
Ah! I thought that was old news and did not see a reference to it. Looks like it releases next month.
You want this book:
https://www.amazon.ca/Galileos-Middle-Finger-Heretics-Activists/dp/1594206082/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1500055499&sr=8-8&keywords=galileo
I would encourage you to read this book about horseback riding by Ren Hurst. She used to have a 6-figure income taking care of horses and left all that behind to start a sanctuary for them.
For your second point, I struggled and do still struggle with that. If that's the only thing holding you back from switching your diet, don't let it. Everyone here will scoff if you call yourself vegan but let's face it--no one is perfect and I think everyone would rather that you do more to help animals rather than nothing at all. Where nothing at all is your current lifestyle.
I would encourage you to look at alternate fibers as well as investigating the sources of your wool.
I'll have you fucking white males know that her book is "#1 New Release in Ethnic Demographic Studies" https://www.amazon.com/Full-Color-Finding-Place-Black/dp/194464816X
That guy is awesome. Have you heard of Derrick Black? Some of his fellow students who were jewish (i think) decided to do something about his hatred.
There is a vast difference between sitting at a table and polity letting a nazi yammer on and a member of the groups he hates sitting with him at the table and showing by their mere existence how wrong that ideology is.
However, there are examples of people voluntarily deciding to confront people that hate them. Saying this guy (OPs future in-law) has the right to discuss his opinions is implicitly putting the burden of confrontation on the target of his hate. As people who are not members of those groups (e.g. white males) it is up to us to set this guy straight. The simplest way to do that is un-invite him.
This is bull and you know it.
In China you could get arrested for simply being a news reporter and reporting negatively on the party. You could get arrested for insulting the CCP on a live stream. You could be arrested for simply being christian.
China has NO freedom of speech. Period. Using whataboutism to compare China to the United States is laughable. America doesn't go around arresting people for being Christian, or for insulting the President. China DOES. The USA is 100x more free and open than China. Evil China.
Snowden's right to free speech isn't being violated. Here you go, feel free to buy his book right from Amazon.com. Snowden isn't being persecuted in a way which deprives him of freedom of speech. He's being persecuted because he stole and leaked confidential military information, which he DID do and violated his agreement with the NSA as a contractor. When he took on this position he swore an oath with legally binding penalties for violating state secrecy. You equating Snowden being persecuted for exposing NSA secrets to random people in China being arrested for being Christian is a quantum leap.
> https://www.amazon.com/Outsider-Journey-Fathers-Struggle-Madness/dp/0767901916
I highly recommend you read this book. It may help you understand some of the behaviors that this "Wally" person is exhibiting.
Mental illness doesn't stop people from having conversations, nor does it remove their ability to make up excuses to defend their actions. They don't just go around muttering gibberish to the air. Most mentally ill are not violent and while they do things like peeing in public, they can and do have normal conversations.
Yes, Wally can very well be a menace to society, and what happened to the girl was unfortunate. Hell, I probably wouldn't give him a cent if he asks me for my spare changes. I'm no fucking saint.
However, I don't think preventing others from helping someone like Wally from getting help/just doing what he can to survive is something to be "immensely pleasured" about.