Swastika, a Colourful History

The swastika has been eternally embedded in our unconscious mind, as one of most widely recognisable symbols that exist today. Being forever associated with hate, anti-Semitism and intolerance in general, but does it deserve such a reputation. The swastika has always been one of the world's most widely misunderstood symbols, with an unbelievable set of variable meanings, stretching right back to the earliest of human civilisations. This next blog will delve into some of it's intriguing past, illuminating how differently it has been viewed since time immemorial.

After the publication of  Hitler's Mein Kampf (my struggle) the swastika became popularised and politically recognised with the Nazi party in 1920's. The symbol was already being used in Germany at the time, but without the obvious genocidal connotations, it was merely seen as a symbol for creating, normally associated with working class parties. And although the Nazi party had strong ties with socialist ideologies, this is unlikely to explain Hitler's choice. There was however a theory prevalent at the time, of their Aryan cultural descent, believing that they descended from an earlier, racially pure, white population. Becoming obsessed with their Nordic ancestry, the swastika was a symbol of that imagined master race; a no brainer I suppose, from a seriously sinister perspective. 

Hindu's for example far from viewing it as negative see such a symbol as a means of good fortune of auspiciousness, and have used it in this manner for thousands of years, representing one of the 108 symbols of their god Vishnu. It's widely used, adorning all their temples and architecture, even their art; hell it's even used as an essential part of wedding ceremonies, as a blessing to their union, ensuring good fortune.  

Buddhism is also no stranger to this mysterious symbol, for followers of this faith it is synonymous with the footprints and the very heart of the Buddha himself. Now it's worth bearing in mind that we may view feet here very differently here in the west. Far from being a sight of disgust or sometimes horror, feet are deeply interconnected with that of respect, as feet themselves are symbolic of progress and Buddha's presence in our world. So rightly so they are revered, which should give you a level of keen appreciation for what this symbol would represent.

Here are some other examples of it appearing in other cultures all over the world

(right-Roman Vila, left-Church in Ethiopia)

Finally, why do you think it appears so universally? Across such expansive epoch's, with people's that had little or no contact with one another. I would argue that in this case Carl Jung had it right, he theorised that there was a duality to human consciousness. Firstly you have your immediate consciousness which contains our personal nature, thoughts, and the aspects of our individuality.

Then running parallel to that is the 'collective unconscious' which is a repository of knowledge, of universally shared symbols and meanings, that are understood by all, and are completely innate within us.  These pre-existing forms are called archetypes, a mental version of an instinct, examples of this motif would be concepts like the serpent or the devil, concepts that are passed down genetically from one generation to another.

Thanks for reading.http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/symbols/swastika.htm

Anonymous, Friend or Foe? Part 1

In this chapter, which I shall attempt to do in two parts, I will be exploring the hacking group known as 'anonymous', from there chaotic creation myth, to some of there more prolific, higher profile operations. I will however leave the moral judgements in the minds of the reader to decide, I will however endeavour to give a fair and true account of some of there deeds. 

Now you can't begin to converse on Anon's conception, without the now infamous website knowns as '4chan', from the outside perspective it would appear as nothing more than an image board, to post amusing Gif's of cats and questionable anime ;) and although it is that to, it is oh so much more. Hard as it is to believe, this is where it all began; 4Chan was relatively unique at the time (early 2000) for it's complete anonymity. As it provided complete, uncensored freedom, to share any information with others anonymously, on almost any subject, linked only by a continuing thread. This melting pot of self-governance and meme creation, was the ideal environment for individuals that were formally ostracised socially in society for being 'abnormal' to be accepted, into a real community and gain that sense of belonging that we all crave.

It's worth articulating that at this preliminary stage, this was not a active movement in the sense that it is viewed today; as an aggressive political movement. They may have had the technological skill, but there was no unified agenda to speak of, just a collection of like minded individuals with adjoining interests. 

'Habbo Hotel' is one of the most famous, early examples of anonymous coming together as an effective group, working collectively to complete a common objective. Habbo Hotel was pre-cursor to MMO's games like World of Warcraft and Skyrim, stylistically it resembled an early revision of The Sims. It proved extremely popular as a social networking site, as you could customise your avatar and socialise with others in fanciful imagined scenes, such as bars and restaurants. In late 2006 anonymous for reasons that are not entirely clear; probably racial in origin, as Habbo's avatars were critiqued widely for being completely monochromatic, they began a series of attacks on Habbo hotel, crashing the main forum and invading the game with thousands of identical black avatars. Forming themselves into swastikas and blocking entrances into the players pool, spawning numerous memes.

Then in January 2008 everything changed, code named 'Project Chanology' this campaign would come to define the movement. The conflict was sparked over a highly controversial and widely mocked interview with Tom Cruise, where he was attempting to promote the church of Scientology. When they ventured to recall the interview, causing several legal battles with any website that hosted the chastised footage, Anonymous reared into action as they were in consequence, from their perspective at least, attempting to censor the Internet. At this stage Anonymous made their first public statement, and set out in effect, their manifesto of operations e.g. "cover your face, do not use weapons". 

What followed was one of their most sustained onslaughts against an organisation they have ever undertaken, and in numbers not before seen in previous campaigns. As well as receiving considerable media coverage, the movement itself began attracting sympathisers from various demographics, not just the nerdy/geeky archetype any longer.

Mass protests occurred outside Scientology centres in major cities around the world, all wearing Guy Fawkes masks, which are now become synonymous with anonymous (Sorry could not resist), this was the first time they were used in this political context. Anonymous flooded their official phone lines, ordered thousands of pizza's to there addresses; crippled there websites using a DOS ( denial of service) attack. More amusingly they had also managed to configure 'Scientology' as the main search result in goggle when users inputted 'dangerous cult'. The hacktivists also managed to obtain and release confidential Scientology documents that could be freely downloaded online.

Personally I believe that in this era of diminished personal freedom and expression, combined with our increasing dependence on all forms of technology. Anonymous were inevitable; an unavoidable response from a whole disfranchised generation, as all conventional forms of political process have little or no effect. Anonymous provides a real chance to have a measurable effect on something, on anything! That's not to say it's entirely positive, their methods are often contemptible can you deny there anarchistic tendencies. Stay tuned for the next episode.

Finally, I'll leave you with this little gem, hard to watch I know.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Chanology#Internet_activities

5 Things about growing up, that your mother never warned you about

There are many humorous changes surrounding maturity that take place in the human body, such as hair in strange places, love for uninspired musical drivel, and indeed a complete unawareness surrounding physical appearance i.e. the ability to dress oneself. But that's not the purpose of today's meanderings, my focus is on true unflinching adulthood. When you finally hang up your vintage stundent-ee boots, lay down your liberal/socialist banner and join the ranks of the main streamers. 

1. "There's no where to go anymore"
Let's start the list with this, the most popular gripe of my generation, of course there are! The only difference is that were no longer aware of them. We must face the fact that a whole other generation has risen up beneath our feet and usurped our throne, CROM!!!!!!!!!!!!!




2. "Music isn't what it used to be"
This is a personal favorite of mine, and a mistake repeated by every generation past and present, presumably since the first neolithic man collided two rocks together in a rhythmic fashion, and thought it sounded boss. This misguided notion states that their particular 'scene' is somehow more authentic, and has some sort of 'innate' truer meaning. There has always been, and always will be immensely talented musicians of all epochs; it's merely the case that it gains some sort of higher transcendental meaning to you because of you youth.

 Listen up, maggots. You are not special. You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake. You're the same decaying organic matter as everything else.-Fight Club

3. "Didn't I used to be interesting?"

No, you merely have the time now to introspect, to recognize the vacuous waste land in your personality. No longer are you distracted by the continual buffet of superfluous activities we had on offer, we are now, at last, forced to reconcile our idealized self image, with realities grotesque interpretation. But do not despair! Use this as an opportunity to grow, to reinvent yourself, to cultivate the personnel attributes that you desire, the person that you want to be. The alternative is a depressingly meaningless existence, spent fantasying over time past. Or as my old lecturer used to hurtle across the class room:

'Nostalgia is like heroine for old folk.'

4. "I'm unfulfilled, baby or marriage?"
Okay, so you have finally got that job you hate, with a person you can tolerate, bored, what's next? I can't be the only one who has noticed the worrying trend of engagement related 'statements'. Because nothing says eternal love like a temporary 6 month engagement, and if that's not your game how about bringing a new to this sphere of knob jockeys. Now I have nothing against children, It's my job actually, but seriously ladies...has some form of mass synchronization of your wombs taken place? To some, a baby is like an accessory, to a perceived lifestyle or yet another form of competition over ones peers. Creating life is a tremendous privilege, not a right just because you find yourself human.

5. "Hipsters!"
For those readers thinking I've been a tad pessimistic in this installment, we could do a lot worse. You could be this guy, dressed as lumberjack for some reason, despite never actually doing any form of physical work. The extent of his actual exertion being the lifting of some sort of pretentiously over priced cocktail drink. While simultaneously, tucking into his bowl of fair trade sourced hummus; immediately followed by numerous quasi-political rants about a some middle eastern conflicts they know nothing about, while comparing shopping tips for even skinnier jeans. I'm puzzled as to why this affliction claims so many of us, perhaps if we could locate hipster patient zero we could finally end this pandemic.

(Notice that authentic axe look)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_(contemporary_subculture)

The Lie of Revolution

The Lie of Revolution 

Rebellion, riot, insurrection, uprising, mutiny, overthrow, change, insurgency, these are all the words that are conjured to the mind when we think of the word revolution. But is that truly the only inevitable outcome? I’m going to try and persuade you in this blog, that this is not the case, that revolution is not a dirty word, that it belongs to every single one of you. Through time immemorial peoples freedoms and liberties have been impinged, their rights disregarded, and their lives taken.  

  

lets look at a famous historical example i.e. the French Revolution of 1789-99. 

I know what you’re thinking “That couldn’t possibly apply to us, right?” Well let’s draw some amusing comparisons shall we folks. Firstly, Frances economy was in tatters due to a titanic amount of debt and the total incompetence of the current King Louis XVI. Although obviously a monarchy isn’t voted into office, by a representative government, that's okay because neither was ours, they elected themselves into office, much like our glorious coalition. France endured crippling levels of inflation; shortages of food and a poor transportation system that all contributed to an enraged, albeit starving populace, while the ruling bourgeoisie were completely indifferent to the sufferings of its subjects. In our allegedly civilized times we have unprecedented multitudes of families falling into abject poverty, a social welfare system that increasingly targets the most vulnerable within our society. Spiraling inflation, combined with abysmal job prospects, all amalgamate into a beautiful comparison to revolutionary France. 

So what’s different? We share the same egalitarian ideals of freedom, liberty and justice and even the idea’s of private property. Despite being imbued with the same resentment towards our corrupt oligarchical dictators, we do nothing. Now I’m not exempting myself from this uncomfortable truth, if were honest with ourselves were all guilty of it. Regardless, we all feel betrayed, lost, forgotten even; a profound powerlessness over not being able to instigate any real change. were lumbered with a twisted, broken, political process that provides our ‘choices’ completely pre-selected, from a list of non desirable, over privileged, self serving, butt munchers. Whose lack of empathy is rivaled only by their complete indifference to the proletariat retainers serving beneath them.   

 We live in a world in which conventional forms of protest go all but unnoticed by the political ruling elite, our voices go unheard, our whispers of discontent and vexation go unanswered. We remain disjointed, fractured, utterly powerless to change our fate. So why knowing all this do we hesitate? Are content to suffer these heinous evils in the hope that they will one day pass, or happen to someone else. We are paralysed with fear; fear of losing what little we have left. Instructed through their scaremongering that any form of resistance will only lead to anarchy and chaos, fortunately individuals are beginning to speak out against this mass hallucination. One of which we are all duty bond to be vigilant against.                           

 
 I would assert that revolution does not have to be violent, that this is the great deception of our age and one we must endeavor, with all of our vehement vigor to change, if we are to have any hope of making a difference, to compel them to hear our voice. The ruling elite would have you believe that what little you have left, you would lose, and that death, destruction and anarchy would assuredly follow. We merely must decide as a politically conscious organic entity, that our current system no longer works, democracy has failed. The burden of developing a new system is not to be bared by any one person. We need only decide, organically, as a collective that enough is enough, there will be no riot, no protest, merely a singular voice declaring a statement. 

"When life gives you lemons, fuck the lemons and bail!"