Banned Books Week 2022

Some years ago now I discovered Banned Books Week (18-24 September). This eventually lead me to read a book from the list, The Du Pont Dynasty, back in 2017. It was a long book, taking me longer than the week, and not the most gripping read, but it left an impression on me none the less, about how a few multi-billion dollar companies have such a wide-reaching grip on the world, not only financially, but militarily, and perhaps psychologically or chemically.

“The book details the evolution of the company’s expansion from production of gunpowder, nylon, and chemicals to armaments, nuclear weapons and power – and now genetically modified seeds. It also describes the family’s long struggle to circumvent environmental laws…” – vtdigger.org/2014/09/23/…banned-book-week

Such books on the list aren’t necessarily banned, but there may be people or groups who have sought to do so, suppress them, or argued against them being on school reading lists (and perhaps rightly so). Sometimes the act of seeking to suppress something actually brings the very topic or thing to the forefront.

For me the Week highlights what has been the case for decades, centuries and likely thousands of years, that there are those who seek to (and have often times achieved in) silencing, removing, discrediting, arresting, or blatantly murdering those who aren’t aligned with their views, agenda, or belief in how the world is/should be – from the crucifixion of Jesus, to the Salem Witch Trials, right into present day with social media platforms banning content that is opposed to/or has an alternative perspective on “the current thing”, whether that be 9/11, Flat Earth, anti-LGBTQ+ views, the Covid Pandemic origins, Lockdowns and the subsequent vaccination program, the Russian-Ukraine Conflict, the supposed Energy Crisis and climate change, or the power of the Royal Family. One might not only actively avoid speaking out about something through fear of, say, personal violence or losing a job, but may subconsciously castrate themselves; not following the crowd or giving in to peer pressure can be a strangely-challenging thing, just observe any teenager who dresses or acts like all others, or think back to a queue of masked adults spaced 2m apart who simply want to buy a packet of cigarettes or retrieve an order of fast food.

Regarding the Royal Family and the funeral this weekend, it was revealing to me how some individuals were arrested simply on the grounds of a public “disorder” offence, since that by its very wording goes to show that if one is not “ordered” in alignment with the presented narrative, and their pre-defined position in society, then one will find themselves at the hands of the law… of which King Charles III is immune from; if there is a potential you may offend (such as by carrying a blank placard) then you can be arrested.

Indeed, if one does not present themselves as playing along accordingly, whether it being through wearing the correct face covering/fashion accessory or displaying the colours of the rainbow, then one should, apparently, be removed from society or be prevented from obtaining the necessities of life, which is somewhat ironic in the case of movements or religions that present themselves as being all about love and inclusivity.

Some will align themselves with whatever narrative is on the table at the time, and change tack once that goes out of fashion. Some are oblivious to this seemingly human trait.

I’ve found myself on both sides of this system of things, and a side which admittedly one can find it a challenge to not rigidly adhere to; not only by being asked to comply with certain things I don’t agree with, or deem unnecessary/utterly pointless, to being quietly shunned for my views, to also seeking to avoid those who I feel are lost causes given their mindset. These are strange worlds, both online and off, with the former not only with individuals doing the outcasting, but platforms clandestinely employing various tactics to do so.

Looking back over lists of banned books I can see I have read others: The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, The Holy Bible (not from cover-to-cover, and some of the Koran), Anne Frank’s Diary (partially studied at school), 1984 by George Orwell, and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (I watched the film at least). There is also Harry Potter (the movie so far), with J. K. Rowling herself being attacked for expressing her views on certain things.

[https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/decade2019]

It is also a strange thing to support or enjoy a piece of work where one later becomes opposed to the creator/writer/artist themselves. One can consider the likes of Michael Jackson, Rolf Harris, Jimmy Saville, or Will Smith (I’m just throwing some names here rather than expressing an opinion), but then I think one often needs to consider the narrative that surrounds such figures/topics, and why. The list of banned books at the forefront of any given year can give an insight into the supposed narrative at the time.

Ironically, a video on Youtube ‘5 Censored Book [that] Tell a History the Establishment Wants Hidden’ as I linked to in my 2017 piece on this topic, now gets a ‘Video unavailable – This video is not available in your country’ notice when I try and view it from the UK.

This leads me on to ‘Banned Websites Awareness Day’ that is held on the 28^th September. In this day and age, it appears books themselves hold far less sway over views, opinions and mindsets. Rather it can be a meme, video on Youtube, a trending Tweet, a carrot on Facebook, or something going viral on TikTok that grips hearts, minds, and perhaps even souls.

Are these platforms (and others), along with their manipulative algorithms and data-harvesting techniques, simply playing a game for the benefits of big pharma, big corporations, leading world orders, or something beyond*, all at our expense?

A Youtuber I have enjoyed watching on his travels throughout various countries, was recently kicked out of Russia for his choice of words used online. Other Youtubers have shared video of his short trial which actually revealed how, as he said, he was governed largely by Youtube and threats he received from individuals. How can one maintain a voice online without using the very platforms that silence them or behave in a way you don’t agree with? Every time I click on to Youtube, or a video there, I realise I am supporting that platform/individual. Sometimes I find myself actively considering; “Do I want to support this person/thing?” – apparently just hovering your mouse over something can influence the algorithm on platforms like China-controlled TikTok.

*I recently read a book called Sands of Time, a supposed sci-fi novel written by author Jeff Morton who claims from the outset that the story is based on real life events. After reading a little way in I was curious and looked up this Morton guy. It turns out he is, I would say, somewhat of a David Icke/Alex Jones kind of guy, and/or with a vivid imagination, but it made for an intriguing story and one that flowed well; it’s long too at over 100 chapters. It covers such topics as time travel, alien invasions and their supposed control over the human race, Area 51, mind control, and government black budgets – things I have previously read much about elsewhere.

When trying to research the various topics portrayed in this book (as with others) it is almost inevitable that one lands on Wikipedia, the great big governor of Truth. Individual, more personal, and hand-crafted websites are almost a thing of the past it seems (although some are fighting back such as on such platforms as Neocities), relegated either far down the list of Google/Bing results, or perhaps to the dark web. With platforms like Google/Youtube and Facebook/Meta persistently trying to keep you confined within their ecosystem, I think it’s as important as ever to see through what might be all but a façade.