#defamation religion

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

https://www.adl.org/resources/report/antisemitic-attitudes-america-2024

By: Center for Antisemitism Research

Published: Feb 29, 2024

Executive Summary

In the months since the October 7th, 2023, terrorist attack in Israel, the global Jewish community has witnessed an increase in antisemitic activity, unprecedented in recent years. For many in and around Jewish communities, this period has felt inherently different, a sentiment that has raised several critical questions about the current scope, nature, and implications of antisemitism.

To explore this, the ADL Center for Antisemitism Research has collected data since October 7th related to the scale and structure of the phenomenon of antisemitism in the United States and compared results to past findings.

This study of 4,143 Americans, fielded between January 5th and January 18th, 2024, (with a margin of error of approximately 1.5%) found the following trends:

Anti-Jewish trope beliefs continue to increase, and younger Americans are showing higher rates.

From 2022 to 2024, the average number of anti-Jewish tropes endorsed by Americans increased from 4.18 to 4.31 out of 14. Using the original 11 statements comprising the ADL Index, agreement with 6 or more anti-Jewish tropes increased from 20% of the U.S. population in 2022 to just under 24% in 2024.

In a reversal of past trends, younger Americans are more likely to endorse anti-Jewish tropes, with millennials agreeing with the greatest number of anti-Jewish tropes on average, at 5.4. They’re followed by Gen Z at 5, Gen X at 4.2, and Baby Boomers at 3.1.

In addition to individual attitudes, more than 42% of Americans either have friends/family who dislike Jews (23.2%) or find it socially acceptable for a close family member to support Hamas (27.2%).

Conspiratorial thinking and social dominance orientation are key predictors of anti-Jewish belief.

Belief in conspiracy theories continues to be one of the main correlates of antisemitic attitudes, with an overall average correlation of .378 with anti-Jewish trope belief. Respondents who fall in the upper quartile of conspiracy theory belief endorsed over twice as many anti-Jewish tropes, on average, as those with the least conspiracy theory belief.

Anti-Jewish belief also correlates heavily with social dominance orientation – the belief that there should be higher status groups and that they should suppress lower status groups. For example, respondents who at least somewhat agreed with the statement that some groups of people are inferior to other groups were 3.6 times more likely to fall in the top quartile of anti-Jewish trope belief compared to those who did not.

There was also a strong relationship with the belief that the problems in the world “come down to the oppressor vs the oppressed.” Those who at least somewhat agreed with this belief were 2.6 times more likely to fall in the top quartile of anti-Jewish trope belief compared to those who disagreed with the statement.

A significant percentage of Americans hold anti-Israel positions, but also support a Jewish state’s right to exist.

Significant percentages of Americans hold certain anti-Israel positions, such as 20.1% who expressed support for removing Israeli products from a local grocery store and 30.4% who said supporters of Israel control the media. Younger Americans take these positions at significantly higher rates.

However, support for an independent Jewish state remains high, with 88.8% saying Jews have the right to an independent country. This is true even among those who take other anti-Israel positions. For example, 83.8% of people who believe that Israelis intend to cause as much suffering to Palestinians as possible believe that there should be a Jewish state.

October 7th and the ensuing Israel-Hamas war has not resulted in major changes in the percentage of Americans who hold anti-Israel positions.

However, in just about every anti-Israel position assessed, increased polarization appears evident. The proportion of respondents strongly agreeing or strongly disagreeing with Israel-related policies grew from the summer of 2023 to the present, whereas the proportion of those who somewhat agreed or somewhat disagreed shrank.

Individuals who held negative attitudes toward Israel-related policies, Israeli people, and Israel-oriented conspiracy theories were significantly more likely to believe anti-Jewish tropes.

Respondents not comfortable buying products from Israel were 3.4 times more likely to be among the top quartile of believers in anti-Jewish tropes.

Respondents who do not think Jews have the right to an independent country were 3.7 times more likely to be among the top quartile of believers in anti-Jewish tropes.

Respondents who believe Israelis intend to cause as much suffering to Palestinians as possible were 4.6 times more likely to be among the most antisemitic Americans.

Respondents who believe Israeli operatives are secretly manipulating US national policy through AIPAC or other influence tools were 7.5 times more likely to be among the top quartile of believers in anti-Jewish tropes.

Views of Hamas are also deeply concerning, with more than half of Gen Z expressing some degree of comfort being friends with a Hamas supporter.

[ Continued... ]

[undergroundusa]

"In a country where the ideological Left – including the overwhelming majority of the LGBTQ+ community – alleges they stand for tolerance, acceptance, and inclusion, they show no such things for those who don’t completely acquiesce to their every whim…"

ORIGINAL CONTENT: https://www.undergroundusa.com/p/lgbtq-community-postmodern-secularists

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, SHARE & EDUCATE

UPDATED: LGBTQ+ Community, Postmodern Secularists Insult Billions For No Good Reason

[feministfang]

Three brave women beat up a shopkeeper in islamic republic of Pakistan for harassing them and all the Pakistani men are so pissed off that they’re sending death threats to those women for taking action in their own hands instead of tolerating and calling some male authority or police. That piece of shit also filed a case against those women for abusing him and as a citizen of this trash country, i can tell he will win the case.

A 20 years old girl, Sania Zehra, was brutally tortured, raped and murdered by her husband, syed ali raza bukhari, when she was pregnant with her third child. This also happened in Pakistan on 8th of July. Now the same men are silent over this or trying to shove the issue of Palestine on feminist pages posting about Sania’s case because "far worst things are happening in the world". Meanwhile, Pakistani women are busy dick worshipping the victim’s father because "he must be so traumatised after losing his daughter like this. oh poor man!" As if that bitch isn’t at fault for making her daughter marry that old beast when she was probably 16.

Celebrities here are more concerned about men’s deteriorating mental health in this country as these lunatics think catering to men’s feelings will somehow fix them. What else can you expect from them when the entire world outside has progressed, but these dumbfucks are still portraying the same old cringe fairytale stories where a simple beautiful, but unfortunate girl falls in love with some ugly psychotic man and tolerates his abuse because "that’s true love 😍" and in the end, she’s successful in fixing him.

But when we speak a word against the atrocities women face in this country, all these people lose their minds and try to silence us to ensure the image of their fuckin country is not at risk of defamation and the lovely Pakistan can become an example of how peaceful islam is. Pakistani men (and most women here as well) are intolerant when it comes to the vilification of the image of their country and religion. And their asses start burning when they see someone ruining it. They even stoop so low to the level of satanism that they would not hesitate to send death threats to anyone making them look bad globally. A girl i was friends with on FB wished Malala another gunshot on her face by Taliban because of her anti-marriage stance.

This is why i urge y’all to please don’t stay silent on the issues women are facing in Pakistan. I never see global feminist pages talking about female oppression in this garbage country. Some feminists living in west also act like brown men are somehow better than white men and they’re more oppressed than white women because of racism, or that muslim men are better than christian bigots. Stop victimising brown muslim men. Not only are they hideous but also the misogyny the south asian society has shoved in their assholes is extremely disgusting and they keep shitting it on women everywhere they go, including white women.

I wouldn’t expect support from brainless libby feminists as they’re probably busy pulling their pants down on their favourite OF platforms or fighting misandry online, but i would love to see all the radfems speaking up for south asian women. Please make it known globally how the Pakistani islamic community is constantly oppressing women day by day.

Use the examples i stated above. Speak up for Sania Zehra!! Demand justice for her globally, and keep bashing corrupt Pakistani law system. Also, don’t forget to defame their religion. These people are most protective of their culture and religion. I don’t see any hope in this country for women, but there’s a chance they will start taking action and give proper justice to the victims in order to protect their so called dignity.

[jupiitersreturn]

US Transit Predictions - Part One

More celebrities will be suing people OR getting sued by people for Defamation of Character. However, a specific trope or theme will be present. A lot of celebrities will be suing or getting sued by ex partners, unrequited lovers, and fans during this Neptune - Venus Square Transit. Venus is the ruler of the MC in the official US Birth Chart. We know that the MC rules our public persona. With it squaring Neptune, a lot of celebrities will be going to extreme lengths to protect their public persona against any rumors, assumptions, and lies, especially those about their persona, interpersonal relationships and finances. Since this orb has lessened we have seen the following DoC Lawsuits;

Jack Harlow is suing a Tiktok Creator for DoC for editing pictures of herself with him.

Dan Schneider has sued Nickelodeon for DoC calling "Quiet on Set" a "hit job".

50 Cent is suing his ex girlfriend for DoC alleging that she accused him of assault in an Instagram post.

The woman the hit Netflix show "Baby Reindeer" was written after is suing Netflix for DoC after the show neglected to tell the story from her POV and instead made her out to be a stalker.

The Housing Crisis will continue to worsen and to mitigate this problem houses are going to stop being built, partially due to the government not being able to support the continuation of building. Right now, TR Saturn is Opposite Natal Neptune. Saturn is the ruler of the 2nd House which rules our Finances and Material Possessions. Neptune is the ruler of the 4th House which rules our Home and Security. Saturn is the planet of Restriction and Scarcity. With it currently being opposite the ruler of the 4th House it can indicate either a lack of control over, or TOO MUCH control over both 2nd and 4th House matters, i.e Finances, Housing, Material Possessions, Security.

Celibacy and Abstinence could be reported to have increased amongst members of society with more celebrities revealing themselves to practice it. I also think that Birth Rates and Fertility Rates will be revealed to have been predicted to drop significantly. The ruler of the 5th House is Mars which is currently being squared by TR Saturn which can indicate a lack of children being born in general, or a sudden surge of women waiting until after their Saturn return to have children.

A change in Rulership (The Fall of Congress) The 10th House in Virgo is indicative of our Government in this chart, with it's ruler being Cancer Mercury. TR Pluto is currently square Natal Mercury which can indicate the sudden upheaval, abolishment, and restructuring of the current way of Rulership.

The increase of faith based organizations and movements and the redefining of religion. Pluto in Aquarius will soon be opposite Leo Mercury in the 3rd and 9th House axes which can indicate a sudden uptick in spiritual individuality, self expression regarding religion, spirituality, and more importantly ideologies that people will begin to live by rather than adhering to a specific religion.

An increase in division and fighting over gender, race, sexuality, and religious based conflicts. TR Neptune will be squaring Natal Mars which is sitting in the 7th House, for a long time and the orb is only going to get smaller. I think for now though, we will see a lot of hate and aggression being spread regarding these topics, as well as misinformation and false information to widen the division.

New laws regarding Military Service. TR Saturn (The Planet of Rules and Guidelines) will be Square Natal Mars( The Planet of Aggression and Action, and Military) which sits in the 7th House of Law. Additionally, TR Mars will be in Taurus, transiting through 6th House of Service. So some of these laws could pertain to material belongings, finances, veterans, military service, etc.

[mysticaltora8276]

Just ran into someone who said that the Sith were the good guys and somehow the Jedi were the bad guys…. What? Just what? Wow. And then when I tried to correct their assumptions, they blocked me. Also they made the very erroneous designation that Catholics and Methodist are evidently the same thing as evangelicals in their beliefs. According to this person. I’m sorry what religious study did she take? The “let’s blanket a religion as one, even though they’re very different sects and very different things in the same religion.“

Of course, this person also made the assumption that Donald Trump was the basis for Palpatine. Say what? First of all, how dare you insult him in such a manner. Palpatine is way smarter than Donald Trump. That’s just insulting to the Sith Lord, and if he were real person he would sue for defamation…..

Look, I like the acolyte and I like the fact that it shows how someone can fall to the dark side, but the thing of it is that the dark side is evil. I can’t believe I have to say this, but it’s evil. The dark side of the force is a cancer. That is what it is called by George Lucas. And using it destabilizes life around you and you give into your selfish intentions. They are not some sort of “empowerment and looking for their identity.” No, these guys are evil. The only power they want is for their selfish gain. And the only identity they want is biggest jerk in the galaxy because they can.

The Sith are not the good guys They are Nazis. And if you’d like their aesthetic and like role-playing as bad guys, but are aware that their ideology is hateful then all the power to you but people who actually take it seriously make me kind of nervous.

Edit: for a few people that don’t know Palpatine was based off of Richard Nixon… because Star Wars at least the Prequels and Original movies as a whole was written in the 70s way before Donald Trump was a thing.

[daughter-of-sapph0]

why the fuck do gentiles get to decide what is and isn't antisemitic? like, when we tell you something is antisemitic, you don't listen. but then you saying that something you don't like is antisemitic just to shut us up? like, here's just two recent examples, recent as in this past week.

how come jkr can sue people into oblivion until they're forced to apologize and say "actually jkr didn't do any holocaust denial. my bad" on twitter? like, it's not defamation because it's quite literally a fact. jkr said quite clearly on twitter that trans people not only weren't targeted by the nazis, but didn't even exist at the time. both of which are untrue statements. the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft headed by Jewish German sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld was burned by the nazis in 1933. this is a very obvious fact and you can easily find it with a simple google search. jkr is quite literally denying that this part of history ever even happened, which is holocaust denial.

why is it that the us government can ban a phrase that's a cry for the end of genocide and just label it antisemitic? "from the river to the sea" is not antisemitic. it never has been. it's a phrase that represents freedom for Palestine. and in case you need a reminder, the Palestinian genocide is not a "war" or "conflict", and it certainly isn't because of religion. being against zionism does not mean you're antisemitic. in fact, the belief that all Jews are zionists is itself antisemitic. because whether you're saying it to attack Jews under the guise of supporting Palestine, or you're trying to say that antizionist Jews aren't "real" Jews, you're still saying the same thing: that you have the idea in your head that all Jews are or at least should be committing genocide against a people who have had their country and homes and families and lives stolen from them.

y'all make me want to rip my hair out

[pigeonflavouredcake]

My Grimoire Research Library

this is a list of my major resource I've referenced/am currently referencing in my big grimoire project. For books I'll be linking the Goodreads page, for pdfs, websites and videos i'll link them directly.

There are plenty of generalised practitioner resources that can work for everyone but as I have Irish ancestry and worship Hellenic deities quite a few of my resources are centred around Celtic Ireland, ancient Greece and the Olympic mythos. If you follow other sects of paganism you are more than welcome to reblog with your own list of resources.

Parts of my grimoire discuss topics of new age spiritualism, dangerous conspiracy theories, and bigotry in witchcraft so some resources in this list focus on that.

Books

Apollodorus - The Library of Greek Mythology

Astrea Taylor - Intuitive Witchcraft

Dee Dee Chainey & Willow Winsham - Treasury of Folklore: Woodlands and Forests

John Ferguson - Among The Gods: An Archaeological Exploration of Ancient Greek Religion

Katharine Briggs - The Fairies in Tradition and Literature

Kevin Danaher - The Year in Ireland: Irish Calendar Customs

Laura O'Brien - Fairy Faith in Ireland

Lindsey C. Watson - Magic in Ancient Greece and Rome

Nicholas Culpeper - Culpeper's Complete Herbal

Plutarch - The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives

R.B. Parkinson - A Little Gay History: Desire and Diversity Around the World

Rachel Patterson - Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness

Raleigh Briggs - Make Your Place: Affordable & Sustainable Nesting Skills

Robin Wall Kimmerer - Braiding Sweetgrass

Ronald Hutton - The Witch: A History of Fear in Ancient Times

Rosemary Ellen Guiley - The Encyclopaedia of Witches and Witchcraft

Thomas N. Mitchell - Athens: A History of the World's First Democracy

Walter Stephens - Demon Lovers: Witchcraft S3x and the Crisis of Belief

Yvonne P. Chireau - Black Magic: Religion and The African American Conjuring Tradition

PDFs

Anti Defamation League - Hate on Display: Hate Symbols Database

Brandy Williams - White Light, Black Magic: Racism in Esoteric Thought

Cambridge SU Women’s Campaign - How to Spot TERF Ideology 2.0.

Blogs and Websites

Anti Defamation League

B. Ricardo Brown - Until Darwin: Science and the Origins of Race

Dr. S. Deacon Ritterbush - Dr Beachcomb

Folklore Thursday

Freedom of Mind Resource Centre - Steven Hassan’s BITE Model of Authoritarian Control

Institute for Strategic Dialogue

Royal Horticultural Society

The Duchas Project -National Folklore Collection

Vivienne Mackie - Vivscelticconnections

YouTube Videos

ContraPoints - Gender Critical

Emma Thorne Videos - Christian Fundie Says Halloween is SATANIC!

Owen Morgan (Telltale) - The Source Of All Conspiracies: A 1902 Document Called "The Protocols"

The Belief it or Not Podcast - Ep. 40 Satanic Panic, Ep 92. Wicca

Wendigoon - The Conspiracy Theory Iceberg

Other videos I haven't referenced but you may still want to check out

Atun-Shei Films - Ancient Aryans: The History of Crackpot N@zi Archaeology

Belief It Or Not - Ep. 90 - Logical Fallacies

Dragon Talisman - Tarot Documentary (A re-upload of the 1997 documentary Strictly Supernatural: Tarot and Astrology)

Lindsay Ellis - Tracing the Roots of Pop Culture Transphobia

Overly Sarcastic Productions - Miscellaneous Myths Playlist

Owen Morgan (Telltale) - SATANIC PANIC! 90s Video Slanders Satanists | Pagan Invasion Saga | Part 1

ReignBot - How Ouija Boards Became "Evil" | Obscura Archive Ep. 2

Ryan Beard - Demi Lovato Promoted a R4cist Lizard Cult

Super Eyepatch Wolf - The Bizarre World of Fake Psychics, Faith Healers and Mediums

Weird Reads with Emily Louise -The Infamous Hoaxes Iceberg Playlist

Wendigoon - The True Stories of the Warren Hauntings: The Conjuring, Annabelle, Amityville, and Other Encounters

[abdullahblogsposts]

❝ Abū Bakr Al- Ṣiddīq رضي الله عنه was known for his knowledge and faith. The Prophet ﷺ even testified that he would enter Paradise!

(With that) he still used to recite in the last rakʿah of the Maghrib prayer, after Al-Fātiḥah:

﴿رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغۡ قُلُوبَنَا بَعۡدَ إِذۡ هَدَيۡتَنَا وَهَبۡ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحۡمَةًۚ﴾

“Our Lord! Do not let our hearts deviate after you have guided us. Grant us Your mercy.”

For indeed, hearts are between the two fingers of the Most Merciful, and He turns them as He wills.

So beware! Beware! Of the deviation of hearts, the confusion of thoughts, and the changing of truths in minds!

This deviation results from the following:

• Lack of (righteous) work. (Inc. worship)

• Contempt for others.

• Disgracing others.

• Engaging in talks without action.

• Belittling others (their honor).

• Defaming others without justification.

• Mocking others.

• Abandoning support for the religion of Allāh when one was able to do so.

• Collaborating with the oppressors against the reformers. Allāh جل وعلا said:

﴿وَمَا كُنتُ مُتَّخِذَ ٱلۡمُضِلِّينَ عَضُدًا﴾.

“...nor would I [Allāh] take the misleaders as helpers.” ❞

— Shaykh Sulaymān Al-ʿAlwān (May Allāh hasten his release)

كان أبوبكر الصديق رضي الله عنه وهو هو بالعلم والإيمان! وقد شهد له النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بالجنة، كان يقرأ في الركعة الأخيرة من صلاة المغرب بعد الفاتحة ﴿ربنا لا تزغ قلوبنا بعد إذ هديتنا وهب لنا من لدنك رحمة﴾. فإن القلوب بين أصبعين من أصابع الرحمن يقلبها كيف يشاء فحذاري! حذاري! من زيغ القلوب وامتزاج الأفئدة وتغير الحقائق في الأذهان!

وهذا الزيغ ينتج من أمور:

• قلة العمل.

• احتقار الآخرين.

• الازدراء.

• الاشتغال بالكلام دون العمل.

• التنقص من قدر الآخرين.

• الطعن في الآخرين بدون حق.

• السخرية من الآخرين.

• ترك نصرة دين الله وهو يقدر على ذلك.

• ممالأة الظالمين على المصلحين، قال الله جل وعلا: ﴿وما كنت متخذ المضلين عضدا﴾.

[hawnkoii]

Wait wait!! There’s so much Mothzii bs going around. Wasn't Mothzii the one that told YOU to eat pig in a concentration camp? It's not even the fandom, it's just Mothzii being a fuckass hater everywhere she goes and attracting negative attention. Literally causing the fandom to become corrupt and provoking people into spreading hate and dragging down people that aren’t involved

it’s so annoying man, I hate hearing her name every damn time

Read More ↓

Hi!! Tbh I’m always so scared to get involved with that woman now. She caused me to get doxxed and then told me how to act just because of my religion? She’s a weirdo, and I hate feeling connected to her. She spreads hate and drags people down with her by making alt accounts :/

It’s childish to tell me to delete my account just because (at the time) I, and a few other artists, were defending ourselves after fake/edited screenshots were made for defamation. I don’t tell many people my religious beliefs, since it’s literally not important to the internet. I hate how Mothzii had to use my religion against me. I hate Mothzii, and I have zero sympathy for her or what happens to her within the fandom. On top of that, harassing my mutuals as well, when some of them are minors too. Last time I checked up on Mothzii, she said the N word, and everyone on Twitter was calling her out on it. I have no care for someone who is racist and Islamophobic 🩷 and someone who made alt accounts just to harass me on all platforms. I swear that woman has 40+ alts, even accusing me of being underage with no evidence. I had a few mutuals ask me for my ID after that accusation- and it was literally so humiliating for me. All this just because I said I’m ok with clone x clone (as long as it’s not incest)

Even threatening me not to show these screenshots 💀 like girl,, leave me alone. I hate hearing her name too. I hope sharing these images will just make Mothzii followers just stop following me and stop harassing me. To this very day I still get harassment from her and her followers but I reeeeaally don’t wanna start drama. It just gets overwhelming to see all the harassment and insults. I hope this is the last time I speak on her or hear her name! I hope everyone can understand my distaste for her. Like atp I genuinely do not care how badly she gets dragged on the fandom. She indirectly did it to herself by provoking the wrong people. I’m not active on Twitter anymore, but I used to see how she started beef with bigger accounts just for liking certain ships/dynamics, even ones that weren’t even problematic in any way, she just hated them because Sekido was shipped with the character. Being THAT attached to a character isn’t healthy. But dragging people who aren’t involved is literally so annoying and childish too. Sometimes I feel like a coward for staying quiet. Honestly though, there’s always fandom drama you can’t escape 💔

[muntasireen]

"It is remaining because kufr in all its religions and sects gathered against it and because every treacherous and cowardly person of desire and heresy began to slander and defame it; so we became certain of the truthfulness of the goal and correctness of the path."

[aahanna]

Your islamophobia is disgusting.

If you really are indian, you'd have religious tolerance and have a secular mindset.

What are u talking about????

Where do u come from I didn't post anything which hurt the sentiments of any other religion's people

Yes India is a secular country

But let me bring this to your knowledge that FOR HINDUS INDIA IS THE ONLY COUNTRY WHERE THEY PRACTICE, SHOW LOVE AND RESPECT FOR HINDUISM

And if someone crosses the boundaries of defaming my culture and religion I will surely speak for it , without considering any fact like India is democratic and secular country

JAI SHREE RAM

[pluralquotebook]

Uhhh, TW religion mayhaps ???

Someone :: "??? No, stealing a sculpture from Athens WOULD be harmful to the things you strive for ??? Stealing a sculpture is still defamation of holy land even if you're using it for a ReFeRenCe (pt: reference) ???"

Masha :: (audibly pouting) "Buuuuuut.... (sniffle) reference :("

.

[9amartt]

Media and public defamation has been always a strategy of the kuffar to keep people away from the people of guidance, for just like Firaoun tried to gather the people to slander Musa عليه السلام in front of them so that they may not follow him, today, the kuffar of the east and west lie and search for the mistakes of the muwahhideen to defame them and ruin their reputation.

But this religion is supported by Allah, not by us nor by any of Allah’s righteous allies, so no matter how they conspire and no matter how they plan, Allah is the only and greatest planner, and the most truthful in his promises and He said:

“He is the One Who has sent His Messenger with ˹right˺ guidance and the religion of truth, making it prevail over all others”

And He also said:

“And they plan & Allah plans, but Allah is the best of planners”

[mariacallous]

Around a dozen masked individuals marched in downtown Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday carrying Nazi flags and hurling antisemitic and racist rhetoric, earning condemnation from a broad range of officials including the White House and the state’s Republican governor.

The display came only a week after another neo-Nazi gathering in Michigan outside a community theater production of “The Diary of Anne Frank.” 

The marches exacerbated fears among Jewish groups and others that the reelection of President Donald Trump may trigger an increase in white supremacist activity.

“I’m sorry the President-elect has emboldened these creeps,” tweeted Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin, a Democrat. “This community rejects their pathetic efforts to promote fear and hate.”

A White House spokesperson condemned the march Monday morning as a “sickening display” and said President Joe Biden “abhors the hateful poison of Nazism, antisemitism, and racism.”

“We will not tolerate hate in Ohio,” the state’s governor, Mike DeWine, said in a statement published on social media. “Neo-Nazis — their faces hidden behind red masks — roamed streets in Columbus today, carrying Nazi flags and spewing vile and racist speech against people of color and Jews.”

Referring to what he said were reports that the group was “also espousing white power sentiments,” DeWine continued, “There is no place in this State for hate, bigotry, antisemitism, or violence, and we must denounce it wherever we see it.”

Some members of the group were armed, and at least one member sprayed pepper spray at spectators, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Police detained several people on the scene in response to reports of a physical altercation but later told reporters they “determined that an assault did not take place and all of the individuals were released.” Police had separately told the Columbus Jewish News that physical altercations “broke out, stopped and then broke out again.”

National Jewish groups including the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee condemned the march, with AJC regional director Lee Shapiro calling it “another sad example of the bigotry that we have witnessed across the country.” The Columbus Jewish federation and Jewish Community Relations Council also condemned the march, telling the Jewish News they were “disgusted by the reprehensible display of hate.”

The rally was also condemned by the city’s Democratic mayor and by its Democratic city attorney, Zach Klein.

“Columbus embraces diversity of opinions, religions, backgrounds and everything that makes us special, but we will never embrace hate. Take your flags and the masks you hide behind and  go home and never come back. Your hate isn’t welcome in our city,” Klein said in a statement. “I stand with our Jewish friends and all those who continue to be targeted by bias and hate. I’ll always have your back.”

Also over the weekend, hundreds of people in a Philadelphia suburb turned up outside a public library to protest a Nazi flag that had been flown briefly outside a private residence in Whitpain Township. Following media attention, the homeowners replaced the swastika flag with an American flag, according to CBS News. 

A similar, though much smaller, rally had taken place in the state capital of Harrisburg, in August, following a neo-Nazi demonstration there.

“The thing that scared me about this is that someone was willing, in their neighborhood, to put out a Nazi flag because that says something about them,” Lynne Krause, president of the newly formed non-denominational synagogue Darchei Noam in nearby Ambler, told CBS about the Whitpain Nazi flag. “They felt so at comfort to let people know, ‘This is what I believe.’ … White supremacy, Nazi stuff, it’s on the rise, and I think it’s unfortunate.” 

[happymetalgirl]

Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere

Blood Incantation is not the only band or the first band to make death metal progressive and spacy and cerebral, but across their now four-album discography they definitely have developed a signature style and ethos within that already niche sub-subgenre, an ethos of imaginative existential musing on the biggest fundamental questions of our species: the nature of the universe, the origin of life, the extent of the cosmos, the possibility of other life, etc. This existential speculation the band engages in is not done super self-seriously, as was exemplified by their widely lauded 2019 LP, Hidden History of the Human Race, which dabbled playfully (I hope) in the idea of humanity being placed on Earth by another species. Ancient Aliens death metal. The record even came with a little pamphlet on opening your third eye and discovering the truth of the universe and all.

I've never got the sense from the band that they're super true believers in this kind conspiratorial thinking, at least not in a committed way; I didn't get the vibe from Hidden History that they were actually trying to evangelize some flat-Earth-level type of alternative theory of human existence of whatever, even with the pamphlet. If anything, the pamphlet seemed like a tongue-in-cheek touch and an adjunctive component to the imaginative world-building the band was engaging in. It seemed more about building an immersive fantasy and stimulating grandiose speculating than about pushing some specific hairbrained conspiracy theory. That said, even most conspiracy theorists don't hold their wacky beliefs with such confidence that they dare express them publicly outside forums and comment sections, because those beliefs are more of an emotional crutch for not understanding the massive and complicated world around us and validating whatever biases they have, like what religion is functionally for most people who subscribe to one.

And somehow (ownership of new media and legacy media being gradually consolidated in the hands of a disparately wealthy few who actively thumb the scales of algorithms to favor the spread of anti-class-conscious information like right-wing propaganda and conspiracy theories to prevent any type of threat to their wealth and power that working class solidarity might pose, capitalism) conspiracy theories are a real actual sociopolitical ill that we have to contend with seriously now, with actual batshit true believers like Marjorie Taylor-Greene and RFK Jr. and more than a handful who've unironically pondered "the Jewish question" now holding higher office and shaping policy in the federal government of the most economically and militarily powerful country in the world. It's so awesome that we have to take fucking "globalists starting wildfires to promote 15-minute cities" type bullshit seriously now.

Mark Bankston, the lawyer prosecuting Alex Jones for his defamation of the parents of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting, lamented frustratedly that conspiracy theories used to be fun, benign little thought experiments in the fantastical and absurd that he felt like people back in his day could engage with in good fun and not actually become so seriously sucked into, and now in the age of the internet consolidated onto a handful of social media platforms they're a weapon of anti-progressive propaganda. This has been a slow-building phenomenon, and it's not like InfoWars wasn't a major cog of the right-wing misinformation machine back in 2019. But it's so much worse now, and with the trajectory the U.S. is on in the wake of the election and the cabinet nominees being assembled, it's likely going to become an unprecedently severe problem.

All this is to say, do I think Blood Incantation (or anyone) dabbling in the mushroom-tripping vibes of space-alien existentialism with a flair of mystical thinking is worsening a serious problem of anti-intellectualism with this kind of artistry or even just doing so in bad taste? I would say no. Sure, satire is dead in an era in which it's indistinguishable from the genuine expression it satirizes, but I don't think in the context of a genre of music (death metal) that has always held ties to the cartoonish and fantastical and made very clear its fictional nature, that what Blood Incantation is doing is really normalizing or legitimizing "Jewish space laser" horseshit. Old songs with (at the time) relatively innocuous lyrics about Trump being a rich and brash public figure as more of a character archetype than anything he is now have soured more than I think Hidden History of the Human Race ever will to my ears. And that IS definitely in part due to the TYPE of conspiracy theory being toyed with, which is just the silly ancient aliens stuff that's kinda too esoteric to be tied into sociopolitical conspiracy and weaponized like holocaust denialism or something. The band stick firmly to the realm of discussions held while hot-boxing in pizza delivery vehicles after shift ends, and five years after Hidden History, they're still focused mainly on what's going on in the stars and beyond.

The cover of Absolute Elsewhere hints at a continuation of the same alien historicism, with a clearing of the crater-riddled surface of some mysterious planet with two moons in its starlit sky somehow decorated with two of the same types of pyramids of Giza. Comprised of two central compositions each divided into three tracks, it really is an album of two halves in the thematic sense though. While "The Stargate" picks up right where "Awakening from the Dream of Existence to the Multidimensional Nature of Our Reality (Mirror of the Soul)" left off in terms of grand celestial projection, the lyrics of the album's second hemisphere are surprisingly grounded, at least in the sense that the grandiose existentialism is turned inward. It's actually surprising how direct the message of "The Message" is in the album's last 23 minutes in its humanism. The band don't break the fourth wall or anything, but even in mystical character the answers they give to the age-old questions on the meaning of life and consciousness and humanity are not the least bit cryptic. "To create." "To give." "generosity". "sow peace through deeds." "To grow beyond the animal instinct to fight." I don't know if the concerns I laid out earlier about conspiracy and anti-intellectualism taking hold of power had anything to do with their rationale or thought process for doing so, but I am glad that Blood Incantation did decide make a concrete statement at least about the purpose of the types of intergalactic thought experiments they engage in, which is not to uncover ancient secrets or expose the lizard people or any of those other harmful distractions from our obligation to support our fellow human and cherish the possibly rare and unique life present on the Earth.

As for the music... the scope of the subject matter of Absolute Elsewhere is matched in breadth with the scope of the style and composition of the instrumentals behind it. It's not just that the band employ these spacier psychedelic passages inspired by 70's prog rock between careening passages of death metal, and it's not just that they manage to tap Tangerine Dream for the second "tablet" of "The Stargate", it's the intentionality of the long-winding compositions and the way these elements are woven so thoughtfully together, with wonderful little memorable motifs of guitar and orchestral synth builds making it more than just the novelty of the combination of ingredients at play here. That said, more than any individual riff or sweet clean guitar passage, the tight symbiosis of death metal with 70's new age music and space rock is the real masterclass here that really brings the extraterrestrial introspection home. There's not really a way to easily get into the highlights of finer details of such a seamless album without it becoming tedious or spoiling, but I can at least heap massive praise on the accomplishment made here in the immersiveness into the huge scope of the subject matter here made possible by the meticulous and crisp production of each piece of the album, whose varied individual components must have been a real puzzle to mix and master.

I remember when I was hearing so much hype about Blood Incantation before Hidden History and then hearing that album and becoming a believer; I think Absolute Elsewhere could easily be that album for the unconverted because it really is a masterpiece of a progressive and grandiose compositional approach to death metal with some of the most natural integration of disparate styles ever. I love this album, and as impressive as it is from Blood Incantation, it's no surprise that they could reach even higher than Hidden History of the Human Race and that they could make so many diverse sounds work so well together. If you're not a believer all I can really say is look into it yourself, open your third eye.

9/10

[evelynstarshine]

I know you guys are nostalgic but DO NOT BRING BIONCLES BACK

They were so racist they got boycotts from Pasifika communities for how they appropriated and defamed both the cultures and the names of actual ancestors while also spreading and reinforcing dehumanising and racist myths about Pasifika religion and cultures.