#something that has a wider influence than 'the people who read/heard it were upset and uncomfortable' yea ?

[puke-ur-gutz]

i will cashapp $10 to the first person who can name 3 real life harmful things bob bryar did without accusing him of thought crime

[damn-stark]

To new friends

Chapter 6 of Different Light

A/N- So I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I am going to have some events from the books in this series, just to add more angst and more fun. So if you read parts that don’t show up in the movie, it’s becaue it’s either what I wrote, or something that happened in the books 👍🏽 hope you guys like the chapter and don’t be afraid to leave your thoughts!

Warning- Angst, SLOWBURN.

Pairing- Harry Potter x Malfoy!reader, Fred Weasley x Malfoy!reader

(Let me know if you want to be tagged)

————

As the blissful daze of the Yule ball night passed, the last few free days passed swiftly, taking the memory of Fred’s kiss on your lips with it. Leaving nothing behind but the mental memory of such a delightful moment.

Albeit it was also a moment that wasn’t talked about any day after, classes started again and days would get busier for both Fred and you. Of course you didn’t want to force him into talking about it, you wanted the topic to come out, just effortlessly. Fred treated you kinder; that’s something you noticed, he was way more touchy than before. Usually before when you would sit next to each other, there was no contact whatsoever—sure your arms, or thighs brushed against each other’s, but that was it.

Now when Fred sat next to you in the great hall, or really anywhere else, he would place his hand on top of yours, or hook his pinky fingers with yours; sometimes he would place his arm on top the seat you were sitting on, but that was about it. Fred didn’t try and repeat what happened that night, or try and gloat about it. He simply just didn’t talk about it.

Which led you to think; what did he intend with that kiss?

You want to ask him, but then again you fear the answer he could give.

It’s not like you could ask George. One, because he was Fred’s twin brother and two, you didn’t want to put George in that position. It’d be better if he wasn’t in the middle, things would just flow much easier that way.

You still wanted help, but from who? Narcissa? You could specifically leave Fred’s name out and just ask for advice, but as you further thought about it, asking your mother wasn’t the best option; yet.

That left you with the lingering question of, who then?

“Y/N.”

At the sound of the small, sweet voice calling to you, you’re thrown from your train of thought and left to look over your shoulder and notice, Hermione Granger, striding towards you. At first you don’t know what to do, you’re actually utterly confused on what to do and why she has called you. But realization hits you as she finally falls by your side and offers you a small sweet smile—you had helped her that night of the Yule ball. She said words you’d never forget.

Regardless you didn’t really think you helping her that night was enough for her to reach out to you now. Maybe just simple “hellos” when you passed by the halls, but you didn’t think she’d actually call your name and hurry to reach you. That gesture was still so unfamiliar and new to you.

You smile and greet her however, regardless of how your thoughts churn. “Hello.��

“I saw you pass just now and thought it’d be nice to walk with you to Arithmancy.” Hermione explained kindly. “Is that alright with you?”

Of course!

You smile shyly and nod. “Yeah that's alright.” You feel your cheeks burn and a need to just walk in silence, but you also were desperate to make friends who weren’t just Fred and George—“I never got the chance to ask, did you enjoy the Yule ball? Before everything went down I mean.”

Hermione smiles wider and nods. “Yes it was absolutely great. I had a lot of fun. What about you? Fred mentioned he was going with you, how was that?”

“Oh well,” you smile shyly at the memory of that night. “It was amazing, Fred was a good partner.”

A new thought then invades your mind—you could ask her for help. Even ask her if she heard anything Fred mentioned of that night. After all they were part of the same house. She’s got to know a thing or two, right?

“Do—”

“Fred said you were a great partner too,” Hermione mentions as if she has read your mind. “He said he enjoyed that night with you.”

At the sound of her comment, you feel your cheeks burn increasingly hotter. You’re left stunned for a moment, left giddy and speechless, left trying to collect your thoughts and like you could explode from the inside—you had heard him say he enjoyed that night, but hearing that he had said that to other people just made it seem even more special. The knowledge of what he said made you smile wider. It made you want to know more.“Did he say anything else?” You turn your head to look at her and you see her shake her head.

“No, I’m sorry. He and his friends moved away before I could hear more.”

You hum softly and assure her. “It’s okay, thank you for telling me what he said though.”

Hermione just smiles as response before she changes the subject, not giving you the chance to ask for her help in your still troubled dilema. “What are you reading?”

You look down to the Daily Prophet in your hand and shrug. With all your running thoughts, you didn’t have time to read what you had in your hand. “I don’t know, I haven’t had time to read what,” you lift the newspaper and scoff, “Rita Skeeter wrote it, probably just rubbish anyway.”

Just as you’re about to shove it in between your books, Hermione stops you before snatching the paper from your hand. “Wait, what does this evil witch have to say now.”

Out of new grown curiosity, you look over her shoulder as she begins to read the paper outloud; “DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE

Albus Dumbledore, eccentric Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has never been afraid to make controversial staff appointments, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. In September of this year, he hired Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, the notoriously jinx-happy ex-Auror, to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, a decision that caused many raised eyebrows at the Ministry of Magic, given Moody's well-known habit of attacking anybody who makes a sudden movement in his presence. Mad-Eye Moody, however, looks responsible and kindly when set beside the part-human Dumbledore employs to teach Care of Magical Creatures.

Rubeus Hagrid, who admits to being expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, has enjoyed the position of gamekeeper at the school ever since, a job secured for him by Dumbledore. Last year, however, Hagrid used his mysterious influence over the headmaster to secure the additional post of Care of Magical Creatures teacher, over the heads of many better-qualified candidates.

An alarmingly large and ferocious-looking man, Hagrid has been using his newfound authority to terrify the students in his care with a succession of horrific creatures. While Dumbledore turns a blind eye, Hagrid has maimed several pupils during a series of lessons that many admit to being "very frightening."

'I was attacked by a hippogriff, and my friend Vincent Crabbe got a bad bite off a flobberworm," says Draco Malfoy, a fourth-year student. "We all hate Hagrid, but we're just too scared to say anything—”

Your eyes widen at the sound of your brother's name and anything else read after that just tunes out. The news of Hagrid being a half giant doesn’t even bug you, or register in your mind as someone dangerous (because he wasn’t). All you focused on was what lies your, weasel of a little brother had to say. It makes your furious, feel steam come out of your ears and feel your fists shake. The news on the paper even makes Hermione upset; albeit her reasons differed from yours.

Clearly—“how-how did she find out!” Before you could give your opinion, Hermione quietly seemed to ramble to herself, only raising her voice at specific points. “Maybe she heard him telling Madame Maxine at the ball—but no, they would have seen her, she’s not even...” her voice goes quiet again and you’re left looking at her bewildered and still taken back yourself. As well as intrigued by what she had to say. Surprised by her suddenly asking you a probing question. “Did you see Rita Skeeter that day of the ball?”

You blink out of surprise, but manage to shake your head. “No, I didn’t. But maybe she was hiding in some bushes, like an odd-ball.”

Hermione bites her lip and shrugs before giving an opinion herself. “Maybe she has some type of invisibility cloak?”

You shrug, “maybe. I mean to get such a scoop on people, she’s got to have something up her sleeve.”

Hermione's eyes narrow and she seems to go into deep thinking before she comes up with a suggestion that surprised you even more. “We should try and figure it out. You’re smart, I’m sure if we got together, we’d figure it out.”

You scoff lightheartedly and stop before entering your intended class. “Why the need to get the scoop on her?”

“Because,” Hermione blurted passionately, “it’s not the first time she’s done something like this. Mysteriously getting news on people. She’s wicked and needs to be stopped.”

You smirk at her fiery spirit and can’t help but give in without much need of further convincing. “Alright, I’ll help. It sounds like fun.”

——

The day of the second game came and you couldn’t be dreading this one more. It was too cold and what was the point of having an audience? The players were going to be underwater and if they somehow have a way for you and the rest of the students to look in the depths of the lake without having to go in along with the players, then what was the point?

You were just going to unnecessarily freeze to basically watch players dive.

“ANY BETS! ANY BETS!”

“PLACE YOUR BETS!” George and Fred shouted in a booming voice to the passing students.

Yet with all you’re complaining, here you were, still teamed up with the twins trying to take bets from students.

“THREE LADS!”

“ONE LADY!”

“FOUR ARE GOING DOWN!”

You would’ve joined into their tactics, but you didn’t feel like screaming, so instead you held onto the box for them, watching them as you moved up and the students moved down towards the boats. Stopping only when their sister shoved past them and stopped to remark their rude persuading screams. “Don’t be so mean.”

The twins and you looked back to Ginny and you couldn’t help but agree, but the twins on the other hand turned back around and continued screaming to try and convince others to place bets. Stopping only minutes before the last boat could leave the dock.

“Finally,” you groan as you close the box and shove it in George’s hands. “I thought we’d never finish.”

Fred scoffs, “come on, you’ve got to admit that doing this makes the games more fun.”

“Hardly.” You retort as you shove your hands in your jackets pockets, “freezing to watch water is something I would hardly call fun.”

“You’re in luck then.” George assures you, “the game should be an hour long.”

You groan one last time before you reach the boats, looking to Fred as he pointed for you to get on first. “Ladies first.” He smirks before he follows after you, waiting lastly for George to go on before the person driving the boat began its short trip to the already packed and rowdy stands.

Luckily not having to wait too long for the game to start and beginning to watch with much more anticipation and stress than you intended after you watched Harry clumsily fall into the lake. While Draco, who was two people away from you laughed and pointed at Harry’s clumsy fall, causing you to shoot him a side glare. One he didn’t catch, but you meant with a burning dedication. He only shut up when Harry shot up after his worrying fall into the water, causing an uproar from the students rooting for his win. Albeit seconds after he splashed in, everyone, including yourself were filled with stomach twisting anticipation for anyone’s resurface from the water with their special lost thing.

You were also left with waiting, and endless waiting, growing colder as time ticked.

“Cold?” Fred asked you.

You looked to him and shivered slightly at the feeling of the bitter wind hitting your face. “what do you think?”

A half, smug smile tugged on his lips and he shrugs. “No, I don’t think you are.”

“Then there's your answer.” You cross your arms over your chest and look out to the lake, feeling your shoulders jump slightly moments later when Fred wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you closer to him.

“Better?”

You feel your cheeks burn and your heart skip a beat. It’s hard to think of what to say at the flustered feeling you got at the interaction, but you somehow manage to respond. Albeit stammering and sounding like you were terrified. “Y-yes, much better.”

You didn’t see but Fred grinned at your response. Choosing to stay quiet for the remainder of the game until the first contestant surfaced from the water; Cedric Diggory and Cho—you clapped, but didn’t feel much excitement like others did. Instead you felt as if your stomach twisted tighter knowing that the game was close to over and Harry hadn’t surfaced yet.

Krum and...Hermione surfaced and you clapped excitedly for her, but you were still left with the increasing worrying, glancing repeatedly at the time and waiting as others did. Hearing whispers and the excitement for the game dwindled the more time passed and Harry showed no sign.

The worry now surrounding the crowd was replaced by short relief when Ron and a little girl surfaced, but that was short lived since Harry’s presence was lacking. It made you part from Fred’s side and grip onto the railing to look down into the water to watch and wait—and yes he was just a boy you hardly knew, hardly talked to and just thought of as cute and nice, a bit clumsy and dorky, but...you couldn’t help but worry and—

Before you could get deeper into your thoughts, Harry Potter shot up from the water and finally relieved the worry and stress that had grown increasingly higher those past few minutes. Making you push yourself off the railing to finally clap and cheer, turning to celebrate the win with the twins for a brief moment before you’re interrupted by Dumbledore's booming voice. “Attention! The winner is Mr. Diggory!”

The crowd for Cedric erupted with claps and cheering for him and his win. All them were forced to quiet down though as Dumbledore continued. “Who showed the need to command of the bubble head charm. However seeing as Mr.Potter would have finished first, should it not been for his determination to rescue not only Mr. Weasley, but the others as well, we’ve agreed to award him second place! For outstanding moral fiber!”

Again the crowd erupted into a roaring cheering, causing the twins to five each other and you in a form to celebrate. Ignoring as Draco, bitterly stormed off after the announcement of his rival's achievement. While the three didn’t waste a second for the twins and you to push through the crowd to walk down to where Harry, and the other contestants and the people they saved were.

The twins rushed first, greeting Harry with loud congratulating cheers and a tight hug that they backed from after feeling Harry all wet; letting them turn to their brother and in their own foolish way, worry over his well-being. Letting you be face to face with Harry and instantly feel a hotter heat crawl onto your face before and while you found the words to talk to him.

“That was amazing Harry! You did great!” You grinned, stepping into wrap your arms around him, but stopping as you took in his soaked figure.

“Yeah,” Harry nodded, “I wouldn’t, I’m soaked.” A timid and wobbly smile tugged on his lips and he continued. “Thank you though, y/n.”

You offer him another warm smile and last lingering stare before you rip your eyes away and turn your attention to Herimone next to him.

——

“Right on, all that moral fiber, eh?” George teased Harry as he walked onto the deck.

“That’s great.” Fred chuckled.

You smirk and tag along with the teasing. “All that moral fiber.”

“Blimey, even if you go wrong it turns out right.” Ron voiced with a slight smile.

“Well done, moral fiber.” Fred teased before lightly pushing Harry and then walking off with his brothers, Hermione and you, leaving Harry behind.

You wanted to look back, but before you could Fred’s hand on your arm interrupted your attempts before you could accomplish them. “So, y/n, I was thinking,” he began to say in a soft voice that was rare for him to speak in and off putting for you to hear. “How about we go to Hogsmeade together?”

You blink and begin to fall behind from the group, parting your lips to speak, but coming out with nothing but a breath of air. Proceeding to instead gently rub your arm nervously and letting your eyes flicker from the ground to Fred before managing to speak just as nervously. “Like George, you and I?”

Fred chuckles and shakes his head. “No you goof, just you and I.”

Your cheeks burn again and you giggle and whisper, “oh,” before smiling warmly and nodding. “Sure I like the sound of that, when?”

Fred shrugged, trying to hide his cocky smile. “I’ll let you know, alright?”

You nod, “okay.” Before you both catch up to the group you had been with, picking up your pace smoothly, so you could catch up with a grinning Hermione that already knew by the smile on Fred and your faces what had gone on.

In that moment letting a thought begin to unroll in the back of your mind. Not one having to do with Fred, nor George or Harry. But about Hermione. Odd thing especially after getting asked out by Fred, but it was a thought that just grew; even if Hermione and you had just started talking and a friendship was beginning to develop. It still felt refreshing, assuring and exciting that you had someone else as a friend. Someone who could relate to you in other ways Fred, or George couldn’t. You felt happy that you were beginning to be her friend, that she viewed you like hers and not like the other girls would in Durmstrang. She viewed you like a friend now. She viewed you differently.

——

“HARRY POTTER IN A BURNING LOVE TRIANGLE

A boy like no other, perhaps - yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thought he had found solace in his steady girlfriend at Hogwarts, Muggle-born Hermione Granger. Little did he know that he would suffer through a trouble bigger than any he has faced, choosing who to love and who to leave behind broken hearted.

In the recent events of the Triwizard tournament, Harry has been spotted in the arms of new transfer student to Hogwarts, Y/N Malfoy. At first it had seemed that it was nothing but platonic, but their affectionate embrace and caring and lovable words told us otherwise. Yet as loving as they are, Harry is still caught in the middle between Herimone Granger, who is not innocent as she portrays to be.

Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards that Harry alone cannot satisfy. Since the arrival at Hogwarts of Viktor Krum, Bulgarian Seeker and hero of the last World Quidditch Cup, Miss Granger has been toying with both boys' affections. Krum, who is openly smitten with the devious Miss Granger, has already invited her to visit him in Bulgaria over the summer holidays, and insists that he has "never felt this way about any other girl."

However, it might not be Miss Granger's doubtful natural charms that have captured these unfortunate boys' interest.

"She's really ugly," says Pansy Parkinson, a pretty and vivacious fourth-year student, "but she'd be well up to making a Love Potion, she's quite brainy. I think that's how she's doing it."

Love Potions are, of course, banned at Hogwarts, and no doubt Albus Dumbledore will want to investigate these claims. In the meantime, Harry Potters well-wishers must hope that he opens his eyes and sets his heart upon his Slytherin lover.

No. No. No. This can’t be happening. No. Your father...your mother….your father. He’s going to kill you before disowning you. No. This isn’t what you wanted. Even if it was false information when it came to your part of the paper, it was still going to get to your parents before you had the chance to explain. You’ve done good to hide the truth of your friendships from them when Draco snitches, but this...this can ruin everything and take you back to Durmstrang.

“If that’s the best Rita can do, she’s losing her touch,” Herimone says, beginning to giggle and causing you to snap your head from the paper to look at her with a perplexed, widened gaze. “What a pile of old rubbish.” She proceeds to take the paper from your hands and throws the paper into an empty chair. The action leaving you shocked and speechless—wasn’t she worried to?

On how Rita Skeeter found out about the obvious private conversation that went on between her and Krum? Why wasn’t she worried like you?

“Why-why are you so calm?” You manage to ask with your perplexed and widened gaze.

Hermione looks over to a group of Slytherins to see if they’d be upset by the article. Hermione gave them a sarcastic smile and a wave, and turned back to pretend to focus on the parchment in front of the both of you to finally talk without giving your question an answer. “There’s something funny though, how could Rita Skeeter have known?” Her face went red and she pressed her quil to her chin. “How did she know Viktor asked me to visit him in the summer?”

You shrug and push your worry aside for now, “maybe someone’s her spy?”

Herimone shakes her head, “no, couldn’t be, he pulled me away from the judges after we got our blankets and we were in a spot surrounded by his friends. They’d never do anything to Viktor.” Her face grew increasingly more red and her eyebrows furrowed deeper as she mindlessly pressed her quil on the parchment now. “But how could Rita have heard. She wasn’t there...or was she? Maybe she’s got an invisibility cloak?”

“Perhaps,” you muse along with her, “but there were too many people on that platform, someone would have bumped into her and found her out.” You tap your fingers on the tabletop as you begin to brainstorm a possibility, muttering to Hermione as you did so. “What exactly happened after Krum and you got out of the water?”

Herimone began to explain every exact detail of the events after Krum got her out of the water. Every single detail from climbing onto the platform, to mentioning that Krum flicked a beetle off her wet hair and lastly the moment you had finally come along.

“Hmm,” you rest your elbow on the table and rest your head on your hand as you continue to think and throw out ideas that came to your mind. “Well there wasn’t much room for her to hide at all. She couldn’t be under the water, and it’s doubtful she used polyjuice.”

“You’re right.” Hermione agrees.

At a incoming thought you begin to snicker, “maybe she temporarily transformed into your towel.”

Suddenly Hermione shoots up and her eyes gleam with what seems to be excitement. She steps towards you and manages to pull you off your chair to hold your hands in hers and basically shout out. “I’ve got it!”

“Hermione Granger and Miss Malfoy, please be quiet unless you both want detention!” The professor scolds you, making Herimone quietly apologize before she pulls you back to your seat and continues quietly. Disregarding the warning you both had just gotten.

“She couldn’t have turned into a towel, or risked using polyjuice, but she could have transformed into something else. Something smaller and easy to blend in and be disregarded by any person.”

You blink in astonishment by her quick thinking and fast investigating skills. You don’t say anything, just listen completely mesmerized.

“Rita Skeeter was the beetle in my hair,” Herimone whispers in a loud excited whisper, “of course I thought nothing of it before because it was just a bug, but now it all makes sense; how she can catch all the scoop and hide without without being seen. She’s an animagus.”

You smirk and squeeze in your own thoughts. “Probably an unregistered one too, or else Dumblrdore would have taken extra precautions to keep her off the castle grounds.”

“Yes!” Hermione exclaims with a joyful and yet mischievous grin, “she kept her secret well until now. I’m going to make sure that she doesn’t have another chance to spread any more cruel, dishonest stories.”

“What do you mean?” You gasp with a deeply puzzled and slightly fearful face.

“I’m going to make sure she doesn’t write any more stories from here until the tournament ends. I’m going to catch Rita.” She explains in a loud whisper once again with a dangerous mischievous look still painted in her eyes. “Do you want to catch her with me?”

“I,” you pause to think before you have the chance to abruptly answer. Beginning to go over the fact in your head, that Rita didn’t also make a lie about Hermione, but one about you. One that could cost you heavily. And the days before Herimone asked about helping her, you were down to pair up with Hermione because you didn’t want to lose a friend. Now you were doing it because, well you didn’t want to lose a friend and two, you had motivation of your own.

A smirk creeps onto your face and you meet Herimone’s gaze to share that same dangerous mischievous gaze. “I’m going to catch Rita with you.”

Even if you knew you were still going to get hell from your parents….especially your father.

.

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Tagged- @peter-laufeyson , @swiftlymoniquesblog , @spideyyypeter , @gsvshsjsbs, @accio-prozac , @cherriesanwine , @kokomaesadie , @april-14-blog , @prettypinkpeachh , @pest-ill-ence , @ilovespideyyy

[maiseyann-cci]

Manifesto Brief

The human race has forgotten compassion,

Deserted empathy.

As a whole, we have become numb to the pain we inflict.

The new generation is lost in toxicity,

From behind a screen, abuse flies from household to household.

Cruel words shouted unnecessarily.

I honestly believe, with each other’s help,

Society can be unified.

With one kind word to each other a day,

Spreading love instead of spite.

Inspiring one another to encourage difference,

Working as one to embrace diversity,

Motivating each other to spread compassion.

There is no need to act destructively,

The words we share leave a lasting impact,

I look forward to seeing the day,

Where individualism is celebrated

And Kindness is undeniable.

BLOG POST;

One of the factors that inspired to to write my manifesto about kindness was because of the amount of hatred we see online nowadays, as well as how unappreciative society has become.

Over the past 10 years, the use of social media and online technology has surged dramatically. Having such easy access to the internet and access to social sites has allowed for a range of activities to occur, one of these being ‘trolling’. ‘Trolling’ is defined as ‘a person who starts quarrels or upsets people on the Internet’. This ‘trend’ as some people may call it has caused massive amounts of damage but has also instigated changes within many industries to cater their ‘manifestos/mission statements’ to become more inclusive and cater to all demographics.

We live in a technological era where anything is possible. People can voice their opinions and be heard by millions, which in many ways benefits the culture within society today. It allows intellectuals to communicate and converse across the globe and get responses instantly. However, this freedom also permits anonymous and spiteful messages to be sent to innocent people. This not only has a detrimental effect of the mental health of the receiver of these messages, but their families as well.

Kindness

‘How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time.’ – Trying to speak this into existence within a society where the social norm has caused people to become numb to the abuse that is distributed is always going to be difficult.

Bullying can happen to anyone, celebrity or not. However, some of the more high-profile celebrity cases have sparked a shift within society and todays ‘acceptive’ culture. It has created a positive movement to finally get rid of online bullying once and for all. The most recent case to start the trend was the tragic suicide of Caroline Flack. After choosing to take her own life at the age of 40, the #BeKind movement was created. This movement took the internet by storm, urging people to become more aware of the impact that their words were having on others, and quite simply to think before they speak.

However, I do believe that many of these social media trends to promote and encourage kindness and to prevent trolling aren’t taken far enough. In order to create a long-lasting impact, guidelines and laws need to be put in place to deter individuals from sending hurtful messages.

The current law states that these forms of bullying can be punishable by law;

-       Violence or Assault

-       Theft

-       Repeated harassment or intimidation

-       Hate crimes

There is no specific law within schools to protect young people from the abuse that they may be subjected too. Currently, the policy is by law that all state schools must have a ‘behaviour policy’ in place to prevent bullying. This is what I believe needs to change. A behaviour policy and a warning from a teacher will not have the same impact as a warning from police or the government.

Why I Chose Kindness

The above is only a small factor into why I decided to write my manifesto about kindness. My manifesto is based on this topic because I honestly believe that it is what connects us with one another. It has reached a point where there is more hatred online that positivity and that is something that I personally, cannot bear to see. I believe that every morning people wake up and they make a choice. They decide whether they are going to be loving or hurtful to themselves and one another. My aim is to make this choice easier for people.

I visit a small Caribbean country called Costa Rica almost every year. My family live there, in a small town called Cahuita. This small town has taught me more about kindness and compassion than anything else. They are a very close community and despite this, they will welcome and embrace any new visitors that pass through. This is very different to London, where people are hostile and dismissive. This difference really motivated me to write on the topic of kindness as I believe that being kind to each other is the first step into building and creating a new and reformed society where all cultures, beliefs are embraced.

In Costa Rica, their motto is ‘Pura Vida’ which translates to ‘Pure Life’. This has always resonated with me as it makes you reflect and appreciate what we have in our lives. They have a minimalistic culture out there, and they are all extremely grateful for everything that they have, and even if they have next to nothing, they are still kind to one another.

In their culture there is no online bullying or harassment, everyone is accepting and welcoming and that is one of the reasons that I am so against it is because it truly is unnecessary.

My manifesto isn’t there to be ignored, it is there to inspire and motivate the readers to appreciate everything that we have in our lives and understand that some other may be less fortunate. Many people don’t realise what people may be experiencing in their personal lives, and that unkind words can hold more of an impact on people if this is the case. People shouldn’t have to be taught how to treat each other with kindness and respect, however I believe that with everybody making more of an effort, and being aware of their words, a difference can be made. 

When researching manifestos similar to my own, the results that I found didn’t do the topic justice. They were created by large corporations with no real purpose other than good publicity. The aim while writing mine was to create something authentic, that people can read and interpret how they want too. A manifesto that had it’s own voice.

Who

I am creating this manifesto, not just for myself, but for the benefit of others. It has been created to let people struggling know that they aren’t alone as well as to show people that they can change their behaviour and embrace the differences and quirks that society has to offer.

The culture within our society today has become accepting of behaviour that it should refuse, and I want to encourage people to change their attitudes and outlooks on life, and to motivate them to appreciate all the little good things that life gives us, similar to the culture in Costa Rica. 

When it came to writing the manifesto itself, this is where I wanted to display all of my believes an personal feelings in a way which made it possible for the reader to internalise and understand the reasons why being kinder is the better choice, for themselves and society.

RESEARCH -

What is a Manifesto?

■     A manifesto is a declaration, stating a person's intentions, policy as well as their aims and adjectives.

Examples?

■     This example of a kindness manifesto was created within a series called Kind Kindred. This series of manifestos is created purely to spread positivity and to help people that are struggling with their day to day lives persevere. This can be one of the main reasons that manifestos are created, in order to unify society around one chosen topic.

■     The context of this manifesto is Kindness. Entirely related to the way human beings treat each other, however this isn’t always what they were based upon. This type of manifesto isn’t written for personal gain, instead written to help and support wider society.

Previous Influential Manifestos?

THE FEMINIST MANIFESTO

■     When researching early examples of manifestos, I came across the ‘Feminist Manifesto’ written by Mina Loy in 1914.

■     The manifesto encourages women to take a stand against the feminist movement that was happening at the time, as well as encouraging a new place for women in the continuously evolving society.

■     What this manifesto shows us that despite having a passion for the topic, overall the manifesto was written for political gain/involvement. This is a popular reason that manifestos are written.

POLITICAL MANIFESTOS

■     One of the key reasons that manifesto are created is to outline a political parties, aims and objectives as well as displaying to their readers and followers what separates them from their rivals.

■     This is a trend that still occurs today. A manifesto, in political terms is used to outline the set of goals that the party would like to achieve. This is what influences the way people vote.

■     If elected, the political party then follows through with all topics and aims that were outlined within their manifesto. However, these promises can often fall through and fail.

■     The ‘Manifesto’ is a key tool used in for political gain and advancement.

THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO

■     Again, the ‘Communist Manifesto’ was created by sociologists Karl Marx and Friedriech Engels. The manifesto highlights the struggles between the Bourgeoise and the proletariat. Marx argued that the Bourgeoise (upper class) exploited the proletariat (lower class) as the work they carried out benefited only the capitalist class.

■     The manifesto outlines the problems within the classes and ended in a call for a communist revolution in order to overthrow the bourgeoise and stop the reign of capitalism within society.

■     This manifesto is a key example and highlights the importance of their creation and existence. It creates a summary of all the ideas theories that the 2 sociologists had produced and made an easily accessible way for people to find and share their ideas.

ART MANIFESTOS

■     An art manifesto has the same basic outlines and structure of a political manifesto, again, outlining the aims, intentions and views, however it is for an artist or an artistic movement, but can still reference political issues/agendas.

■     The purpose of an art manifesto is to create a statement of ‘shock’ which in turn, hopefully triggers a revolutionary or new movement.

■     One of the first art manifestos that was created relating to this topic was the manifesto of ‘Futurism’. This manifesto was written by an Italian poet called Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. His manifesto outlined a society that he wanted to live in in the future, including a ‘celebration’ of the advances of technology and encouraged the modernization of Italy.

■     This allows a different perspective on the reason for manifestos. This manifesto wasn’t created to help advance a political party, but instead to encourage change and the advancement of society.

THE PURPOUSE OF MANIFESTOS

■     Overall, whilst researching the many different types of manifestos I came to one conclusion. Despite all claiming to have a different meaning, all manifestos are the aims or beliefs of an individual and a way of them being able to convey and present these ideas to the public.

■     Despite mainly being used by political parties, activists and organizations, they can be written by an individual who wants their opinion and ideas to be voiced.

■     I believe manifestos are a great tool for a variety for people and businesses to use in order to express themselves and their beliefs. However, sometimes manifestos and the ideologies that they pass on can fall flat and the writers can let their audience can be left disappointed with the overall outcome.

■     Although, Manifestos don’t always have to be taken literally, they can be created in order to inspire and motivate the readers to change their ways or to help join the movement to make a difference.

[laurapearson1-blog]

Discuss the role of affect and emotion in art, fan works and practices.

Laura Pearson          BA Fine Art Central Saint Martins        Unit 6 Essay

‘Celebrity is the religion of our consumer society. And fans are the mythical adepts of this religion who dramatize moods, fantasies and expectations we all share. You may find their intensity unusual or alarming but that is because no one has ever allowed them to express their feelings so comprehensively’ (Vermorel, 1985, p.247). This essay will discuss how affect and emotion is so obviously present throughout art and fan practices, the different forms in which this is translated into and the problems/questions raised when this emotion is fixated upon. To look comparatively between the every day fan and the extremities of certain fan practices will give an insight into how affect and emotion manifests itself within fan culture.

The affect theory is a concept introduced within the works of philosopher Baruch Spinoza. In his comprehensive analytical study of religion and spirituality, Spinoza describes affects as ‘states of mind and body related to (but not exactly synonymous with) feelings and emotion” (Spinoza, 1667). This transmitting alter conscious state passed between bodies is referenced to a physical affect, ‘affects circulate publicly or are transmitted contagiously’. (Kluchin, 2013) An example of this is saliva being produced by the mouth when shown a photograph of a chocolate cake, or a fan fainting at a concert. The transformation of the emotive to the tangible becomes a noticeable affect, influencing physical behaviour. When the affect is studied through the lens of art, the theory becomes a subconscious notion that is established within most practices. The artist is always attached to the work they make. Drawing on personal experience, the input of emotion is unavoidable for work to be truly authentic. Feeling is engrained in both the process of making and viewing art and it is understood that many works have astounding affects on the human psyche.

Conceptual art, whilst being incredibly emotive is often removed from itself. There is an invisible intellectual boundary between the work and the audience. A new modernity, the altermodern (Bourriaud, 2009) emerges within the field of contemporary art. In terms of exploration and critical thinking it is extremely progressive; the constant introduction of new ideas transgresses with the socio-normative expectations of society, creating a platform for those who naturally break away from the norm. Shia Lebouf’s stunt at the film premiere of Nymphomaniac (2013) where he wore a brown paper bag over his head reading ‘I AM NOT FAMOUS ANYMORE’, transgressed against the high-brow culture of film festivals and red carpet events. (Frey, 2016, p.24)

Fig.1: Lebouf, 2014.                       

Fig. 2: Emin, 1995

Tracey Emin’s drawings of herself as a young girl uses a particular medium to come to terms with traumatic events in her life. Her work is an ‘uncompromising self-examination: the effort to confront all aspects of her existence,’ (Kieran, 2009). Labelled controversial due to the explicit nature of the drawings, she is directly transgressing the societal perception of young girls and sexuality in relation to abuse. Louis Althusser’s theory of interpellation details the way in which ideas are never simply our own, they are put upon us from birth and significantly shape our lives. However, we believe cultural ideals as if they were our own to the extent in which they have a never ending hold on us, (Mowitt, 2002). Transgression is directly correlative of interpellation, to not transgress would be to accept these ‘ready made’ specific roles that are already coined for us by society. In the modern day politically hostile environment these ideas become key to the artist and a necessity for the wider viewer. Contemporary artists have to correspond with and respond to current climates, yet this necessary but often burdening contextual ‘excess’ on top of the artists core passion and emotion can create a barrier between the work and the viewer. When studied comparatively in relation to fan made practices this barrier becomes very evident. The complex nature of fan culture can be significantly more black and white than that of conceptual art; there is no ‘excess’ in fan made works as the process of making is very different. An artist considers audience, context, space, time etc yet a fan is driven solely by idolisation and passion, (Halter, 2009). The unfiltered and often strongly emotional response produced from this fan driven pride is simply a manifestation of passion. Here we can begin to understand how the affect theory plays heavily into fan culture. A shared consciousness and intelligence is created and the mindset of the fandom is spoken about as a ‘collective’ rather than multiple individual voices, (Fiske, 1992).

In order to recognise this collective, creative output, we can refer to individual fan practices. In their simplest form they appear as alternate narratives to already existing works, an example of this being fan fictions and works created to prolong the story of a favourite tv show. The popular programme Sherlock Holmes has a huge cult following. Fans create memes in order to identify their ‘OTP’ (one true pairing), re-thinking and re-writing already published storylines.  

Fig. 3: MarFitzherbetFletch, (2015)

There are many examples of this kind of response within popular culture. Artists Ian Forsyth and Jayne Pollard base their entire practice around the reenactment of prevalent icons. They perform staged live recreations of David Bowie’s legendary farewell concert as Ziggy Stardust in A Rock and Roll Suicide, (Forysth, Pollard, 1998) and have the world’s longest running Kiss tribute band (see Kiss my Nauman, 2007). When the TV series comes to an end, the band retires and the film finishes, there is an empty void to be filled by the fan’s desire to materialise alternate plot lines and endings. The fan never capitalises from this work unlike the artist who comments on the very nature of fan practice; the fan is involving themselves within a ‘gift economy’, (Hellekson, 2009), where work isn’t necessarily ever purchased and consistently made for free. An amateur, or ‘lover of’, defines those attached to a particular vocation in an gratuitous manner. In terms of fan practice, one could say all fans are amateurs. In the book Passionate Amateurs, (Ridout, 2013) the word is characterised as ‘someone whose work is undertaken within capitalism, but is motivated by a love that desires something different - and can thus make us think afresh about notions of work, time, and freedom.’ No monetary value is placed upon fan work, unlike professional art practices. This presents the singular, most principal motive for production; passion. We can understand emotion and obsession as also being driving forces behind this. A fan is not a societal defined ‘expert’. He or she is an amateur in their field, gaining nothing but self satisfaction and acceptance from a particular community for their tireless dedication to an idol.

Since the early to the mid twentieth century, musicians have countlessly been bombarded by overly excited teenage girls. The Beatles ceased to play live concerts as their music could not be heard over the screams of their fans in the audience (Fandom At The Crossroads: Celebration, Shame and Fan/Producer Relationships, Zubernis and Larsen, 2012). The challenging nature of the fan is something that appears timelessly again and again throughout fan culture. The audience steps over the invisible containment of the viewer and into the realm of the idol, not necessarily always respecting the boundary between the two as the real and fictional are compromised. The role of emotion within this aspect of fan culture is not only integral but it is self-destructive and counterintuitive to the self. At the very height of the spectrum the overwhelming excitement becomes exaggerated thus leading to potentially threatening circumstances. In Heroes, Mass Murder and Suicide, Berardi (2015) suggests similar ideas in relation to capitalisms affect on mental health. He studies cases such as the Aurora ‘Joker’ killer; a mass shooting in the US in 2012 when James Holmes murdered 12 people in a cinema during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises. The mass shooting gained global media attention as the event was ‘inspired’ by the Batman franchise. (Holmes’ house was filled with superhero memorabilia.) Berardi (2015) suggests that the impact of social media and the entertainment industry has paved the way for formidable transformations unto our collective pathological environment. This notion is widely represented throughout popular culture, other examples include Leave Britney Alone (2007). Chris Crocker’s YouTube video in which an over emotional teen hysterically cries to his camera, expressing his upset with the media’s handling of Britney Spears’ public meltdown - a passionate video diary turned viral internet meme. Another more dated example; Lisztomania; an intense fan frenzy toward the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt, (Lisztomania, 1975) characterised by acute hysteria from audiences at live concerts in an age where excitement surrounding musicians was not yet the norm. This visceral fixation of a celebrity figure is evident when studying fan communities and sub-cultures.

Fan frenzy in todays media-centric culture is prevalent in a younger demographic. The documentary film Crazy About One Direction (Asquith, 2013) follows multiple groups of young girls in their attempt to track down members of the pop band. It is interesting when observing the behaviour of the girls, their young age demonstrates emotional adolescence. The intense behaviour is perhaps psychologically impacting; ‘many girls practice their first kisses on posters [with their favourite band]’ (Anderson 2012), ; a situation devoid of the very real traumas of teenage sexuality. Girls fantasise of relationships with the band members, allowing the exploration of ‘interpersonal relations’ without the ‘reciprocal commitments’ (Lewis, 1992), yet often inhibits social maturity as the relationships with an idol are fabricated. (Jensen, 1992) The image of the idol is manufactured through the lens of a commercial society, the carefully constructed role of the figure; devoid of true authenticity in the media poses something different to the actual person themselves. This commercial insincerity produces a god-like, celestial figure. An unbeknown occurrence in the everyday life, fans latch onto this fake image ‘in demand for a psychotherapeutic placebo’ (Vermorel, 1985 p.7).

An interesting observation is to question the idolisation of celebrities from a gender based perspective, as fandoms are most often talked about in terms of women, (Craig, 1992). This unequal weight in the production of fan works influences their connotations. Girls aspire to be or to look like their idols. Implications towards female pathologies concerning self worth and objectification arise and we can experientially understand the mainstream media’s portrayal of women; the cultural norm is for women to be portrayed as younger, thinner and more beautiful than the majority of the demographic. Julia Wood describes femininity as passive; a stereotypical assumption that the modern entertainment industry inflicts. Women ‘may be strong and successful if and only if she also exemplifies traditional stereotypes of femininity, subservience, passivity, beauty, and an identity linked to one or more men.’ (Wood, 2009). In terms of fan practice this is heavily influential. These stereotypes effect fan output as many works convey a more female-driven passion and many idols often refuse to see the sincerity of the ‘teenage-girl fan’. (Pollard, 2016). A report by the American Psychological Association affirms how ‘insidious’ consequences of the media's exploitation of women can be damaging toward mental health and how it ‘fragments consciousness.

‘Chronic attention to physical appearance leaves fewer cognitive resources available for other mental and physical activities’. (APA, 2007) These gender idealisms are almost exclusive to women, the characterisations of males are usually unproblematic and even ‘laudatory’ comparatively to the standard of female portrayal (Craig, 1992). Fandom culture bares impact on sexual identities (Anderson, 2012; Sesek and Pusnik, 2014, cited in Mendelsohn, 2014). Members of a boy band for example, can become fixations of sexual desire, thus creating differing social understandings of sexuality. Interpreted in different ways, ‘one of the most common ways sexual expression manifests is in fan-fiction’ (Mendelsohn, 2014), these kind of practices are considered ‘juvenile’ by the wider society. This is perhaps because male sexuality is more regularly expressed therefore widely accepted in comparison to that of woman. To explain her allure to erotic fan-fiction, a member of the One Direction fandom said, “men like to watch pornography with two women, girls like to read about two handsome men” (Sesek and Pusnik, 2014, p.119 cited in Mendelsohn, 2014). A reclamation of the female sexuality in terms of fan-fiction is necessary, just as the book Starlust: The Secret Life of Fans (Vermorel, 1985) achieves, its collection of fan written accounts of intimate experiences offers a comprehensive expression of the often ‘rejected’ aspects of fan culture.

Close-knit communities of fandoms are often efforts to escape a difficult age, these implications are only amplified through advancing social media technologies. Twitter allows for fans to be updated on their idols whereabouts, actions, struggles, relationships etc. ‘#cutforzayn’ trended on Twitter in March 2015, causing significant amounts of harm and putting young people online in a dangerous position. It is concerning when the boundaries of privacy between the fan and idol are compromised, note cases such as Steven Spielberg’s stalker; 'Mr Spielberg told the court he feared stalker Jonathan Norman intended to ‘rape or maim him’ (BBC, 1998). Björk’s stalker Ricardo Lopez shot films of himself obsessing over her; ‘being in love, having an infatuation, is a euphoric feeling, and I was very happy. I had something to look forward to every day’ (ABC news, no date). Note that the blend of fandom with ‘celebrity and presumed media influence in relation to pathological behaviour’ (Lewis, 1992) is ever more common in fan culture. These occurrences, from the first recorded fan suicide of Peggy Scott in 1926, surrounded by photographs of Rudolf Valentino shortly after his death, to Mark Chapmans’ execution of John Lennon in 1980 ‘illustrates how disastrously this can sometimes end for both subject and object’ (Vermorel, 1985, p.247) and bares the compelling reality of resemblance between the growth of consumerism and the evolutions of hysteria.

‘The way the public functions in the public sphere is only possible because it is really a public of discourse. It is self-creating and self-organised, and herein lies in its power’ (Warner, 2002). The fandom is self-creating, its innovative output of speaking, writing, thinking etc engage us in a public. Warner emphasises the importance of conversation at the heart of a community as ‘text themselves do not create publics’. The constant cross-communication within and between fandoms creates an affective community where feeling is mutually understood and passed around from fan to fan. Fans establish rules, distinctions between differing levels of enthusiasm are taken seriously. ‘You’re not a real fan’ is heard often, indicating shame. Fans are heavily rejected across global societies. However shame acts performatively; generating a spreading affect throughout a community, but we have to make some distinctions between the cultural normativity of the fan and the obsessed recluse. How is the idea of fandom manifested in every day life? ‘Each fan type mobilises related assumptions about modern individuals: the obsessed loner invokes the image of the alienated, atomised ‘mass man’; the frenzied crowd member invokes the image of the vulnerable, irrational victim of mass persuasion. Alienation, atomisation, vulnerability and irrationality- are central aspects of twentieth-century beliefs about modernity.’ (Lewis, 1992) Yet in reality the fan is most similar to every other person, they simply fantasise and pursue perfection like the rest of us (Vermorel, 1985, p.7). The only difference is the way in which we express this.

Shame is a prevalent feeling within fan cultures, differing from guilt it ‘attaches to and sharpens what one is’ (Sedgwick, 2003, p. 37). It is intrinsically in fan nature to break traditional norms and the mediums in which they are conveyed; 'material re-appropriation into fan-zines, costumes, adult interaction games, slang, computer programming’ (Lorrah, cited in Jenkins, 1988 p.473, cited in Malchevski, no date). However stereotypical depictions around fandom can cause shame-related affects, the ‘individuals are simultaneously (a) put down and made to feel guilty for their interests, and (b) perceived as disrespecting their fandom community by not defending their interests (Stanfill, 2013 cited in Mendelsohn, 2014). However the inflicted feeling of shame and the need for reclamation inspires fan activities; fantasising, role-playing, archiving- the embodiment of intolerance toward the culture turns shame into a performative reclamation (Bennett, 2010). In Starlust the fan stories are expressed in likeness to shame, thus self acceptance prevails over the cultural societal perception of ‘indecency’. Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis (1897) is a letter detailing his relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas and his spiritual awakening in prison. Wilde turns his shame into something potentially productive; a response to criticism. He transforms ‘appalling denunciation’ into erotic confession’. (Bennett, 2010, p.23) ‘Pleasure seems inextricably intertwined with the sense of shame’ (Zubernis, Larsen 2012, p.11), an evident observation throughout fan practice. Velvet Goldmine (1998) presents both the transformation of and adherence to shame. Shame makes a ‘double movement,

‘Toward painful individuation, toward uncontrollable relationality,” (Zubernis, Larsen, 2012, p.25). The isolation that shame creates pushes people towards a seemingly impossible but much rewarding reality; to be more of yourself, because you can’t become anything else. This is illustrated by Slade and Wild in Velvet Goldmine (1998) by their determination to enforce their queer, glam rock and non-conventional roles within the 1970s music industry. The reclamation of shame in relation to fan practice is heavily present throughout conceptual art. The exhibition Love To Love You in Los Angeles (2013) united artists to explore ‘fandom as a unique opportunity for  shared social experience’.

Fig. 4  Shaw (2007) [from Love To Love You]

Fig. 5 WhyNot (2016)

Displaying various methods of artistic practice the exhibition aimed to transcend ‘material consumption’ in order to create a conceptual, transient ‘world of devotion’ (MoCa, 2013). Other examples include artist Lois Weaver’s alter-ego as Tammy Whynot?, an experimentation of different, performative personas intertwining her past and background with her lesbian, feminist performance artist career (Tammy WhyNot, 2016).

After studying the examples given throughout this essay, we can recognise that criticising of fan culture is a form of discrimination, however reclaimed by the oppressed, leading toward evermore transgressive reclamation and positive re-representation. Even though fan work is culturally criticised and often deemed controversial, it is a byproduct of our celebrity-centric culture. The output of art, writing, film etc. is influential toward not only conceptual art practices, but also toward the media, entertainment, music, film, television industries and the individual person. Perhaps the growing advancements in technology and a society developing a dependence on social media is problematic toward safe practice of fan culture. Virtual communication is prevalent so much so it is definitively intertwined with ideas of interpellation (Althusser, cited in McGee, no date), yet arguably this only creates the need for more potent transgression; a necessity within the social climate. Aside from rampant emotions and unconventional sexual desire, the true heart of the fandom is passion, driven by instinctive resistance towards the forever forced power of authority.

Bibliography

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Anderson, T. (2012). Still kissing their posters goodnight: Female fandom and the politics of popular music. Vol. 9, No. 2.

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Bennett, C. (2010) Flaming the Fans: Shame and Aesthetics of Queer Fandom in Todd Hayne’s Velvet Goldmine. Texas: University of Texas Press. Vol. 49, No. 2, Winter. Pp. 23.

Berardi, F. (2015) Heroes, Mass Murder and Suicide. Verso.

Bourriaud, N. (2009) Altermodern explained: Manifesto Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/altermodern/altermodern-explain-altermodern/altermodern-explained Accessed: 31 December 2017.

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Figure 2: Emin, T. (1995) If I could just go back + start again. [Monoprint]. Tracey Emin Studio. Available at: http://www.traceyeminstudio.com/artworks/1995/02/if-i-could-just-go-back-start-again-1995/ Accessed: 01.02.18

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Et Tu, Art Brute? (2017) [Exhibition] Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York. 17 November 2017- 28 January 2018.

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Grayling, A.C. (2002) A Question of Discrimination. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2002/jul/13/arts.artsfeatures Accessed: 3 January 2018.

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Figure 1: Lebouf, S. (2014) I Am Not Famous Anymore. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/shia-labeouf-wears-paper-bag-on-his-head-to-the-premiere-of-nymphomaniac-at-berlin-film-festival-9118259.html Accessed: 01.02.18

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Figure 3: MarFitzherbetFletch (2015) Sherlock Ship Meme. Available at: https://marfitzherbertfletch.deviantart.com/art/Sherlock-Ship-Meme-525667510 Accessed: 02.02.18

Mendelsohn, K. (no date) Gender in Fandom. Available at: https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/appsych/opus/issues/2014/fall/mendelsohn Accessed: 5 January 2018.

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Pollard, A. (2016) Bands who bemoan their ‘teenage girl’ fans are missing the point of music. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/apr/15/bands-who-bemoan-their-teenage-girl-fans-are-missing-the-point-of-music Accessed: 22 January 2018

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Figure 4: Shaw, J. (2007) Best Minds Part One. [Video installation]. Massachusetts: MoCa.

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Figure 5: WhyNot, T. (2016) Available at: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=559559947558795&set=a.304076593107133.1073741826.100005143846656&type=3&theater Accessed: 16.01.18

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[topsolarpanels]

The trolling of Elon Musk: how US conservatives are attacking green tech

Electric-car evangelist is the target of concerted negative online campaign linked to influential rightwing network

He is the charismatic Silicon Valley entrepreneur who believes his many companies – including the electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors, solar power firm Solar City, and SpaceX, which attains reusable space rockets can help defy man-made climate change.

South African-born Elon Musk is a billionaire green evangelist, a bete noire of the fossil fuel industry who talks about colonising Mars and believes it may be possible that were living in a computer simulation.

But having been feted by the Obama administration, he now faces an extraordinary bombardment of assaults from rightwing thinktanks, lobbyists, websites and commentators. The character of the assault says much about which way the political gust is blowing in Washington something that will have consequences that stretch far beyond the US.

One of Musks most trenchant critics has been the journalist Shepard Stewart, who writes for a clutch of conservative online news sites. In several articles in September , not long after a SpaceX rocket exploded, Stewart attacked Musk for receiving billions in government subsidies to make rockets that immediately self destruct and branded him their own nationals humiliation. As Musk fought back on Twitter, it became apparent that Stewart was an invention. Even his photo byline had been doctored from a LinkedIn profile of a tech entrepreneur. Definitely a fake, Gavin Wax, editor-in-chief of the Liberty Conservative,one of the websites that published Stewart, admitted to Bloomberg.

The revelation triggered several hypothesis: that Stewart was created by speculators shorting shares in Musks companies, or that he was invented by rival rocket companies keen to bring SpaceX down to globe. But Musk may be reassured to learn that Stewarts attacks on him werent that personal. Rather, they appear to be part of a wider agenda against big government, the environmental vestibule and liberals in general an agenda reinvigorated by the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency. In recent months, Stewart has twice attacked Oregons former governor, John Kitzhaber, a supporter of ObamaCare and solar energy who was forced to resign from office, saying his appearance at a healthcare conference was like having Bernie Madoff heading an upcoming meeting on retirement savings.

He has also taken aim at Louisiana senator Bill Cassidy for introducing an act that obliges online contact lens vendors to seek approving from optometrists before selling their products. And “hes having” lambasted the Obama administration for banning payday loans despite the fact that there is an overwhelming want and positive reception for them.

Stewarts protean efforts have been erased from the internet. But the online assaults on Musk continue. A website, stopelonfromfailingagain.com, regularly publishes negative tales about him. The site is similar to another anti-Musk site, whoiselonmusk.com, created by an organisation called The Center for Business and Responsible Government( CBRG ), which describes itself as a non-partisan organisation dedicated to highlighting cronyism and its effect on American taxpayers and policy and seems not to exist anywhere but cyberspace. Both sites were set up around the same hour this summer and are registered to a domain-name apportioning company in Arizona.

Whoiselonmusk carries narratives from the Daily Signal, the news arm of the Heritage Foundation, a powerful rightwing thinktank whose mission statement is to promote free enterprise and limited government. It also republishes items from the Washington Examiner and the Daily Caller online titles that have both published articles by Stewart.

David Koch of Koch Industries: one of his executives is now the head of a pro-petroleum lobbying group. Photo: Carlo Allegri/ Reuters

Closer inspection of stopelonfromfailingagain.com reveals that it was established by Citizens for the Republic, a political action committee( Pac) put up in the 70 s by Ronald Reagan. Dormant for years, CFTR resurfaced in 2008 under Craig Shirley, a biographer of Reagan, whose lobbying firm, Shirley& Banister, claims to have played a key role helping the Tea Party Patriots in its rise to prominence as the premiere grassroots group in the country.

Announcing its campaign against Musk, CFTRs executive director, Diana Banister, the other half of Shirley& Banister, said they would mobilise public opinion, ad, grassroots advocacy, testimony and legislation in their attack on federal solar subsidies, of which Musk has been a principal beneficiaries. But how and why did CFTR spring back to life? Reports at the time suggested it was resurrected due to widespread frustration with the direction of the Republican party. One stated: The revitalized Citizens for the Republic has already secured $17 m in solid financial commitments, according to an official involved in creating fund for the organisation. Whether CFTR truly procured this sort of fund cannot be verified. But documents filed with the US Internal Revenue Service reveal that two connected organisations the Wellspring Committee and the Annual Fund donated the best part of$ 1m between 2010 and 2011.

Few people in the UK will have heard of these two organisations, but they are part of a powerful conservative political network whose influence has global consequences. An investigation by the Center for Responsive Politics found that Wellspring was one of many organisations that in the past was used as a dark money conduit by the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers, David and Charles, to channel fund to their favoured causes, which have included climate change denial scientists, Tea party activists and a host of other rightwing groups, including the Heritage Foundation. While Wellspring has reportedly distanced itself from the Kochs, it continues to draw gifts from the brothers network of like-minded supporters.

One of the Kochs latest campaigns emerged in February when it was announced that James Mahoney, a vice-president at Koch Industries, had teamed up with a former lobbyist for American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers to launch a group promoting petroleum. The group is spending $10 m a year talking up petrol while assaulting government subsidies forelectric vehicles, according to sources who spoke to the Huffington Post.

The announcement followed a pledge made last December by the Koch brethren that they and their supporters intended to expend virtually $900 m this year helping preferred conservative nominees get elected to Congress, the presidency, and state parliaments. This was double what they spent in the last election cycle and almost as much as was expended by the two presidential campaigns.

Koch Industries did not respond to requests for comment. The Observer attempted to talk to Craig Shirley about CFTRs relationship with the Wellspring Committee and its campaign against Musk. A spokesman for Shirley& Banister declined to comment on specific questions but told: The Observer may not be familiar with our laws, and therefore we feeling a duty to inform you that conservative philosophy is perfectly legal in the United States. While our hearts go out to the liberal groups which are likely to upset, Citizens for the Republic will continue to fight back against cronyism and corruption throughout all stages of government. If liberals cant understand that, then that is further proof they have learned nothing from this election.

A Tesla Model S saloon recharging. Photo: Samuel Gibbs for the Guardian

Ironically, given the money they spent, the Kochs favor presidential nominee Scott Walker, the Republican governor of Wisconsin and a darling of many in the Tea Party motion crashed and burned. Walkers links to the Kochs may actually have obstructed his opportunities, as they gave plenty of ammunition to his competitors. Hillary Clinton joked that Walker received his marching orders from the Koch brothers and just goes down the listing. Trump derided Republicans who took Koch money as puppets.

Walkers failure to secure the nomination was a jolt for Shirley& Banister, which ran the communications operation for his super-Pac, The Unintimidated Pac, positioning their candidate as an opponent of the Washington elite unintimidated by powerful political forces.

And yet, despite the ostensible setback, Christmas has come early for the Kochs. The incoming vice-president, Mike Pence, has acknowledged the purposes of David Koch. Myron Ebell, the chair of the Koch-backed Cooler Heads Coalition, which topics global warming alarmism, will result Trumps transition team for the Environmental Protection Agency. Another Trump appointment to that team, David Schnare, is a former member of the Heartland Institute, which denies the scientific proof for man-made climate change and is a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council( Alec ), another organisation funded by the Kochs.

Meanwhile Thomas Pyle, of the Koch-backed American Energy Alliance, is off to the energy department, while Doug Domenech of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, which has received millions in Koch funds, is to intervene in the Department of the Interior.

As the campaigning website kochvsclean.com put it:Are The Koch Friend Controlling Trump Through Appointees?

If the answer is yes, then Musk and other evangelists for the green economy will shortly have a lot more to worry about than fake news. Its the real news they should dread now.

Read more: www.theguardian.com

The post The trolling of Elon Musk: how US conservatives are attacking green tech appeared first on Top Rated Solar Panels.

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