The term “educated” has become such a weasel phrase in our time that it is worthy of attack. It implies that some are just better than others, and have gone through a rigorous program, and we should listen to them first because they know stuff. Implied in that is the idea that they are smarter and more successful than the rest of us and we should just bow down before their degrees. It is not politically correct to say outright that someone is smarter or wiser, because not everyone can equally access those things. But education? If you sit through the right classes, and memorize the right stuff, you too — whoever you are — can be “educated.”
This trope has the unfortunate effect (which is fully desired by those who use it) of silencing people by attacking their self-esteem. If they do not have the degree(s) required for public acceptance of their education, they are expected to remain silent while those with degrees and titles dictate to them what they should think, despite the quality of education having plummeted and degrees themselves meaning less now than before. Those without “education” are styled as ignorant hicks and basement-dwellers, when many of them are in fact too impatient and not compliant enough for our regimented, memorization-based educational system.
I have met smart people in every walk of life and every area of the world. They tend to hide themselves, having been aware since an early age of how retibutive this world is against the honestly intelligent. Usually they focus their energies on practical things, but because of the stigma of “education” as a social status, they shy away from some of the greatest things that our cultures have to offer, namely books. Not every book; like metal bands, books come in varying degrees of quality, and most are mediocre gibberish, especially some of the most popular. But even in that flood of inanity there are books worth spending time to understand.
For this reason, I suggest a heavy metal book club. Goals would be modest: select a book every month, read it and discuss it. Then figure out a thumbs up or thumbs down, and have someone write a review. The book does not have to be metal-related, but some of those might be fun too. It would require someone to organize it through a mailing list or this blog, and we’re taking volunteers now :)
Well, I cannot in good conscience volunteer for anything. As I have no time outside of commenting on various articles on the site. But I am would certainly be down to participate and recommend some fiction. Put my silly English degree to some sort of use.
Are you mainly interested in newer fiction? I assume anything already regarded as classic would be fairly silly to bring up, but you never know how analysis of established works can challenge the mind and bridge gaps you never knew existed in the world of letters.
“I am would certainly be…”
Bravo, me.
Only recommend shit on audio book!!
Robert M Pirsig’s zen and the art of motorcycle maintanence/ Lila
When do we begin?
Who is the man in the photograph? I really like his skull. His age is appealing as well.
Doesn’t the forum have a book list? Just throw it in the Metal section.
I don’t read on a regular basis any more, so I wouldn’t be an upstanding member of this group.
But, I do recommend creating a Skype group if you go for it. And a book that I would recommend, apart from the obvious ones like Lord of the Rings, etc, is actually:
The Poetic Edda
& The Prose Edda
Much of what we know of Scandinavian mythology is from those collections of viking poetry and stories.
Splendid idea..! :) Psychology and history books would be very metal!
Facebook group or something. Bookgate… I can give reviews and insights from my library. But all I have is theology, poetry and philosophy and not many metal books
I vote for The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon. I haven’t read it in probably 15 years, and I keep meaning to go back to it.
Kites: Photograph is Aleister Crowley.
I have too many obligations to commit to a book club but I think that a “bookgate” book list/group on Facebook would be a great idea.
Suggestions:
Philosophical texts such as Plato, Schopenhauer, Kant, etc.
This is really cool idea.
Myself, I always have at least 4 books on at a time as nighttime reading, apart from the physics and maths I read during the day. I tend to have one history, one philosophy, one of ancient/medieval literature and one novel (normally 18/19th century for the past few years, but not always) on the go at any one time. Sometimes brush up one some Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Old Norse/Icelandic, Old Irish, Middle Welsh and Old/Middle English language/literature/criticism too. So I would be up for most suggestions.
At the minute I’m reading The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), The Stripping of the Altars – Duffy (history), Thucydides (History of the Peloponnesian War) and Tacitus (Annals of Imperial Rome) on alternating nights, and a collection of the major works of Anselm of Canterbury. Some nights when I’ve got more time I’ve also been dipping into Shadows of the Mind by Roger Penrose, The Pickwick Papers (though I’m not enjoying it as much as some of his others and will give up if it doesn’t improve – I think reading it at the same time as Dostoevsky isn’t helping), 2 books by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the Upanishads, Ovid’s Metamorphoses (in Latin, this time), some plays by Sophocles/Euripides/Aeschylus I haven’t read in Greek before, and a history of medieval Welsh Literature (Jarman, Part 1) if anybody is interested in any those either.
Or would we each be selecting our own work and each write a review of it ourselves? Or are we reading the same book? Either way is cool, really, but the first option would mean we could get through more works and would need less organising, maybe.
for those that want to learn –
basic guide to cutting up meat ,
John J. Mettler – Basic Butchering of Livestock and Game Book
why communism is/was bad (and I bet what SJW’s would refuse to ever tell you),
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn – The Gulag Archipelago
the Runes –
get anything written by Stephen Flowers (aka Edred Thorsson) – such as ‘Futhark: A Handbook of Rune Magic’ (a good starter book).
Guido von List is also another important author though I only know of him from quotes into English, as his writings are in German.
For Christian Identity,
best resources (for free online) are through http://christogenea.org/ , and from Clifton Emahiser at
http://emahiser.christogenea.org/
Hitler-
in English, read ONLY the James Murphy translation of ‘Mein Kampf’ , it was not tampered with / censored.
also see The Mein Kampf Project at , http://mk.christogenea.org/
for entertainment-
Grimms’ Fairy Tales
Robert Plant: A Life: The Biography by Rees, Paul (2013)
and,
an asshole/heroin junkie wrote reviews for rock/heavy metal magazines like Kerrang in the 1980s, WITHOUT listening to many of the records,
Mick Wall – “Paranoid: Black Days with Sabbath & Other Horror Stories”.
WOW! Who knew the guitarist on Cause of Death was so prolific?
Great quality pleasure reads that might kick off the club well would be stuff like Captain Blood, King Solomon’s Mine, 39 Steps, Hammett style crime fiction, or MR James’ style ghost stories. Short books full of energy that are a lot of fun to talk about. Than if the format and participation work out well, move on to Summa Theologica or the Dine Bahane and what have you.
I associate book clubs with housewives with nothing better to do other than drink copious amounts of wine and chatter about whatever is the current flavor of the month. Dedicated reviews without all the clutter would be preferable. Everything else should be reserved to the comments section.
I suggest starting with Martin Heidegger – “The Question Concerning Technology”.