DIANETICS: The Modern Science of Mental Health

1950

DIANETICS

No, I did not search out this book, nor was it given to me by a friend. This came with the collection of science-fiction books my wife bought from an out-of-business bookstore. I am sure that it was included in the set due to Hubbard's backround as a sci-fi writer, although I'm sure many people would argue that this book is certainly not science-fact.

I was determined to read it despite my own pre-bias. I read all the books on my shelf... but more importantly I wanted to know what all the fuss is about. I did my even best to clear my mind of preconceptions and biases and read this book with an open mind.

And at first it went well. I was a little suprised at how reasonable the book starts, following theories along a path of common sense. The core concepts of Dianetics are not revolutionary or terribly controversial. It stands to reason that traumatic events in our past can lead to mental blocks in our psyche which can lead to mental, or even physical, ailments. The idea that one can achieve the status of a "clear", meaning a person free of major or even minor mental blocks and illness, isn't so different from ancient religious goals or modern psychology. The extent that Hubbard details this out reflects the amount of time he put into really thinking this idea out.

But by the middle of the book- once he's got his hooks into the readers of the 1950's who perhaps were not well versed in the study of psychiatry- he starts to really go off the deep end and use his "well-tested" theories as an excuse to blast every aspect of modern society he didn't care for. You see, no matter how hard you try to clear yourself, there will always be surgeons filling your unconscious mind with unpure thoughts while you are under anesthesia. The homosexuals and abortionists and degenerates surround you with their filth and your only salvation lies in following every piece of alien-spawned direction ole' L. Ron spoon feeds you.

Readers of my blog posts will agree, I think, that I can often find something nice to say about everything I read, even if it wasn't my cup of tea. And I really did want to educate myself on the contents and origins of Scientology before I said anything negative in a public forum. I thought that maybe some of the Xenu Galactic Confederacy space opera stuff would make for good sci-fi reading (even if considering it as such may be blasphemous). But I simply had to put the book away. I actually stopped reading a book because I was just that disgusted with the contents.

From the get-go Hubbard is clearly targeting uneducated readers, as evidenced by the fact that he includes definitions for any word more than four letters. As his statements of belief get wilder but are always supported by vague and undocumented lab testing, and are used to justify gross and nasty biases, I found myself increasingly offended. Hubbard offends both my intellect as well as my own beliefs as to everything that is moral and right about the world.

Sorry, L. Ron. Sorry, Tom Cruise. Sorry, Xenu. Scientology has its place in my crossover world of fiction- Hubbard had fleeting relationships with Aleister Crowley's group and Burroughs targets it multiple times in Nova Express, for example. But I had my fill of the trash in Dianetics and don't feel the need to read any more beyond the first half.

Wishing to remain somewhat PC in the more public forum of Goodreads, I rated it two stars (generous!) and my review read like this:

"I liked the hologram volcano on the cover!"

Sex-pol: Essays, 1929-1934

Sex-pol: Essays, 1929-1934

Yeah, I'm definately out of order. What I had intended to read was Listen, Little Man! but I couldn't find a copy handy. I'm sure I would've read that out of order, too. But this edition of Sex-Pol fell out of a library shelf and into my hands so I took it home to check it out.

Like a lot of my readings, I can't remember why I first added Reich to my list, or why I had picked any specific title of his. I am sure it was most likely a result of Bill Burroughs listing Reich as an influence- particularly in his Nova Express series, which I read around this time. Cut-up mentions of orgone machines and released sexual expression may have led me to believe that understanding Reich would have an important impact on understanding his influence on pop culture. Or at least Devo's hats.

My review of the book: Fans of Reich's controversial views on orgone machines and other sexual themes will be disappointed in this largely straightforward take on how sexuality fits into society, specifically within socialism and the communist movement. While views such as female independance and sexual freedom for youth (as well as his criticism of the CP and Hitler) may have sparked outrage in the thirties, it comes across as common sense now. Perhaps the greatest value of this tome, outside of it's importance in a historical context, is to illuminate how ahead of his time Reich is. But I recommend this book to students of psychiatry and socialism only- casual readers (like me) will find themselves skimming ahead looking for interesting bits.

Readers: Has anyone else read Reich's stuff? Is it worth revisiting the essays he wrote later in life which would still be considered controversial today? One day I plan on getting around to it.

Sally Forth

I used to read the comics in newspapers religiously. I adored the newer strips like Bloom County and Dilbert that took the daily funnies to a new level, and also loved the old has-beens like Peanuts for their genuine charm and the nostalgia of reading the Sunday paper together with my father when I was still young enough to fit on his lap.

And there are a ton of great comics out there today. I just don't read them like I used to on account of things like, oh, print media being dead, growing up... lame stuff like that. I still have funny videos my friend Mike sent me I haven't watched yet, I don't have time for Funky Winkerbean!

But today I happened to read the Sunday comics, and I was really taken aback by Sally Forth. As you probably know, Sally is a pretty plain comic about a whitebread normal family. It does a great job of balancing traditional family entertainment with a winking sarcasm enjoyed by intelligent adults. Now, I've been out of the loop for awhile, but I know that the comic has tackled some issues over the years like unemployment and the sports team you coach or play in always losing (subjects I can relate to). But today's strip struck me as... pretty out there.

CLICK HERE

The second panel hits pretty hard. Undistinguished career? Financial woes? Dude, I think Ted might have cancer! I can seriously relate to the first two concerns, but the man really needs to get that mole looked at.

And the bit about the guidance counselor? Does anyone really say that to someone?! That is simply cruel. And Ted may be a bit of a goofball, but was he retarded in high school or something? He just never gave me that gang-member-as-a-kid feeling. Granted, in my career guidance session in high school I was advised to be a janitor, but it was a computer program that said that, going off of cold hard logic.

"Let's rearrange our furniture and lives to look directly at it." This is perhaps the funniest bit for me. It is absolutely something I would say. For the first time ever, Sally Forth has made me feel that I'm not totally alone and unique in the world.

And then an unexpected bonus: A Gollum reference! From the lips of a lady who was in her forties thirty years ago! Sally is still hip! Then the strip wraps up with the one-two-three burial-100 years-invicibility punchline. Man. There were plenty of clever comics today, but Sally Forth really nailed it with some good old fashioned shock'n'awe.

ADDENDUM 1: In the process of writing this blog, the east coast hit midnight and the strip rolled over to Monday on the web. I had to select 'yesterday' to access the Sunday strip I was writing about. But I won't retro my references to "today's strip" since it's still Sunday for me.

ADDENDUM 2: An older SF strip I stumbled upon that I really loved. I never thought Sally Forth would sucker-punch me in the gut with the two best comics I read in one day!

Visual Bookshelf

It is the end of an era in online book reviews, one that will most likely be completely forgotton a year from now.

When I first started posting my thumbnail book reviews (2008?), it was on the website Visual Bookshelf. I was pretty excited about the website. It initially ran as a Facebook app, which I think they intended to expand out of but never did. It was listed as an affiliate of Living Social, the guys who have made a name for themselves as the main competitor of Tibet-mockers Groupon. Visual Bookshelf was actually the flagship program for Living Social, originally called Hungry Machine. Back then LS advertised itself as a sort of online social network geared specifically toward common interests, and in the beginning there were no deals- just sites to post and write about your interests and reviews. And probably buy your friends virtual cocktails, which provided none of the pleasure of a real cocktail, nor the warm feelings generally associated with real gifts of any kind.

Over the last few years things changed. While I was busy writing reviews and adding books to my online bookshelf along with a handful of friends, Living Social was busy changing their business model. Meanwhile, I noticed a handful of different friends were posting similiar book reviews on a different website, Goodreads. I debated what to do, wanting to absolutely maximize my online sharing (duh). Obviously I chose to join both sites. I wrote my reviews in the original VB, then copied and pasted them into copycat GR. Both programs interfaced with Facebook to allow me to post links to my reviews for 300 of closest friends who are dying to know what piece of steampunk fiction I had just finished. I posted both reviews, then went to FB to see which looked better and deleted the other link.

This went on for a year or two. But over time my original beloved Visual Bookshelf started to suffer some technical issues. It would re-route users to spam, often vicious spybots. Then it started crashing and the server would be down for hours, even days. Meanwhile Goodreads was steadily improving many of its functions and slowly gaining users. I was hardly suprised when I wandered onto a VB forum one day and found all of the posts ripping Bookshelf apart, and more than a few recommending Goodreads as a great alternative.

Then one day I noticed an ad in Facebook notifying people of a website to import their Visual Bookshelf collections to- while there is still time! 'Still time?', I wondered. I wandered over to the VB app only to find a letter to users slapped on the page instead of the usual website. You can see a version of that letter on the initial Visual Bookshelf link I posted. Basically, Living Social had shifted its focus into other areas of business (shocker) and rather than try to reallocate assetts into a website they had been ignoring pretty well and probably weren't going to start making money on anytime soon (despite an early affiliation with Amazon (the same kind I have on this blog (which similiarly does not make me any money))) they had decided to throw in the towel. I was only mildly suprised to see them straight-up recommending Goodreads as the most viable site to export your collection to. I was slightly miffed that there hadn't been an export option back when I re-created my account onto GR, but what was done was done and I understand the reasons why exporting may have been frowned upon back in the day.

In the end I'm happy, and think that even VB loyalists will be won over by GR's overall better features and technical excellence. I can only hope that Goodreads sustains a viable community and flourishes. There are a lot of people still grumbling about that 30-day issue. While VB did allow 30 days to export your collection before shutting down, they never did actually notify anyone. Folks who happened to not use the site recently, or who didn't happen to notice the news otherwise like me, and more importantly were people who had not backed up their collection and reviews... well, those people are plumb outta luck I guess. I understand Living Social's business priorities, but you can't tell me they couldn't afford the time and expense of sending out notifications to all users. That just seems like a bit of salt in the wound, and a bad piece of PR for a very public company.

Meanwhile, Google Offers is about to launch in most major cities, in an attempt to prove Google's dominance in all things internet. I have no problem admitting my own addiction to LS and Groupon's current deal systems, and I'm mostly happy with the experiences I purchase. Once GO starts offering deals in my city, I'll probably sign up. But will this power trio, combined with a hundred copycat systems, such as the one offered by the local newspaper company which I have also used with general satisfaction, oversaturate the market? Is it just a matter of time before the deals start to stink, or competition runs one of the companies to the ground? Do you, Dear Reader, use these bargain systems? What do you think is the future of the online deal industry? I anxiously await your replies.