Dangerous books - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

clavus · 06-01-2005, 07:39 PM

A certain website just listed the ten most dangerous books of the 19th and 20th centuries.

http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=7591

I’m going to have to call “bullshit.” The top ten most dangerous books are –

1. Bill Clinton - “My Life”
With over 1000 pages between its covers, this book is a monster. The sheer mass of this tome makes it a danger to anyone who attempts to lift, tilt or handle it with out a mechanized gantry and qualified riggers.

2. Irene Kassorla – “Nice Girls do and you can too!”
This exploration of women’s intimacy and sexuality was found on our bookshelf when I was in sixth grade. I read all the dirty parts with a raging pre-teen boner before realizing that it was my MOTHER’S book. I still carry the scars from the resulting psychic, Freudian trauma

3. Hunter S. Thompson – “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”
This book led an entire generation of college students to slur, “Heck, Hunter Thompson ate more drugs than this, and he turned out OK. Are you just going to melt into the carpet, or are you going to pass the bong?”

4. God – “The Holy Bible/Torah/Koran”
Disagreements over the various versions of the Abrahamic religious texts have killed more people than we can count. Danger! Danger!

5. Mother Russia – “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion”
Speaking of Jews, this little piece of literary poop certainly didn’t do them any good.

6. Madonna – “Sex”
Published at the height of her popularity and non-stop appearances in my high-school masturbatory fantasies, this book was responsible for a horrifying number of paper-cuts in embarrassing places.

7. Sears – “Basic Home Improvement & Maintenance”
The number of inept homeowners tricked into projects WAY over their heads is staggering. Uncounted nail gun accidents, electrocutions, severe burns, and ladder dives are all the fault of this book.

8. Farley Mowat – “And no Birds Sang”
The harrowing first-person account of a young Canadian infantryman in World War II only serves to reinforce the dangerous myth that Canada has an army.

9. ?? – “The Tibetan Book of the Dead”
I don’t even know what this is. The title alone scares the shit out of me. It must be dangerous. Very very dangerous. Stay away from this book.

10. Charles Dickens – “Great Expectations”
The most boring book in the world. Dangerously boring. Reading, discussing or even recalling the title page of this book will cause a narcoleptic reaction, plunging the victim into a boredom-induced coma. Thisdd ;sodfjl;lkfs dhjggggggggggggggggggggg

Whoa. Sorry. Must have kinda passed out there. Hit my head on the keyboard…gotta go lie down…

0energy0 · 06-01-2005, 07:47 PM

Sears – “Basic Home Improvement & Maintenance”
The number of inept homeowners tricked into projects WAY over their heads is staggering. Uncounted nail gun accidents, electrocutions, severe burns, and ladder dives are all the fault of this book.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

0energy0 · 06-01-2005, 07:51 PM

harry potter should be put up there. its storming the world and making kids dress up as harry. scary!

Cuatela · 06-01-2005, 08:36 PM

not to start debates, but I can see how the Koran would cause danger (Fundamentalist Muslims such as those who bomb and hijack planes)....but how are the Torah and Bible dangerous? Fundamentalists usually aren't violent, or shouldn't be anyway.

Elphaba · 06-01-2005, 08:46 PM

I hope you are inviting us to add to the list.

11. Mark Twain - "Huckleberry Finn" The horror is that this book has been on school library shelves for decades upon decades. Thankfully, someone discovered the "N" word and has dutifully insisted that it be dumped in the burn barrel.

Rodney · 06-01-2005, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raptor226

not to start debates, but I can see how the Koran would cause danger (Fundamentalist Muslims such as those who bomb and hijack planes)....but how are the Torah and Bible dangerous? Fundamentalists usually aren't violent, or shouldn't be anyway.

There have been Jewish radical terrorists -- the Jewish Defense League, for example. And fundamentalist Christians have killed, or advocated or excused the killing, of doctors who perform abortions. Also, certain fundamentalist Christians who believe the end times are near are doing everything they can support a strong and warlike Israel, because they believe the prophecy from the Book of Revelations that Aramageddon will begin with an attack on the Holy Land. They're trying to _make_ the prophecy come true by affecting foreign policy in that part of the world.

And if you were really talking danger, I'd include both the Communist Manifesto and the U.S. Constitution (largely because so many people who worship it, don't actually understand it at all, or their own rights and responsibilities under it).

Elphaba · 06-01-2005, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raptor226

not to start debates, but I can see how the Koran would cause danger (Fundamentalist Muslims such as those who bomb and hijack planes)....but how are the Torah and Bible dangerous? Fundamentalists usually aren't violent, or shouldn't be anyway.

I don't want to hijack this thread, but Raptor...ever heard of the Crusades?
Back to our scheduled programming....

Elphaba · 06-01-2005, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rodney

There have been Jewish radical terrorists -- the Jewish Defense League, for example. And fundamentalist Christians have killed, or advocated or excused the killing, of doctors who perform abortions. Also, certain fundamentalist Christians who believe the end times are near are doing everything they can support a strong and warlike Israel, because they believe the prophecy from the Book of Revelations that Aramageddon will begin with an attack on the Holy Land. They're trying to _make_ the prophecy come true by affecting foreign policy in that part of the world.

And if you were really talking danger, I'd include both the Communist Manifesto and the U.S. Constitution (largely because so many people who worship it, don't actually understand it at all, or their own rights and responsibilities under it).

Dang people.... take it to Politics, why doncha?

Church · 06-01-2005, 09:29 PM

http://cheston.com/pbf/PBF050ADBookWorld.jpg

ryfo · 06-01-2005, 11:40 PM

Most dangerous book I own is a leather bound edition of the dictionary..dropped it on my toe once.. god it hurt!!!!

Sweetpea · 06-01-2005, 11:42 PM

oh my goodness, what is this world coming too

that site is totally messed up

the Tibetan Book of the Dead is about the concept of dying and rebirth and concepts about life after death . . . just about as dangerous as the bible

http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/ex...d/western.html

"Translations and Interpretations of the Books of the Dead
Death in the twentieth century is at once imminent and invisible. Lulled by the false comforts of medical and technological advancement, western culture dreams that progress will domesticate once and for all death's senseless malignancy. Science has offered many solutions to life's questions, but has yet to explain, for example, the spark of new life, the mysterious workings of consciousness, or a person's fate after death. As this exhibit has hopefully demonstrated, the Tibetans possess a vibrant wealth of literature dealing with the nature of consciousness and the dying experience. For centuries Tibet has engaged in the systematic study and analysis of the human death process as a cautious and practical preparation for this inevitable event. In the past several decades, many spiritually inquisitive westerners from both Europe and the United States have turned to the wisdom of Tibet's mature religious understanding for answers to those questions that science and medicine have failed to address. In the end, there is not a single human being who is not going to die, sooner or later. It is therefore impractical, according to some opinions, not to examine the issue with the greatest concern and not to benefit from the trials and errors of ancient tradition. It is this view that has motivated many of the western studies on the Tibetan Books of the Dead, and it is in these studies that Tibet's sophisticated methods of dealing with death and dying are appropriately recognized as a skillful, compassionate, and humane response to life's certain end. "

Sweetpea

Gilda · 06-02-2005, 12:03 AM

Jiminy Christmas, that's a bizarre list. The Kinsey books, Democracy and Education, Positive Philosophy, feminism, environmentalism, psychology/sociology and evolution are all harmful? I can understand disagreeing with their philosophies, but calling them harmful when there are things like The Anarchist's Cookbook out there?

And not a single vote for The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, possibly the most evil piece of literature every produced, which should be in the top 5, possibly the top book itself? Amazing.

pwrinkle · 06-02-2005, 12:19 AM

raptor - after the crusades, check out the spanish inquisition, and also galileo

have to blame the people who interpreted it and used it as a tool for their shit

Gilda · 06-02-2005, 12:32 AM

The Bible, the Torah, the Koran and the like weren't 19th and 20th century books, so they wouldn't qualify.

Pacifier · 06-02-2005, 12:48 AM

What a bunch of idiots, I mean Honorable Mention for "Origin of the Species" and "Descent of Man"?! What is wrong with those people at Human Events?

Their "arguments" are hilarious: "The Nazis loved Nietzsche".... wow, that really shows how evil Nietzsche was, we should burn his books...

Carno · 06-02-2005, 02:51 AM

It amuses me how many people did not even follow the link

Slavakion · 06-02-2005, 04:24 AM

That site is hardcore Conservative, which would explain any book that could be interpreted as liberal. Like the Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital. (Why do conservatives have such seething rage towards communists) Also explains the Darwin books, but Silent Spring? The book that helped to stop people from spraying deadly pesticides that were killing birds, squirrels, and small dogs?

Pacifier · 06-02-2005, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slavakion

but Silent Spring? The book that helped to stop people from spraying deadly pesticides that were killing birds, squirrels, and small dogs?

Well I guess it harmed the industry?

Janey · 06-02-2005, 04:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raptor226

not to start debates, but I can see how the Koran would cause danger (Fundamentalist Muslims such as those who bomb and hijack planes)....but how are the Torah and Bible dangerous? Fundamentalists usually aren't violent, or shouldn't be anyway.

I think the humourous tack of this thread should have been the first clue.

HEY wait a minute... Don't... mess... with... the... Canadian Military... (BigBen? You out there?)

Hanabal · 06-02-2005, 04:56 AM

exactly, and to suggest that silent spring is bad. sickening that there are people like that in the world.

But the list is a big load of crap that there should be no discussion, a number of books in the list werent even released in the 19/20 century, he disses books he admits he never read. what a peice of utter dribble, a waste of precious electrons

clavus · 06-02-2005, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilda

The Bible, the Torah, the Koran and the like weren't 19th and 20th century books, so they wouldn't qualify.

d'OH! Good point.

maleficent · 06-02-2005, 05:20 AM

I'll agree that My Life was dangerous... It was so excrutiatingly dull and so damn long winded that a person could easily have died of boredom reading it...

I'd agree with the assessment of Great Expectations... mind numbingly dull -- thank god for Cliff Notes... otherwise I never would have gotten past grade 10...

portereight · 06-02-2005, 06:04 AM

If you read, attempted to read, or at tried to get the gist every book on that list; I bet you learn more about the current American conservative movement than anything else.

clavus · 06-02-2005, 06:23 AM

Maybe instead of God's book(s), I should have included Einstein's Theory Of relativity. It wasn't a book, per se. More of a pamphlet. But it lead to nuclear weapons. I've heard they are dangerous.

roachboy · 06-02-2005, 06:32 AM

that's quite a list from those fine folk at "human interest"--the commentary is staggering in its idiocy--nazis loved nietzsche?--but about what i would expect from such a motely assortment of ultra-reactionaries.

there were a couple of surprises on it--comte? dewey's educational philosophy? good lord, how dare anyone imagine that teaching students to think might be more important than "traditional character building"

it is a kind of frightening glimpse into the intellectual backwater--if you read through the "glosses" that follow each of these "dangerous books" it appears that these inhabitants of the backwater would prefer a kind of late mideval world in which god runs the show, the peasants know their place and the affluent can do as they like.
it is a bit of a shame that this list is not more widely distributed---it is exemplary in its way.

http://pages.cthome.net/andbookstoo/bookburn.jpg

Redlemon · 06-02-2005, 06:54 AM

When I think of dangerous books, my first thought is Loompanics Unlimited. But that's not what we are talking about here.

I saw the original list yesterday from some blog, but I can't retrace it right now. My favorite part of the listing was "And, as a bonus, the bottom of the page lists the 15 biggest douchebags of the 20th century". Follow the link to see...

Ustwo · 06-02-2005, 07:24 AM

Anyone here willing to argue that 1. The Communist Manifesto didn't lead to the most human death and oppression seen in human history?

guthmund · 06-02-2005, 07:31 AM

Oh, Clavus you sly, toilet brush cup using devil, you.

Well, I see a couple of Commie books...a sex book...a nazi book...women's lib book...and a couple of books that encourage independent thinking....

I can't imagine why the hardcore conservative (thanks, Slavakion) and his party, which has been largely co-opted by Christian fundamentalists would think that these books are "dangerous."

Sure there are some seriously dangerous books out there (Gilda mentioned two nice examples), but they have Commies to stomp out, sex to demonize and everyone hates Nazi's, right?

A short sighted and stunted list from short sighted and stunted minds.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Democracy and Education review

John Dewey, who lived from 1859 until 1952, was a “progressive” philosopher and leading advocate for secular humanism in American life, who taught at the University of Chicago and at Columbia. He signed the Humanist Manifesto and rejected traditional religion and moral absolutes. In Democracy and Education, in pompous and opaque prose, he disparaged schooling that focused on traditional character development and endowing children with hard knowledge, and encouraged the teaching of thinking “skills” instead. His views had great influence on the direction of American education--particularly in public schools--and helped nurture the Clinton generation. (Emphasis mine)

That really says all you need to know right there. All secret code words and phrases used in the last 10 years (it's what I'm familiar with) to denounce the damned Democrat.

On a side note...God forbid we actually teach our children to think and come to their own conclusions rather than expecting the mindless recitation and regurgitation of facts from a mindless automaton.

I need to go scrub my brain.

raeanna74 · 06-02-2005, 07:46 AM

The Count of Monte Christo - I was so into this one, and I'm such a book addict, that I attempted to read it on a shelf just outside the shower while I bathed. Ended up slipping and smacking my head on the faucet.

roachboy · 06-02-2005, 07:57 AM

ustwo: help me figure this out:

what---exactly--in the communist manifesto has resulted in:

Quote:

the most human death and oppression seen in human history?

i am not interested in the usual rightwing nonsense about how marx lead to stalin--a claim so idiotic that it is sometimes hard to know where to start with it. read the manifesto and tell me *exactly* where you find anything like a logic leading toward your presumed outcome?

do begin this, you would have to actually read the manifesto and maybe then investigate something of the history of the workers' movement/left from the 1860s through the late 1920s.

i would imagine that you have done neither, but perhaps i am wrong, so please, explain the logic of your position and give specific supports for it.

as for relative deaths:
gee, i suppose that depends upon who is counting, doesn't it?

for example, the rush of european countries to set up colonies in africa was arguably a result of pressures for raw materials created by shifts in the scale of regions of capitalist production. so the entirety of the colonial period in africa--that of direct physical domination--which gets underway after 1870--is a result of capitalism.
colonialism, and all its brutality, could get chocked up to capitalism.
how many deaths?
who is counting?

or you could think about the working class and poor folk who died as a result of the unfolding of the logic of the capitalist social order even in europe and america--not to mention more recent versions of similar processes exported for your greater consumer convenience here in the metropole....how many? well no-one really knows because no-one counts--this is a benefit of having and retaining political power--you get to shape how problems are understood, count those features that you like, refuse to count those which you dont.

as for deaths that resulted from direct repression--you might think about the labor wars in the united states from the late 19th century through the period following world war 2. better not to do that.

you might also wonder about the relationship between world war 1 and levels of capitalist overproduction in weapons, etc. for example.

it is really unclear to me that you have a leg to stand on, ustwo, in terms of this argument, but please, go ahead and provide your demonstration. i'd be happy to read it, even if i disagree.

ontheroad · 06-02-2005, 08:15 AM

3. Hunter S. Thompson – “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”
This book led an entire generation of college students to slur, “Heck, Hunter Thompson ate more drugs than this, and he turned out OK. Are you just going to melt into the carpet, or are you going to pass the bong?”

RIP HST...if it was what Dr Gonzo wanted, so be. and i doubt that the college kids actually read the book...prolly watched the movie. now THAT says something right there. don't boycott a man who wanted his own ashed blown out of a circus cannon! this guy deserves to admired.

Janey · 06-02-2005, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roachboy

for example, the rush of european countries to set up colonies in africa was arguably a result of pressures for raw materials created by shifts in the scale of regions of capitalist production. so the entirety of the colonial period in africa--that of direct physical domination--which gets underway after 1870--is a result of capitalism.

colonialism, and all its brutality, could get chocked up to capitalism.

or, lets set the start to the late 1400's to mid 1500's when the economic conquest and colonialization of North America began with Christopher Columbus, John Cabot & Jacques Cartier.

kutulu · 06-02-2005, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ustwo

Anyone here willing to argue that 1. The Communist Manifesto didn't lead to the most human death and oppression seen in human history?

Please, the Bible (or perhaps religion as a whole) is 'responsible' for a hell of a lot more deaths and hundreds more years of oppresion than communism.

clavus · 06-02-2005, 10:22 AM

Ya know, I was just trying to be silly in the face of some totally asinine far-right BS. But if some of y'all want to drag this into the political sewer then let me state right here that the Bible and its related books have inspired more killing than any other books, including Commie pinko books. Besides the Crusades and Inquisition, you have countless battles between Catholics & Protestants, Protestants and other Protestants, Sunnis and Shiites, Jews and Muslims, Muslims and infidels of various stripes, the Church-run near-genocides of Latin and South America a la Cortez and friends, etc. etc.

"Lost the body, but saved the soul"

Ustwo · 06-02-2005, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kutulu

Please, the Bible (or perhaps religion as a whole) is 'responsible' for a hell of a lot more deaths and hundreds more years of oppresion than communism.

Quote:

With this understood, the Soviet Union appears the greatest megamurderer of all, apparently killing near 61,000,000 people. Stalin himself is responsible for almost 43,000,000 of these. Most of the deaths, perhaps around 39,000,000 are due to lethal forced labor in gulag and transit thereto. Communist China up to 1987, but mainly from 1949 through the cultural revolution, which alone may have seen over 1,000,000 murdered, is the second worst megamurderer. Then there are the lesser megamurderers, such as North Korea and Tito's Yugoslavia.

Obviously the population that is available to kill will make a big difference in the total democide, and thus the annual percentage rate of democide is revealing. By far, the most deadly of all communist countries and, indeed, in this century by far, has been Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge. Pol Pot and his crew likely killed some 2,000,000 Cambodians from April 1975 through December 1978 out of a population of around 7,000,000. This is an annual rate of over 8 percent of the population murdered, or odds of an average Cambodian surviving Pol Pot's rule of slightly over just over 2 to 1.

In sum the communist probably have murdered something like 110,000,000, or near two-thirds of all those killed by all governments, quasi-governments, and guerrillas from 1900 to 1987. Of course, the world total itself it shocking. It is several times the 38,000,000 battle-dead that have been killed in all this century's international and domestic wars. Yet the probable number of murders by the Soviet Union alone--one communist country-- well surpasses this cost of war. And those murders of communist China almost equal it.

Quote:

Constructing this utopia was seen as though a war on poverty, exploitation, imperialism, and inequality. And for the greater good, as in a real war, people are killed. And thus this war for the communist utopia had its necessary enemy casualties, the clergy, bourgeoisie, capitalists, wreckers, counterrevolutionaries, rightists, tyrants, rich, landlords, and noncombatants that unfortunately got caught in the battle. In a war millions may die, but the cause may be well justified, as in the defeat of Hitler and an utterly racist Nazism. And to many communists, the cause of a communist utopia was such as to justify all the deaths. The irony of this is that communism in practice, even after decades of total control, did not improve the lot of the average person, but usually made their living conditions worse than before the revolution. It is not by chance that the greatest famines have occurred within the Soviet Union (about 5,000,000 dead during 1921-23 and 7,000,000 from 1932-3) and communist China (about 27,000,000 dead from 1959-61). In total almost 55,000,000 people died in various communist famines and associated diseases, a little over 10,000,000 of them from democidal famine. This is as though the total population of Turkey, Iran, or Thailand had been completely wiped out. And that something like 35,000,000 people fled communist countries as refugees, as though the countries of Argentina or Columbia had been totally emptied of all their people, was an unparalleled vote against the utopian pretensions of Marxism-Leninism.

http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/COM.ART.HTM

Bible is the worst eh?

clavus · 06-02-2005, 02:53 PM

In what will be my last politcal statement on the matter, I think I should point out how the humor-challenged Mr. Ustwo arrived at his myopic conclusion. He looked at a century of death, while those he refutes looked at thousands of years.

If Ustwo went to school in Kansas, it is entirely possible that he was taught that the world is but 100 years old, hence the confusion. If this is the case, I am terribly, terribly sorry.

Elphaba · 06-02-2005, 03:04 PM

Clavus, any chance of bringing your intended humor back to this topic? I tried, to no avail.

CandleInTheDark · 06-02-2005, 03:12 PM

Was that list supposed to be serious? Or am I the only one who got the joke?

clavus · 06-02-2005, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elphaba

Clavus, any chance of bringing your intended humor back to this topic? I tried, to no avail.

maybe this will help

Cuatela · 06-02-2005, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwrinkle

raptor - after the crusades, check out the spanish inquisition, and also galileo

have to blame the people who interpreted it and used it as a tool for their shit

note I said Fundamentalists. Catholics included (and still do) a lot of extra traditions and beliefs, and even added a whole section (the Apocrapha, sp?) to it. IMO, Catholics aren't Fundamentalists, and therefore they don't count towards destruction caused by the Bible.

06-01-2005, 07:39 PM	#1 (permalink)
clavus pow! Location: NorCal	Dangerous books A certain website just listed the ten most dangerous books of the 19th and 20th centuries. http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=7591 I’m going to have to call “bullshit.” The top ten most dangerous books are – 1. Bill Clinton - “My Life” With over 1000 pages between its covers, this book is a monster. The sheer mass of this tome makes it a danger to anyone who attempts to lift, tilt or handle it with out a mechanized gantry and qualified riggers. 2. Irene Kassorla – “Nice Girls do and you can too!” This exploration of women’s intimacy and sexuality was found on our bookshelf when I was in sixth grade. I read all the dirty parts with a raging pre-teen boner before realizing that it was my MOTHER’S book. I still carry the scars from the resulting psychic, Freudian trauma 3. Hunter S. Thompson – “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” This book led an entire generation of college students to slur, “Heck, Hunter Thompson ate more drugs than this, and he turned out OK. Are you just going to melt into the carpet, or are you going to pass the bong?” 4. God – “The Holy Bible/Torah/Koran” Disagreements over the various versions of the Abrahamic religious texts have killed more people than we can count. Danger! Danger! 5. Mother Russia – “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” Speaking of Jews, this little piece of literary poop certainly didn’t do them any good. 6. Madonna – “Sex” Published at the height of her popularity and non-stop appearances in my high-school masturbatory fantasies, this book was responsible for a horrifying number of paper-cuts in embarrassing places. 7. Sears – “Basic Home Improvement & Maintenance” The number of inept homeowners tricked into projects WAY over their heads is staggering. Uncounted nail gun accidents, electrocutions, severe burns, and ladder dives are all the fault of this book. 8. Farley Mowat – “And no Birds Sang” The harrowing first-person account of a young Canadian infantryman in World War II only serves to reinforce the dangerous myth that Canada has an army. 9. ?? – “The Tibetan Book of the Dead” I don’t even know what this is. The title alone scares the shit out of me. It must be dangerous. Very very dangerous. Stay away from this book. 10. Charles Dickens – “Great Expectations” The most boring book in the world. Dangerously boring. Reading, discussing or even recalling the title page of this book will cause a narcoleptic reaction, plunging the victim into a boredom-induced coma. Thisdd ;sodfjl;lkfs dhjggggggggggggggggggggg Whoa. Sorry. Must have kinda passed out there. Hit my head on the keyboard…gotta go lie down… __________________ Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.

06-01-2005, 07:47 PM	#2 (permalink)
0energy0 Insane Location: Title Town, USA	Sears – “Basic Home Improvement & Maintenance” The number of inept homeowners tricked into projects WAY over their heads is staggering. Uncounted nail gun accidents, electrocutions, severe burns, and ladder dives are all the fault of this book. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL __________________ Is the juice worth the squeeze?

06-01-2005, 07:51 PM	#3 (permalink)
0energy0 Insane Location: Title Town, USA	harry potter should be put up there. its storming the world and making kids dress up as harry. scary! __________________ Is the juice worth the squeeze?

06-01-2005, 08:36 PM	#4 (permalink)
Cuatela Insane Location: NC, USA	not to start debates, but I can see how the Koran would cause danger (Fundamentalist Muslims such as those who bomb and hijack planes)....but how are the Torah and Bible dangerous? Fundamentalists usually aren't violent, or shouldn't be anyway. __________________ Any sarcasm was intentional.

06-01-2005, 09:29 PM	#9 (permalink)
Church Tilted F*ckhead Location: New Jersey	http://cheston.com/pbf/PBF050ADBookWorld.jpg __________________ Through counter-intelligence, it should be possible to pinpoint potential trouble makers, and neutralize them.

06-01-2005, 08:46 PM	#5 (permalink)
Elphaba Deja Moo Location: Olympic Peninsula, WA	I hope you are inviting us to add to the list. 11. Mark Twain - "Huckleberry Finn" The horror is that this book has been on school library shelves for decades upon decades. Thankfully, someone discovered the "N" word and has dutifully insisted that it be dumped in the burn barrel.

06-01-2005, 11:40 PM	#10 (permalink)
ryfo Psycho Location: melbourne australia	Most dangerous book I own is a leather bound edition of the dictionary..dropped it on my toe once.. god it hurt!!!!

06-01-2005, 11:42 PM	#11 (permalink)
Sweetpea Fade out Location: in love	oh my goodness, what is this world coming too that site is totally messed up the Tibetan Book of the Dead is about the concept of dying and rebirth and concepts about life after death . . . just about as dangerous as the bible http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/ex...d/western.html "Translations and Interpretations of the Books of the Dead Death in the twentieth century is at once imminent and invisible. Lulled by the false comforts of medical and technological advancement, western culture dreams that progress will domesticate once and for all death's senseless malignancy. Science has offered many solutions to life's questions, but has yet to explain, for example, the spark of new life, the mysterious workings of consciousness, or a person's fate after death. As this exhibit has hopefully demonstrated, the Tibetans possess a vibrant wealth of literature dealing with the nature of consciousness and the dying experience. For centuries Tibet has engaged in the systematic study and analysis of the human death process as a cautious and practical preparation for this inevitable event. In the past several decades, many spiritually inquisitive westerners from both Europe and the United States have turned to the wisdom of Tibet's mature religious understanding for answers to those questions that science and medicine have failed to address. In the end, there is not a single human being who is not going to die, sooner or later. It is therefore impractical, according to some opinions, not to examine the issue with the greatest concern and not to benefit from the trials and errors of ancient tradition. It is this view that has motivated many of the western studies on the Tibetan Books of the Dead, and it is in these studies that Tibet's sophisticated methods of dealing with death and dying are appropriately recognized as a skillful, compassionate, and humane response to life's certain end. " Sweetpea __________________ Having a Pet Will Change Your Life! Looking for a great pet?! Click Here! "I am the Type of Person Who Can Get Away With A lot, Simply Because I Don't Ask Permission for the Privilege of Being Myself"

06-02-2005, 12:03 AM	#12 (permalink)
Gilda 32 flavors and then some Location: Out on a wire.	Jiminy Christmas, that's a bizarre list. The Kinsey books, Democracy and Education, Positive Philosophy, feminism, environmentalism, psychology/sociology and evolution are all harmful? I can understand disagreeing with their philosophies, but calling them harmful when there are things like The Anarchist's Cookbook out there? And not a single vote for The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, possibly the most evil piece of literature every produced, which should be in the top 5, possibly the top book itself? Amazing. __________________ I'm against ending blackness. I believe that everyone has a right to be black, it's a choice, and I support that. ~Steven Colbert Last edited by Gilda; 06-02-2005 at 12:13 AM..

06-02-2005, 12:19 AM	#13 (permalink)
pwrinkle Upright	raptor - after the crusades, check out the spanish inquisition, and also galileo have to blame the people who interpreted it and used it as a tool for their shit

06-02-2005, 12:32 AM	#14 (permalink)
Gilda 32 flavors and then some Location: Out on a wire.	The Bible, the Torah, the Koran and the like weren't 19th and 20th century books, so they wouldn't qualify. __________________ I'm against ending blackness. I believe that everyone has a right to be black, it's a choice, and I support that. ~Steven Colbert

06-02-2005, 12:48 AM	#15 (permalink)
Pacifier undead Location: Duisburg, Germany	What a bunch of idiots, I mean Honorable Mention for "Origin of the Species" and "Descent of Man"?! What is wrong with those people at Human Events? Their "arguments" are hilarious: "The Nazis loved Nietzsche".... wow, that really shows how evil Nietzsche was, we should burn his books... __________________ "It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere. Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death — Albert Einstein

06-02-2005, 02:51 AM	#16 (permalink)
Carno Junkie	It amuses me how many people did not even follow the link

06-02-2005, 04:24 AM	#17 (permalink)
Slavakion Mjollnir Incarnate Location: Lost in thought	That site is hardcore Conservative, which would explain any book that could be interpreted as liberal. Like the Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital. (Why do conservatives have such seething rage towards communists) Also explains the Darwin books, but Silent Spring? The book that helped to stop people from spraying deadly pesticides that were killing birds, squirrels, and small dogs?

06-02-2005, 04:56 AM	#20 (permalink)
Hanabal Insane Location: Auckland	exactly, and to suggest that silent spring is bad. sickening that there are people like that in the world. But the list is a big load of crap that there should be no discussion, a number of books in the list werent even released in the 19/20 century, he disses books he admits he never read. what a peice of utter dribble, a waste of precious electrons __________________ I am Hanabal, Phear my elephants

06-02-2005, 05:20 AM	#22 (permalink)
maleficent Junkie Moderator Emeritus Location: Chicago	I'll agree that My Life was dangerous... It was so excrutiatingly dull and so damn long winded that a person could easily have died of boredom reading it... I'd agree with the assessment of Great Expectations... mind numbingly dull -- thank god for Cliff Notes... otherwise I never would have gotten past grade 10... __________________ Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.

06-02-2005, 06:04 AM	#23 (permalink)
portereight Crazy	If you read, attempted to read, or at tried to get the gist every book on that list; I bet you learn more about the current American conservative movement than anything else.

06-02-2005, 06:23 AM	#24 (permalink)
clavus pow! Location: NorCal	Maybe instead of God's book(s), I should have included Einstein's Theory Of relativity. It wasn't a book, per se. More of a pamphlet. But it lead to nuclear weapons. I've heard they are dangerous. __________________ Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.

06-02-2005, 06:32 AM	#25 (permalink)
roachboy Super Moderator Location: essex ma	that's quite a list from those fine folk at "human interest"--the commentary is staggering in its idiocy--nazis loved nietzsche?--but about what i would expect from such a motely assortment of ultra-reactionaries. there were a couple of surprises on it--comte? dewey's educational philosophy? good lord, how dare anyone imagine that teaching students to think might be more important than "traditional character building" it is a kind of frightening glimpse into the intellectual backwater--if you read through the "glosses" that follow each of these "dangerous books" it appears that these inhabitants of the backwater would prefer a kind of late mideval world in which god runs the show, the peasants know their place and the affluent can do as they like. it is a bit of a shame that this list is not more widely distributed---it is exemplary in its way. http://pages.cthome.net/andbookstoo/bookburn.jpg __________________ a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear it make you sick. -kamau brathwaite

06-02-2005, 06:54 AM	#26 (permalink)
Redlemon Devoted Donor Location: New England	When I think of dangerous books, my first thought is Loompanics Unlimited. But that's not what we are talking about here. I saw the original list yesterday from some blog, but I can't retrace it right now. My favorite part of the listing was "And, as a bonus, the bottom of the page lists the 15 biggest douchebags of the 20th century". Follow the link to see... __________________ I can't read your signature. Sorry.

06-02-2005, 07:24 AM	#27 (permalink)
Ustwo Pissing in the cornflakes	Anyone here willing to argue that 1. The Communist Manifesto didn't lead to the most human death and oppression seen in human history? __________________ Agents of the enemies who hold office in our own government, who attempt to eliminate our "freedoms" and our "right to know" are posting among us, I fear.....on this very forum. - host Obama - Know a Man by the friends he keeps.

06-02-2005, 07:46 AM	#29 (permalink)
raeanna74 I'm not a blonde! I'm knot! I'm knot! I'm knot! Location: Upper Michigan	The Count of Monte Christo - I was so into this one, and I'm such a book addict, that I attempted to read it on a shelf just outside the shower while I bathed. Ended up slipping and smacking my head on the faucet. __________________ "Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama My Karma just ran over your Dogma.

06-02-2005, 08:15 AM	#31 (permalink)
ontheroad Upright Location: wherever i feel alive	3. Hunter S. Thompson – “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” This book led an entire generation of college students to slur, “Heck, Hunter Thompson ate more drugs than this, and he turned out OK. Are you just going to melt into the carpet, or are you going to pass the bong?” RIP HST...if it was what Dr Gonzo wanted, so be. and i doubt that the college kids actually read the book...prolly watched the movie. now THAT says something right there. don't boycott a man who wanted his own ashed blown out of a circus cannon! this guy deserves to admired. __________________ under the spreading chestnut tree, i sold you and you sold me

06-02-2005, 10:22 AM	#34 (permalink)
clavus pow! Location: NorCal	Ya know, I was just trying to be silly in the face of some totally asinine far-right BS. But if some of y'all want to drag this into the political sewer then let me state right here that the Bible and its related books have inspired more killing than any other books, including Commie pinko books. Besides the Crusades and Inquisition, you have countless battles between Catholics & Protestants, Protestants and other Protestants, Sunnis and Shiites, Jews and Muslims, Muslims and infidels of various stripes, the Church-run near-genocides of Latin and South America a la Cortez and friends, etc. etc. "Lost the body, but saved the soul" __________________ Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.

06-02-2005, 02:53 PM	#36 (permalink)
clavus pow! Location: NorCal	In what will be my last politcal statement on the matter, I think I should point out how the humor-challenged Mr. Ustwo arrived at his myopic conclusion. He looked at a century of death, while those he refutes looked at thousands of years. If Ustwo went to school in Kansas, it is entirely possible that he was taught that the world is but 100 years old, hence the confusion. If this is the case, I am terribly, terribly sorry. __________________ Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.

06-02-2005, 03:04 PM	#37 (permalink)
Elphaba Deja Moo Location: Olympic Peninsula, WA	Clavus, any chance of bringing your intended humor back to this topic? I tried, to no avail.

06-02-2005, 03:12 PM	#38 (permalink)
CandleInTheDark Addict Location: Where the music's loudest	Was that list supposed to be serious? Or am I the only one who got the joke? __________________ Where there is doubt there is freedom.