'Big Brother is watching, so learn to be invisible'

[Rigorous Intuition]

Anyone a reader of Grant Morrison's <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>The Invisibles</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END-->? I had it recommended to me and picked up the first couple of books, and half-way through the first I can see why.<br><br><br><!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invisibles">About the Invisibles</a><!--EZCODE LINK END-->:<br><br>The "Invisibles" of the title are individuals who battle against physical and psychic oppression using time travel, magic, martial arts, meditation and guns.<br><br>The comic focuses on one cell of Invisibles. At the beginning of the series, the leader of the cell is King Mob, a character based on author Grant Morrison. The rest of the team consists of Lord Fanny, a Brazilian shaman and transvestite; Boy, a former member of the New York Police Department; Ragged Robin, a telepathic time-traveller, and Jack Frost, a young hooligan from Liverpool with various spiritual powers. Their enemies are the archons of the Outer Church, interdimensional alien gods who have already enslaved most of the human race. The title deals with the battle between both groups and their attempts to save or control the world.<br><br>The Invisibles was Morrison's first major creator-owned title for DC Comics and it drew from his Zenith strip as well as 1990s conspiracy culture and just about every fringe notion he could find into the book, whether or not he believed in it. His intent was to create a hypersigil with the intention of jump-starting the culture in a more positive direction. Morrison hopes that the comic book will, in the long run, be as influential as the Sex Pistols, though it is too early to say whether this prediction will prove true. However there is a clear influence on the The Matrix trilogy of films, which is visible from thematic and aesthetic similarities between the two. Morrison believes that the Wachowski brothers essentially plagiarized his work to create the first Matrix film.<br><br>The title initially sold well but sales dipped sharply during the first series leading to worries the series may be cancelled outright. To stop this Morrison suggested a "wankathon" in order to magically increase sales by a mass of fans masturbating at a set time. The title did avoid being cancelled but Morrison and DC remain uncommited as to whether this helped save the book.<br><br>Morrison became seriously ill during writing the book, something he puts down to working on the title and how it's magical influence affected him. After finishing the book he says he has become a different person to the one who started it. He has also said that much of the story was told to him by aliens when he was abducted during a trip to Katmandu. He has since characterized the "Alien Abduction Experience in Katmandu" as more of an experience to which he has assigned that label/name. He believes that the experience itself actually had nothing to do with Aliens, or Abduction.<br><br><br><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1563892677.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--> <p></p><i></i>

[mountaineer]

Looks like something that would be right up my alley - thanks for passing along the recommendation - its gone to the top of my "to be picked up" list.<br><br> <p></p><i></i>

[Hugh Manatee Wins]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>"meditation and guns."<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>This plus that hand grenade on the poster spells:<br>AGIT PROP.<br><br>Anything to get people riled into violence serves the fascist state.<br><br>(See 'V for Vendetta.') <p></p><i></i>

[Ted the dog]

So what ISN'T agit prop? What should we look for then? <p></p><i></i>

[Hugh Manatee Wins]

From the original post-<br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>His intent was to create a hypersigil with the intention of jump-starting the culture in a more positive direction.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--> <br><br>With guns and grenades? I can't swallow that. Add UFO abduction and you're really stirring the pot to poison the well with inedibles.<br><br>What to look out for? <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>Divisiveness, hate, and violence.</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>Having just looked at the wikipedia definition, allow me to clarify and expand. The generic definition of agit prop is media messages designed to play on emotion.<br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agit-prop">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agit-prop</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br>Emotions are humanly valid and important but easily misused, in fact, routinely and intentionally misused like a poisonous yet addictive drug. (See 'tobacco.')<br><br>Example:<br>A photo of Abu Ghraib torture is agit prop but can be meant to expose human rights abuses to stop them.<br><br>So I'd define misuse as<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong> 'agent provocateur agit prop' </strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->which is <!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>designed to make human relations worse by feeding hate, fear, terror, and violence to achieve divide-and-conquer control over social groups.</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--><br><br>Psy-ops tenet:<br>"People need visible targets for their frustrations."<br>Hitler studied post-WWI political groups in Germany for military intelligence and learned to use this deliberately and methodically against the Jews and many other social categories of 'untermenschen.'<br><br>The same tactic works in America because it TRIGGERS the darkest emotions in all humans. This is how pop culture is used as 'mind control.'<br><br>Example:<br>The 1974 pop song 'Sweet Home Alabama' is a my-state/country-right-or-wrong tribute to iconic segregationist Governor George Wallace and dismisses Watergate as anything to worry about. This inherently racist nationalist and divisive song is kept on the air probably to keep ripping at cultural wounds that haven't healed in post-Civil War/Watergate America.<br><br>The movie of the same title recently made starring Reese Witherspoon was intended to trigger all these associations just with its advertising.<br><br>That's what to look out for.<br><br> <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=hughmanateewins>Hugh Manatee Wins</A> at: 3/21/06 3:52 pm<br></i>

[Quentin Quire]

Hugh - I suggest you read it before passing value judgements.<br><br>Ever hear the phrase 'never judge a book by it's cover?' <br><br>I love The Invisibles along with the rest of Morrison's work. (My log-in comes from the rebellious psychic he created in New X-Men). It's some of the most entertaining, deep and thought provoking work in any mainstream medium.<br><br>Jeff - I'd suggest reading his 'Animal Man' run along with 'The Filth' as they are full of the esoteric and metaphysical content you'll lap up.<br><br>I see no 'Divisiveness, hate, and violence' in any of Morrison's work. In fact I see precisely the opposite. But then I've actually read it ...<br> <p></p><i></i>

[thoughtographer]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>The title initially sold well but sales dipped sharply during the first series leading to worries the series may be cancelled outright. To stop this Morrison suggested a "wankathon" in order to magically increase sales by a mass of fans masturbating at a set time. The title did avoid being cancelled but Morrison and DC remain uncommited as to whether this helped save the book.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>I can't think of a more appropriate image to represent Grant Morrison's readership than a coordinated, nonlocalized "circle-jerk".<br><br>Of course, if this technique is actually effective, then what happens to all of the desires visualized by people masturbating to pornography? Do the images of pornography function as ersatz "sigils"? If so, then what is the net effect on reality? <p></p><i></i>

[Quentin Quire]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>I can't think of a more appropriate image to represent Grant Morrison's readership than a coordinated, nonlocalized "circle-jerk".<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>Not a fan, then? Not quite sure what this says about me ... <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START ;) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br><br>Your Sigil/Pornography conundrum is an interesting one though. Perhaps the net effect - if you view pornographic images as sigils - would be the increasing sexualisation of both the sigil user and 'reality' as a whole. <br><br>Of course this would posit that everyone who masturbates to any pornographic image is somehow using will and intent (the cornerstones of any magical system) to deliberately cause a change in the paradigm which I don't think is the case in the majority of most porno users. <p></p><i></i>

[slimmouse]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Of course, if this technique is actually effective, then what happens to all of the desires visualized by people masturbating to pornography? Do the images of pornography function as ersatz "sigils"? If so, then what is the net effect on reality?<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br> Nothing wrong with love and reproductive imagery ( with in reason of course ). <br><br> Or perhaps we should be going for the 'Blow them inferiors up' , pile them weapons up, fight and frighten each other kind of stuff ?<br><br> Perhaps we should go for the prohibit the love stuff as is reinforced by our good old religious leaders - except of course when such 'love' involves the exploitation and violation of innocent youth - in which instances, your likely to get a pardon from the highest officialdom within the religious establishment <p></p><i></i>

[Hugh Manatee Wins]

QQ wrote-<br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Ever hear the phrase 'never judge a book by it's cover?' <hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>But that's EXACTLY my point. The COVER/TITLE is FRAMING.<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>And that is exactly how mind viruses are hidden in plain view.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>This is billboard messaging</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->, not 'sit with a book or movie and dig out the nuance' messaging which also exists.<br><br>When you are a reader you don't get the same message that the pre-literate TV or movie watcher gets.<br><br>Learn to see things through the eyes of a child or an infantalized adult. It will all become clear to you then.<br><br> <p></p><i></i>

[Quentin Quire]

Hugh, I'm not denying the power of NLP and mind viruses. Morrison is well versed in these and these ideas are inherent and vital aspect of his work.<br><br>The point of The Invisibles is using these techniques AGAINST the oppressors, which if you read his works you'd understand. I don't deny the power in these techniques, but in this case you're taking umbrage with dark-side mind viruses which aren't present in this case.<br><br>As aside - i work in a bookshop and I'd describe 60% of the customers I deal with as 'infantalized adults'. They don't seem to be conversant with the intricacies of mindwar and our current paradigm. Most of them just want The Da Vinci Code or the new John Grisham ... <p></p><i></i>

[Hugh Manatee Wins]

One must consider all media messages in a social context, not in a vacuum.<br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>Framing.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> We are visual animals. <br>We take our first cues for determining <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>friend from foe</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> with our eyes and first impressions are like introductory paragraphs to an essay.<br>That is why <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>"a picture is worth a thousand words."</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>Look at that cover in the original post.<br>The quote from the Beatles song 'Revolution' there above the hand grenade is "you say you want a revolution," the opening line to a famous Beatles song.<br><br>What are the rest of the lyrics to that song? They warn against "destruction, hate, Chairman Mao." Exactly the opposite of the weapon image on the cover.<br><br>Badjacketing peace movement icons like John Lennon is an ongoing project.<br><br>So the cover sends conflicting messages that allow people to see what they want to see, either a struggle for justice or a bunch of young angry terrorists.<br><br>This is the same 'mexed missage' as 'V for Vendetta.'<br><br> <p></p><i></i>

[Hugh Manatee Wins]

DOH. posting at the same time. Sorry, I don't mean to write down to you since you understand the psychic topography.<br><br>I'd love to read Morrison but I've learned to be wary of people who intentionally associate justice with violence in any form.<br><br>Especially on the cover as an introduction.<br><br>Revolution, hidden, black shadows, Afro haircuts, weapons.<br><br>It looks like a frikkin' cointelpro poster against the Black Panthers made the year they murdered Fred Hampton! <p></p><i></i>

[Quentin Quire]

Hugh - you seem to have made your mind up about this simply by looking at one cover image and reading a small blurb about the series.<br><br>It would seem to me that your viewpoint has been shaped by the same instinctual framing techniques you try to warn people against. <br><br>If you truly believe that, that's fine. Your opinion is no more valid than mine. <br><br>But I've read this stuff and can hand-on-heart that this isn't agit-prop or mind war and if it is then it's being focused against the bad guys rather than siding with them. It doesn't badjacket peace icons and if the imagery and sub-text is full of mixed mesages then it's because Morrison wants the reader to question both the text and his own perceptions and ideas. <p></p><i></i>

[Dreams End]

I always assumed "revolution" was a little contractual assignment to cool off the revolutionary movements. Hey, we all want to change the world, but...oh well.<br><br>Therefore, we see two problems with Hugh's always informative but increasingly one-note posts. <br><br>First, interpretation. I interpret that Beatles song as an attempt to quell real revolutionary movements and activities. Like LSD.<br><br>Second, the criterion that any advocation of violence equates to provocateurism (the correct term... not agit prop, which is SUPPOSED to stir you into action.) I am nonviolent...but I supported the Zapatistas and was sympathic to the ANC, for example. You do remember that they started out as an armed revolutionary group?<br><br>You warnings are good...but I think you are continuing to overreach...I have no idea about this book, but that's the point...I therefore cannot reach such conclusions about it.<br><br><br> <p></p><i></i>