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3D Political Model

I would locate the Ethnic Asatrú as being towards the Right Wing, decentralized, and monocultural area of the 3D model. I would locate the Racist Odinists as being towards the Right Wing, centralized, and monocultural area of the 3D model. I would locate the Church of Satan as being towards the Left Wing, decentralized, and multicultural area of the 3D model.

As for myself, I’d be located in different areas across the entire model. I believe that the right is wrong about the war on drugs, but the left is wrong about gun control. So I’m in the middle, as an independent thinker. I think that some issues should be under the control of the federal government, but other issues are best controlled by local leadership. So I’m neutral on the decentralized vs centralized axis. But I’m definitely more multicultural, I love learning new lessons from across the world. 

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Satanic Reflection

Connor Price

Professor Beranek

ANTH 140

28 March 2017

Reflection: The Eleven Rules of Satanism

The first rule of satanism is “Do not give opinions or advice, unless asked”. This rule seems a bit arbitrary to me, and I feel like it would make it harder to make new friends with strangers if one cannot share opinions or advice with them. The second rule of satanism is “Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them”. This rule also seems a bit arbitrary, and would also limit conversation. The third rule is “When in another’s lair, show him respect or else do not go there“. This seems like a logical rule, as to enter someone’s territory and disrespect them would be rather unwise. Rule number four states “If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy”. This rule doesn’t sound wise at all, the world has plenty of merciless cruelty in it, annoyance is hardly justification for ruthless callousness. The fifth rule of the Satanic Church is “Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal”. I definitely agree with this rule, I think consent is very important for any sexual activities. The sixth rule of satanism is “Do not take that which does not belong to you unless it is a burden to the other person and he cries out to be relieved”. This rule seems reasonable, I believe that theft is immoral. The seventh satanic rule is “Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained”. This rule makes me wonder what the creator of these rules considers to be “magic”, and how they believe one can tell the difference between “successful magic” and “unsuccessful magic”. The eighth rule of satanism is “Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself”. This is a wise rule, complaining about something you choose is rather unreasonable. The ninth rule of the Church of Satan is “Do not harm little children”. This seems like a wise rule, but I personally would extend it to become “do not harm anyone who you don’t have to harm out of self defense.” The tenth satanic rule is “Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food.” I really wish that more people in the world followed this rule, hunting should not be done for sport. The eleventh rule of the satanic church is “When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him”. I think this rule is a bit extreme, depending on what is being done to “bother” the satanist. If the bothering is life threatening, I would agree that destruction is constituted; but, if the bothering is trivial, then it is unwise to act so extreme.

If these rules weren’t connected to the Church of Satan, I would think they were apart of another religion, as they do not appear to have any solid philosophy connecting them.

In contemporary American society, these laws would probably most appeal to ex-Christians who are extremely frustrated with Christianity and searching for a new dogma to follow.

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The greatest album ever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCDjP4JnpGU&t=2541s In my opinion, this album by tool is the best album ever. Its lyrics are extremely deep poems; the drumming, bass, vocals, and guitar are all masterful; and the rhythms are layered over one another in such a complicated way.. I highly recommend it :)

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Hyatt Reflection

Dear Diary,

Today, I, Max Hyatt, was visited by the Norse gods Thor and Freyr while I was purchasing food at my local grocery store. The gods were confused as to the function of the modern marketplace, so I had to explain a few things. I informed them that the warehouse we are in is a refrigerated building made of concrete, where people purchase foods in exchange for green rectangular pieces of paper with our dead presidents’ faces on them, or they swipe a plastic rectangle through a computerized scanner. They asked what a computer was, so I told them that the computer is a machine that is basically a data compilation machine that uses electricity to read a code and make logical calculations. They then asked what refrigeration was, so I explained that it’s a modern invention that uses an electric motor and ventilation to control the temperature of a space. They wondered why people wanted the pieces of paper so badly. “what happened to gold coins?” Thor pondered. I informed the gods that our currency system has evolved a lot since their time, and that the dollar bills being exchanged for goods and services used to represent actual gold bars, but that during times of economic turmoil, the United States government decided to abandon the gold standard and adopt a fiat currency system. I then told them that my reason for being in the Costco; it was to acquire sustenance for myself. I then explained that the various meats and grains and fruits collected in my cart were selected as a source of protein and carbohydrates and vitamins to provide the energy necessary for me to continue my quest to honor my divine Norse ancestry. They asked what I meant by protein and carbohydrates and vitamins, as these nutritional terms have not been around for a very long time. I explained to the gods that proteins are long chains of amino acids, essential for our bodies to build new cells; carbohydrates are glucose sugar molecules linked together in a long chain of that are much healthier than refined fructose sugars, because they break down slowly to provide a steady stream of energy to the body over time, so they don’t cause a massive crash after about a half hour like fructose based sugars do; and vitamins are random bits of goop that our vital to our bodies’ functions, but despite all the vitamin companies advising us to take massive doses, we should actually only consume vitamins in miniscule amounts. The gods seemed to be very interested in all the new developments to happen to Midgard in their absence. They thanked me for the information I provided them, and went on their way. This vision was probably a message from the gods that I need to view the world as the complex place that it is, and not to assume that things are ordinary just because I have a tendency to encounter them in my average day to day life. Every corner of reality is overflowing with an infinite amount of data.

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Reflection: Cargo Cults

I don’t think Serge Gainsbourg was likening Melody to anything; It seemed to me like he was pondering where her spirit traveled in the first mention of her name. And the second time he mentions Melody, it sounds as though he is having a desire to pray to cargo planes to rain down Melody back to him in a miraculous phenomenon similar to the way that the native people pray to the jets to rain precious goods upon them. But he calls these desires meaningless, so it seems like he’s probably a nonbeliever.

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Reflection: “Aliens are Demons”

This video was very hard for me to watch, as I tend to critically analyze any bits of data that enter my mind for truth, usefulness, or aesthetic value. Although my mental model for how the universe works is still in construction, I am not easily convinced of things that differ drastically from my concept of reality, so I have a difficult time accepting biblical interpretations as evidence for anything other than the beliefs of ancient peoples. I do wonder about aliens/ demons/ jinn/ spirits a lot though. I don’t think humanity has been guided by an advanced species, unless they happen to be some sort of vampiresque alien farmers who created religions to distract mankind and to provide the illusion of freedom to encourage fecundity; if that’s the case, I applaud our alien masters for their job well done. I don’t believe that case is probable, it is possible, but it would require a massive conspiracy. There’s also the possibility that we’re all being watched by aliens on a popular TV show. This idea was given to me by South Park when they aired an episode which expanded upon the plot of The Truman Show (a trippy movie where a man finds out his entire life has been recorded and broadcast 24/7 on a popular TV show). Personally, I don’t believe there is a way to know if there are beings in existence who know way more than we do, because if they know things we don’t know then they would have technology we don’t have, and our scientists are pretty close to developing invisibility and other stealth technology. In conclusion, I think these Christian scholars are misusing the English language: the symbol “alien” stands for the idea of “a foreigner, especially one who is not a naturalized citizen of the country where they are living.”, while the symbol “demon” stands for the idea of “an evil spirit or devil, especially one thought to possess a person or act as a tormentor in hell.”

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Connor Price

Professor Baranek

ANTH 140

February 9th, 2017

Reflection on “Anthropological Perspectives on the Witchcraze”

I do see connections between MGTOW's interpretation of men’s place in contemporary Western societies, their views on modern women, and interpretations of non-normative women during the “witchcrazes” of the 1400s-1700s. In both, women are seen as stealing men's authority. This suggests that men somehow are naturally meant to be more powerful and righteous than women. I disagree, I think all men and women are a balanced mixture of both good and evil.

I think the MGTOW should stop hating on women, I think females are great people. Well, most females anyways, but the idea that all women are evil is just absurd. Every man that ever lived comes from a woman's womb. I think it's crazy how few women have a seat of power in the United State's government compared to the population, so I don't think it makes logical sense that MGTOW believes in a matriarchy.

I definitely agree with this quote "“Women are often extremely powerful in societies in which they are denied any authority” because “the only possible way for a woman to achieve her goals is for her to manipulate those who possess legitimate authority – her husband and her sons […] This shows that the locality of marriage is crucial in determining the image of women […] If manipulation of power is the only available route a woman can follow to achieve her ends, then inevitably her image will be that of a manipulative bitch” (284-85). by James Brain. It makes a lot of sense  to me. I wonder how many MGTOW members would be reasonable enough to change their view on women when presented with an argument like that.  

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Ayahuasca Reflection

I would probably not want to participate in an ayahuasca ceremony as depicted in the Blue Morpho video we watched in class. Peru has absolutely no regulations on ayahuasca ceremonies, anyone can take any plants they want from the jungles and sell it to people claiming to be a shaman. I also don't have access to thousands of dollars for retreats in Peru.

I would, however, love to see more research done on ayahuasca brews. I'd be very interested in studying the psychological effects of people participating in different ceremonies while ingesting various jungle plant concoctions containing DMT, alongside a placebo group in a double blind study. I think it's a shame that the United States criminalized psychedelics for political purposes in the 1970's. They clearly have medical benefits, and yet the DEA has them classified as extremely dangerous and addictive with no medical benefits. I believe this obviously wrong classification should be revoked and research should be decriminalized. Also, shamans should be allowed to partake in whatever plant they desire for their religious purposes under the first amendment.

I believe that Christine Holman's perspective is accurate. When people supply companies like Blue Morpho with their money, they help grow these businesses. This leads to more businesses mimicking the practice, and thus more commodification of traditional ceremonies. However, I don't exactly see why this is a problem, so long as the people patronizing the company are aware of the risks prior to their consumption of the product and participation in the ceremony. I think that fake shamans selling dangerous random plant brews could definitely be an issue though, adventurers who take strange foreign drugs should be cautious and do copious research before ingesting anything.

I think that people who want to use sacred traditional medicines should be allowed to do so. I think its ridiculous that our laws regarding psychedelics here in the states are so unrealistic and dishonest. They are clearly not designed to protect the consumer. The ban on psilocybin makes absolutely no sense; psilocybin mushrooms have never killed anyone as a result of their toxicity, but the research chemicals sold over the counter to recreational drug users result in death quite frequently. There are also lots of psychologists who could use new tools for combatting depression, anxiety, and existential fears. The psychological experiments involving psychedelics in the 1960's were cut short prematurely, purely for political purposes, despite showing incredible results. For instance, I remember reading a study where alcoholic subjects were given one single therapy session under the influence of LSD and over 85% of the people involved were able to kick their habit. This kind of success at treating alcoholism is definitely worth looking into, and shows a sharp contrast between its classification as a drug with "absolutely no medical value" and reality. I think that if our laws regarding schedule 1 substances like DMT brews (ayahuasca) were to be changed, we would see a lot of advances in psychiatric medicine.

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Biography

My name is Connor Price. I'm majoring in psychology. My hobbies include: hanging out with friends, listening to & making music, gardening, and arguing with my parents about religion and politics. One unique thing about me is the fact that I moved to Stockton at age 18 and got married. I lived there for 6 months before I was kicked out. I then went through an extremely painful divorce, but I also learned a great deal about myself and about life in the process. I consider it a learning experience. I am now in a very happy & healthy relationship. :) Religion played a negative role in my life up until about 2 years ago. I was raised Christian, and I remember believing that absolutely nothing mattered in life because all that mattered was the afterlife. I was terrified of burning forever in a lake of fire, and extremely desperate to get into heaven. I really wanted to die so that I could experience absolute heavenly bliss forever. However, when I was 13 years old I remember having this revelation that an all-forgiving god couldn't send anyone to hell. After my divorce I began digging ready deep into various religions. I have now developed my own belief system by cherry picking wise ideas from different religions. For instance Taoism taught me that there is ambiguity in all things, and everything that has ever happened is a result of the flow of nature. I have no clue what happens after we die but I am really enjoying my life. :)