On The Road With Al and Ivy: A Literary Homeless Chronicle: June 2023

“…in a very short time the Queen was in a furious passion, and went stamping about, and shouting ‘Off with his head!’ or ‘Off with her head!’ about once in a minute. Alice began to feel very uneasy: to be sure, she had not as yet had any dispute with the Queen, but she knew that it might happen any minute, ‘and then,’ thought she, ‘what would become of me? They’re dreadfully fond of beheading people here; the great wonder is, that there’s any one left alive!’”

-Lewis Carroll (Alice In Wonderland)

On The Road With Al & Ivy: Cancel Culture And Witch Trials—excerpt of Part 1.

My treatment of the subject of Cancel Culture and Witch Trials will be in the realm of occasionally satiric literary meditation or social commentary.

As a result, I'll try to walk the fine line between observation and conclusion and try to stay on the main point that these two subjects result from a root cause.

I've read opinions on the subject and feel that most are true. Canceling occurs in various situations, and in my mind, it shows that it's a basic principle that is a very adaptable weapon.

This introduction was part of a series of essays planned for a Kindle Vella nonfiction eBook but will instead be presented as an ongoing series for free. There's a risk that some of the pieces could be taken out of context or misinterpreted, but that could happen even if it came out as a completed work.

I'll write and publish the serial in real-time as each section, episode, or chapter is written. I'll listen carefully to any feedback but will evolve the serial online.

I chose to put it on the "On The Road With Al & Ivy" blog site as it's the most suitable place for this work due to the subject's controversial nature. It's being launched here with an excerpt, and those interested can read the rest on the blog.

I'm going to enjoy exploring the subject as an ongoing serial work and hope you will also.

Cancel Culture And Witch Trials - Part 1: Introduction

Even the humblest earthworm contributes to the intricate perfection of our celestial oasis, spinning about in the spectacular confetti of bits and pieces of matter that humankind calls the Heavens, Universe, Void, or future territories for the commercial exploitation of minerals.

Even more enticing, the absence of Aboriginal inhabitants

allows intrepid explorers to mark off territories to fight future wars over without the expense and complications of ripping off or killing previous landowners who may hinder the natural process of commerce.

The simple earthworm is an unheralded foot soldier who helps aerate the soil which grows so many of life's necessities to nourish the burgeoning masses of humankind.

The relentless multiplication of the near hairless descendants of apes creates overpopulation that nasty microbes, sharks, poisonous snakes, bison in Yosemite, 99% of the species in Australia, and Tik Tok dares have failed to bring under control, thus creating the necessity for humans to assist in Nature's quest for balance by unaliving each other in bulk using special tools like automatic weapons, tanks, and explosives.

Unfortunately, the average person is helpless to assist Nature as culling the excess population is only allowed in State-sanctioned warfare to increase wealth or political gain.

Put simply, other than behaving like author Lewis Carroll's Red Queen towards service sector workers or engaging in snobbery, the Powers That Be have made sure that the only way to obliterate or cancel other human beings is through quasi-legal legal or social systems.

It doesn't solve the population problem but does confirm our status as a superior species that doesn't require the necessity of survival to kill, main, rob, cheat or pay too much money for everything.

Sure, one can act like a High School weenie and get everyone to hate or abuse somebody, but it doesn't produce the tingling feeling one gets when the object of disgust or hatred has been stripped of dignity or means of making an income.

I return to the seemingly insignificant earthworm in this intricate essay and direct the reader to the fact that despite its usefulness to humanity, its small size and position in the food chain make it fair game for anyone who wants to kick ass.

If people treasured the little tykes as super cute expensive pets or regarded them as the sacred manifestation of higher beings whose appeasement would bring luck, then that would limit the abuse to routine commercial exploitation. Still, the current interpretation of natural law places the squiggly little thing at the bottom of life's hierarchy and thus subject to the whims of those above it.

So, in regards to canceling culture and its subsidiary activities like witch trials, bullying, Housing Associations, Puritanism, single-issue politics, gossip media, racism, and making sure people feel guilty, the basic principle of cancel culture is to lower the target's status to the point where any Tom, Dick, or Harriette can finish the job by engaging in any of the activities mentioned above that would usually be considered obnoxious unless directed towards females (except where prohibited by law or company employee policy).

In other words, it doesn't matter if the target is woke, anti-woke, liberal, or Conservative. In a textbook canceling, the victim is exposed to attack or punishment. How the resulting attack occurs isn't particularly important and can be done in various ways.

In the case of a witch trial, the point is to create the perception that a person, most often a woman, is a danger to society. In many cases, those on trial were mentally ill or were considered "Karens" so fear or anger could help fuel the mob sensibility. In the case of a culture that requires a trial for extreme punishment, prejudices, hearsay, gossip, unvetted expert testimony, hatred, and displaced anger are substituted for standard evidence, and the proceedings become a parody of the judicial system that also shows contempt for a process that hinders the righteous.

A popular perception is that it's an ignorant or superstitious mob at work, and that's partially true. However, it also reeks of intellectual snobbery or manipulation of historical facts to serve an agenda.

The fact is a witch trial wasn't any one thing; it could have a lot of factors in play, not simply sexism or religion. It also involves power, manipulation, and sociopathic behavior by people in power or seeking it. It involves ambitions and impulses that are part of basic human behavior that's never changed and are still present.

Witch trials and canceling have never gone away. What's changed, and will keep changing, is the definition or the perception of what a witch is.

Coming in Part 2: A survey of various types of witch trials.

-Al Handa

ontheroadwithalandivy@gmail.com

UPDATE ON ON THE ROAD WITH AL & IVY: THE ANTHOLOGY VOL. 1 (2016-2018)

I’ll be pulling this ebook off Kindle Unlimited sometime this month and will resume free distribution on other sites. The main reason, besides shifting the focus to wider readership is that this Anthology will come out as a revised version sometime this year. I’ve obtained most of the social media posts from this period and will insert edited versions into the book in chronological order. This adds the day to day observations and activities which will add continuity and many of the blog entries will make more sense in context. Also, I’ll add new commentary to make this volume feel like a chronological account of the period. Until then, it makes sense to make this version free to increase interest in the new edition.