Are you a Nazi? Let Jane Austen fix that for you.

[planetgeli]

UK judge orders rightwing extremist to read classic literature or face prison

Ben John, former Leicester student who downloaded white supremacist documents, given suspended jail sentence

www.theguardian.com

A former student who downloaded almost 70,000 white supremacist documents and bomb-making instructions has avoided a prison sentence “by the skin of his teeth” after being told to read classic literature by Dickens, Austen, Shakespeare and Hardy.

Ben John, 21, from Lincoln, a former student at De Montfort University in Leicester, has to return to court every four months to be tested on his reading, Judge Timothy Spencer QC said. He also sentenced him to a suspended two years’ imprisonment plus a further two years on licence.

After making John promise not to research any more rightwing material, the judge continued: “Have you read Dickens? Austen? Start with Pride and Prejudice and Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Think about Hardy. Think about Trollope.

“On 4 January you will tell me what you have read and I will test you on it.

Judge Spencer would not be drawn on the next suggested texts but they are rumoured not to include "Beating the Fascists:The Untold story of Anti-Fascist Action"

 

[Pickman's model]

Reading Jane Austen cruel and unusual punishment.

 

[danny la rouge]

This is a puzzling prescription. Not sure I understand the rationale. But l’m interested to see if it works.

 

[Yossarian]

"White judge gives white supremacist terror suspect whitest punishment ever."

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

White privilege, much?

Can you imagine an Asian or Arab or black defendant who'd been reading up on bomb making being let off if they read some Austen and Dickens?

 

[Calamity1971]

I'd rather be banged up than read Dickens again.

 

[Sweet FA]

He's probably read them.

Nazis Are Trying to Turn Jane Austen Into a Symbol of Hate | The Mary Sue

The alt-right is trying to claim Jane Austen as a representative of their beliefs.

www.themarysue.com

 

[Pickman's model]

White privilege, much?

Can you imagine an Asian or Arab or black defendant who'd been reading up on bomb making being let off if they read some Austen and Dickens?

Maybe they'd have to read Chester Himes and Chinua Achebe. But not that Japanese author who committed seppuku

 

[maomao]

I don't reject the idea entirely but seems a little unevenly applied.

 

[Yossarian]

"If I ever see you back in my courtroom again young man there is a very real risk of Chaucer being added to the list."

 

[A380]

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young neo-nazi in possession of facist ideology must be in want of a good shoeing.

 

[danny la rouge]

I might apply for the suggested reading list for chaining the gates of oil refineries closed. Just out of, erm, interest.

 

[two sheds]

Not sure Merchant of Venice, for example, would help him.

 

[killer b]

I think this kind of thing is a good idea probably.

 

[killer b]

Not sure about the book choices, mind. They're good books, but maybe get something more contemporary in the mix too.

 

[A380]

I might apply for the suggested reading list for chaining the gates of oil refineries closed. Just out of, erm, interest.

The Mayor of Castrol -bridge?

Ann cuffs of Green Gables?

Mobil Dick?

Or anything by Shelly.

 

[planetgeli]

I think this kind of thing is a good idea probably.

I kind of agree. I'm all for radical alternatives to imprisonment. But this can't be taken out of context. And the context is this.

"White judge gives white supremacist terror suspect whitest punishment ever."

White privilege, much?

Can you imagine an Asian or Arab or black defendant who'd been reading up on bomb making being let off if they read some Austen and Dickens?

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

"If I ever see you back in my courtroom again young man there is a very real risk of Chaucer being added to the list."

And if you're really naughty, I'll make you read James Joyce's Ulysses.

 

[killer b]

I kind of agree. I'm all for radical alternatives to imprisonment. But this can't be taken out of context. And the context is this.

I don't have a deep knowledge of the range of sentences handed out to islamic militants convicted of similar crimes tbh - would be interested to see some comparisons. It probably is true that brown people will suffer harsher sentences - I think radical alternatives to imprisonment should where possible be pursued in those cases rather than rubbished in this one though.

 

[AnnO'Neemus]

I don't have a deep knowledge of the range of sentences handed out to islamic militants convicted of similar crimes tbh - would be interested to see some comparisons. It probably is true that brown people will suffer harsher sentences - I think radical alternatives to imprisonment should where possible be pursued in those cases rather than rubbished in this one though.

I think it's fair enough to argue that there's a better approach to addressing those who've been radicalised by Islamic militants.

But I think it's also fair enough to ridicule this sentence, and how it smacks of white privilege.

 

[scifisam]

I don't reject the idea entirely but seems a little unevenly applied.

It seems like a pretty good idea to me, but it's not just unevenly applied, this is probably the first time it's ever happened (or we'd know about it). It would be nice if non-white teenagers who were reading about lots of terrible shit but not actually planning anything (like it seems here) were also told to, basically, complete book reports. Maybe oblige them to find a book group to attend. Either they'll like the nice people there or they'll hate it so much they want to go straight so they never have to hear about the parking in Norwich city centre again.

Creative sentencing is something I'm in favour of. But not just for white people.

 

[planetgeli]

It's two-fold isn't it. It's what Sam and Ann say above - and if similar did happen to non-white people the Daily Mail and the rest would never let us hear the end of it. But it's also the list.

"So young fascist, you have a problem with diversity. Here's a list of white writers writing white things."

But then a Judge was hardly going to recommend CLR James - how could he 'mark' something he's never read himself?

 

[two sheds]

This sort of thing looks a better idea:

After I was arrested and sectioned, restorative justice offered me a lifeline | Bryony Friars

I was not allowed to contact them [people he'd hurt] directly, so my psychologist recommended a process called restorative justice – which connects those harmed by crime and those responsible, enabling everyone affected by a particular offence to play a role in amending the harm and finding a constructive way forward.

 

[planetgeli]

This sort of thing looks a better idea:

After I was arrested and sectioned, restorative justice offered me a lifeline | Bryony Friars

We use restorative practice at school. It is a good idea and hopefully is carried out well in lots of bigger places than my school. Unfortunately it can, for us, become a tick box exercise.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Reading Jane Austen cruel and unusual punishment.

You're thinking of Dostoevszky there, not Austen.

 

[SpookyFrank]

White privilege, much?

Can you imagine an Asian or Arab or black defendant who'd been reading up on bomb making being let off if they read some Austen and Dickens?

No.

I know a guy who was locked up without charge for months and then deported to Algeria for reading an Al Qaeda training manual which was on his reading list at university. What's more it was the university who grassed him up for reading it.

e2a: They didn't actually deport him in the end, but convicted him for 'visa irregularities' and sent him to prison for nine months, on top of the time he'd already spent in immigration detention centres. His co-defendant later proved that evidence against him had been fabricated by police. No charges or disciplinary proceedings were brought against the officers responsible for this.

 

[Raheem]

I really hope there's more to this story, rather than just that you can be as much of a knobhead as you like if you're a judge.

 

[Ax^]

You're thinking of Dostoevszky there, not Austen.

reading austen is more of a punishment

the logic is a little fucked readed literature of an idelised time with no people of colour present in them


they have that bit down already

 

[DaveCinzano]

I'd rather be banged up than read Dickens again.

It was the best of hard time, it was the worst of hard time

 

[two sheds]

Dostoevszky is more of a crime