The Turner Diaries: History and Influence - Essay Example

? The Turner Diaries: History and Influence of The Turner Diaries is a very influential book among the domestic right wing terrorists and groups. Its author, William Pierce, national and international popularity can be greatly attributed to the book. His ideologies and beliefs towards racial integrity of the whites and prejudice he had about the Jews and non-whites is what inspired him to write this book. This book shows the great influence that a book can have on an individual or a group of individuals especially among the extremists. Such influence is so big should not be ignored at any given time by the all the stakeholders for the sake of national and international peace and security. The Turner Diaries: History and Influence Introduction It is agreeable that the book “The Turner Diaries” by William Luther Pierce had and still has a significant influence on the far- right extremists and organization. In order to understand the content of the book and its influence in sections of society, this paper will discuss the history of the author, review of the book, and the influence of the book on domestic right wing terrorists and groups. A History of the Author William Pierce was the leader of National Alliance, A West Virginia- based neo-Nazi group. Under the pseudonym of Andrew Macdonald, he wrote the book “The Turner Diaries”- a anti-Semitic and racist fantasy novel. Pierce was born in 11 September, 1933 and he died on 23 July, 2002. He was a native of Atlanta, Georgia and was actively involved in extremist movement from the 1960s. During his schooling years, Pierce performed well; he eventually earned a scholarship to study physics in Rice University. He graduated with a bachelor degree in physics in 1955. In 1962, he earned his PhD in physics from the University of Colorado. Prior to becoming involved with Nazi groups in the 1960s, he worked in industry as well as being an instructor at Oregon State University (Martin, 2002). It should be noted that during his time as an instructor in Oregon State University, he had joined a far-right political organization, The John Birch Society. Also, it is during his time as an instructor that two major social movements rose; the Vietnam anti-war movement and the civil rights movement. To Pierce, the rise of civil rights movement threatened the white race, and that Vietnam anti- war movement was led by Jews and was communist- inspired. His decision to join the neo- Nazi movement was greatly inspired by the desire to “preserve” the white race which was under threat, and to suppress any communist-inspired movement from being influential in the United States. He became the an associate in the American Nazi Party in 1966, but he left the party in 1970 to take control of the National Youth Alliance which was later in 1974 became known as the National Alliance. It should be noted that before forming the National Alliance, Pierce had engaged in a bitter power struggle with Willis Carto (the founder of the National Youth Alliance). Therefore, the National Alliance was a splinter group of the National Youth Alliance (Martin, 2002). He intended the National Alliance to be a political precursor that would eventually lead to the preservation of the integrity of white race. In order to achieve his goals, Pierce initiated a number of political projects that were geared towards the preservation of white race. These projects included: the American Dissident Voices which was a weekly broadcast, National Vangaurd Books, and the National Alliance. Along with those was the founding of Cosmotheist Community Church that he considered critical in his bid to preserve the white race (Martin, 2002). Publication of the Turner Diaries is cited by many people as to have contributed to his popularity in the late 1970s and subsequent years. The book was first published in 1978; William Pierce wrote the book under the pseudonym of Andrew Macdonald. The book which portrays the overthrowing of the Federal Government in a brutal and violent manner and the systematic killings of non-whites and Jews with a bid to establish a world dominated by the Aryans, gained both the national and international attention (Martin, 2002). The Bombing of Oklahoma City by Timothy McVeigh (who was allegedly influenced by the book) gave the book and Pierce more popularity across the world. To date, his book is considered to have a significant influence not only on the international far-right extremists and groups, but also to the domestic right wing terrorists and groups. In his final years, William Pierce spent most of his years hosting American Dissident Voices, his weekly radio show, as well as overseeing his publications; that is, the Free Speech, Resistance, and the National Vanguard. Besides, he oversaw Resistance Records, the record company he owned, and the books that National Vanguard Books published. Eventually, he succumbed to cancer and died on 23 July, 2002 in his West Virginia home (Mirabello, 2009). Review of the Book “The Turner Diaries” has been around for over 30 years now. The book is not only of interest to sociology, religious, and political students, but also to all persons interested in the political and religious cults. Even though most people recognize the bombing in Oklahoma City in 1995 as the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in the history of America, the bombing had already been depicted in the book. It should be noted that the publication of the book purports to be in the year 100 of the New Era. The form of the book is such that it commemorates edition of Earl Turner’s diaries. Earl Turner was an electrical engineer aged 35 years who turned out to be the Great Revolution hero, a revolution that preceded the New Era. The diaries cover activities of Turner as an insurgent from the year 1991 to 1993 when he died (Macdonald, 1996). The book revolves around Earl Turner who happens to be a gun-lover. The book brings out the aspect of freedom right from the outset; he depicts Turner and his colleagues as martyrs for freedom. The law in the country under the “Cohen Act” prohibits the use of firearms by civilians and any person found to have violated this law is bound to be arrested and be imprisoned. Earl Turner is really troubled by the police state that outlaws his beloved guns. The book shows the “patriots” living in “units” having a communistic structure. Turner together with his commune lives in an auto garage that has been abandoned with no water. However, the auto garage has pirated and makeshift heat and electricity. The “patriots” share everything and contribute to their commune based on their talents. The only female in the commune is Katherine who is an expert with make up, and therefore specializes in making disguises for other “patriots”. Two other members of the unit, George and Henry are a hairy-forearmed couple with great conviction of their voices. On his part, Turner is an electrical engineer who specializes in wiring the bombs, as well as setting up a cold shower for the group (Macdonald, 1996). Turner and his commune are part of “The Organization” that comprises of other communes as well. Turner and his commune together with other communes that form the gun-loving Woodstock Nation are all addicts, regardless of gender, walk-of-life, education, or age. These communes are addicted to guns and had a knee- jerk ideology that states that “"I-want-this-and-you-can't-tell-me-I-can't". They were addicted to empowerment in a phony sense. Just like the drug users who say that it is their body and they should have control over what they decide to put into them, these communes believed that it was their right to possess guns and use it the way they want. In order to support their habit, Turner, as the main character in the book and the communes plot to destroy anyone who stands between them and the satisfaction of their habit; they use murdering and robbing as means to feed their addiction. Turner and his commune constantly sneers about others as being lesser races who lack morals, living as prisoners, and are being filled with rude and uncivilized blood (Macdonald, 1996). However, he is also guilty of the “sins” that he accuses the “lesser” races of; actually, he is guilty to a greater extent than they. This assertion is depicted by his and his commune acts of murdering other human beings, which is a true reflection of uncouth blood and lacking in morals (Swain and Nieli, 2003). Turner and the communes comprise a small fraction of the population that believe that killing other human beings, including those of their “precious” race is justifiable as long as it suits the needs of “The Organization”. As a matter of fact, there is no such profound need that makes it important to murder other people. The only importance that they are stating is to feed their addiction to own a gun. The author of the book predicts that the future’s news media would be completely subverted and utterly compromised for the purposes of propaganda. So, how do the “patriots” in the book wish to deal with such news? The commune- living “patriots” intend to cut the throats of reporters who will not agree with them and pile their bodies in the streets of the city. According to Turner’s “free” America people will not have the freedom and right to disagree with him. Along with that, the “free” America will not have guns as they will be taken away from the populace because such weapons may be used to perpetrate violence. In order to prove that they are worth of firearm ownership, Turner and his commune will kill many people about 1,000 who are unarmed and have no direct threat to him and his commune (Macdonald, 1996). “The Turner Diaries” is not just a one-note rant by a white supremacists as the book has instances when Turner seduces Katherine. Turner is seen to start the sort of hedonistic sexual and godless relationship with the woman behind the backs of his communes. The society depicted in the book is reeking of hypocrisy as the people involved commit the very “sins” they profess to hate. “The Organization” referred to the harsh methods it employed against those who disagreed with it and dissenters as “discipline”. This comes out clearly in the book as the leader of “Unit 5” refuses the order to assassinate tow of the most outspoken and obnoxious advocates of race mixing; members of the other units arrest Powell, shoot and bury him (Macdonald, 1996). The world envisioned in the “The Turner Diaries” is grim and stark, devoid of qualities that make human life dignified and worth living such as dialogue among people, freedom, beauty, art, and love. The book seeks to whittle down civilization as people who embrace “The Turner Diaries” think highly of themselves as they endeavor to undo each advance made by civilization (Swain and Nieli, 2003). Book’s Influence on Domestic Right Wing Terrorists/ Groups As noted, the book has been adversely mentioned in regard to influencing far-right extremists and groups; the most initial notable evidence of the book’s influence was the bombing in Oklahoma in 1995. It is known that Timothy McVeigh (the Oklahoma City bomber) was not only an enthusiastic promoter, but also an avid reader of The Turner Diaries. In addition, the FBI has repeatedly stated that the bombing of the Oklahoma City’s Murrah Federal Building bear similar graphical similarities as the scene described in the Turner Diaries (CNN U.S, 1997). The scene in the book describes bomb preparation which is used in destroying the FBI’s national headquarters. In addition, the book is considered as the right wing’s bible as it is the most extensively read book among far-right individuals and groups. The book has been cited as the inspiration behind most of terrorist organizations and activities. The influence of the book among the domestic right wing terrorists and groups dates back soon after the book was published (Swain and Nieli, 2003). The book inspired terrorist organizations and activities in early 1980s, the most notable being crime spree that the white supremacist gang known as “The Order” perpetrated. For instance, in a bid to cause the Aryan uprising in the book, the former Pierce’s organization Pacific Northwest representative, Robert Mathews assisted in the formation of the white supremacist gangs in the 1980s. however, his efforts were short-lived as he was shot in a shootout with FBI an his associates convicted and sentenced to long terms in prison for terrible crimes such as bombing of a synagogue, robberies, and murders (CNN U.S, 1997). Moreover, the influence of the book on domestic right wing terrorists and groups is evidenced by the activities of a white supremacists gang who referred themselves as “The New Order” in Illinois. This group had been inspired by the previous group known as “The Order” which had been influenced by the book. The federal authorities arrested members of the New Order group in 1998 for planning bombing activities in Alabama and Los Angeles. The members of the New Order had been reported to be influenced heavily by The Turner Diaries. There are further evidences of how the book influenced the domestic right wing terrorists and groups. For instance, the book is said to have inspired the Texas Murder in 1998 where an African American was beaten to death and thereafter dragged behind a pickup truck. It is reported that, John King, one of his assailants said that they were beginning The Turner Diaries early (Swain and Nieli, 2003). In addition, the influence of the book on domestic terrorists is indicated by a number of imitations to the book; the most notable ones being the Dark Millennium, One in a Million, Hold Back This Day, Serpent’s Walk, The Outsider, and Angle Iron, all of which bear right-wing sentiments and beliefs. For instance, the Dark Millennium that was published in 2001 depicts a United States led by a white supremacist president who will preside over the African American’s extermination. The Serpent’s Walk depicts resurgence of Nazi movement that claims its own planet. On its part, The Outsider depicts a white hero who goes on a spree to kill the African- Americans. Even William himself published a book that had borrowed a lot from The Turner Diaries; his book, Hunter, is a depiction of a lone assassin who is out targeting the African- Americans and the Jews (Mirabello, 2009). It is no doubt that The Turner Diaries and William Pierce were very popular and highly influential in the anti-government and supremacist circles. Actually, Pierce had become more or less of a spiritual leader. More surprisingly, he was not seen as violent and most of those who talked to him and interacted with him did not find him “crazy” or different from other human beings (Mirabello, 2009). However, even though he looked “harmless”, the way his works influence and incite people frightened many. In fact, Pierce always stated publicly that he was an advocate of actual violence. McVeigh’s friends in the Oklahoma bombing trial testified that they had received copies of The Turner Diaries from McVeigh containing notes that encouraged them to read the book. Although Pierce had gained popularity in the national and international scene as a result of the bombing, he did not validate the attack as he stated that it was shameful to murder many people when such endeavor cannot accomplish anything (Mirabello, 2009). Conclusion From the discussion, it is evidently clear The Turner Diaries is a very influential book among the domestic right wing terrorists and groups. Also, the author of the book, William Pierce’s national and international popularity can be greatly attributed to the book. Books, just like other types of arts like music have proven to have considerable impacts on groups and individuals especially among the extremists. If this book is anything to go by, then such influence can be said to be immense and that which cannot be ignored by authorities and organizations that seek to enhance national and international peace and security. References CNN U.S. (1997). Turner Diaries Introduced in McVeigh Trial. Retrieved on 9th April, 2012 from http://articles.cnn.com/1997-04-28/us/9704_28_okc_1_timothy-mcveigh-mcveigh-trial-oklahoma-state-trooper?_s=PM:US Martin, L. (2002). Sympathy for the Devil: A Vermont Academic Writes a Fawning Bibliography of America’s Late Neo-Nazi Leader. Southern Poverty Law Center: 107). Macdonald, A. (1996). The Turner Diaries: A Novel. Barricade Books. Mirabello, M. (2009). Handbook for Rebels and Outlaws. Mandrake. Swain, M and Nieli, R. (2003). Contemporary Voices of White Nationalism in America. Cambridge University Press. Read More