Ted Kaczynski, showing the lengths one must go to get the press to properly pronounce a polish name.

https://nitter.1d4.us/AP/status/1667577826785017863

      • Huldra [they/them, it/its]
        ·
        1 year ago

        When I read through programmed to kill, every case I was decently familiar with he seemed to just make shit up or say flat out incorrect things about it.

        Edit: Or take serial killer claims about being trained as a super mega cult assassin as fact without it being in any way a plausible claim.

        Also I am aware of some of these cases, but the ones that dont have any real connection besides the whole of american psychiatry or military are more common than the ones with a legit connection, its absolutely nowhere near most.

          • Huldra [they/them, it/its]
            ·
            1 year ago

            Ok, being fair, I dont think he personally made up any stories, but that he believed stories that should not be believed.

            My prime example being that he takes Henry Lee Lucas story of being recruited by "The hand of death" and taught how to kill with every kind of method there is, as believable. Meanwhile every murder Lucas has reliably been connected to and actually reasonably convicted of, his description of how he murdered that person was "idk I guess I punched them with my knife", he also said shit like he drove to Japan and killed people there in order to try and mess with a Japanese TV crew.

            Theres also others, like Maury Terry who I and many others believe to be gullible as fuck in dealing with Son of Sam, also he cites George Estabrooks, a hypnotism nutjob who tried to convince J Edgar Hoover that he should be allowed to blow up a real munitions plant as a demonstration of hypnotic power, as well as impersonated an FBI agent to try build his own network of anti german snitches at the university he taught at.

            Thats just from skimming the areas I am most familiar with now, I just am struck by an overwhelming vibe of untrustworthy credulity in McGowan, like I'm going through this and he seems to be supporting the idea of Satanic Ritual Abuse and DID-programming, like literally just that the satanic panic was real and valid.

            • Huldra [they/them, it/its]
              ·
              1 year ago

              One particular thing I noticed that absolutely makes me question him is that at one point, or possibly several, he makes the suggestion that for so many satanic ritual abuse stories to feature the same kind of acts and violence, there would have had to be a nationwide conspiracy of therapists.

              But he does not mention that there was in fact an organization for therapists that believed in satanic ritual abuse, it has been named several things but most recently the ISSTD, the International Society for the study of Trauma and Dissociation.

              It held workshops, was featured in TV specials, articles were published in both medical journals and newspapers etc. It has also a long history of having prominent members and even presidents be accused of medical and sexual abuse, as well as brainwashing their patients, plenty involved have lost their licenses or had to pay out malpractice suits.

              I at least, did not see any mention of this from McGowan in the book, though he did cite at least one psychotherapist who has been on their board of directors. This really does seriously hurt his crediblity, particularly in a book so obsessed with connections, there literally was an organization that was actively spreading tales of satanic ritual abuse indirectly and directly to therapists and the public, thats a serious thing to leave out when discussing how the same descriptions spring up in separate places and accusations.

              Thats also not to mention the book Michelle Remembers, an extremely high profile and popular book at the time that many say sparked the satanic panic for real, its also complete horseshit and has been debunked thoroughly.

              Edit: Actually extra egregious on the last part, the co-author of the book, Lawrence Pazder, consulted on the McMartin Preschool Trial, something also seemingly not noted by McGowan as far as I could tell reading that section.

              Additonal edit: And I would like to further note that among this organization and other associated psychiatrists and therapists, most have been known to not only heavily use hypnotism, a suggested brainwashing technique, but several are also noted as having used sodium pentothal and amytal in their treatments of DID and alleged satanic ritual abuse patients, both of which feature in MKULTRA testing as proposed truth serums.