POSTRmagazine is a Quarterly Magazine Published by Not Another Graphic Designer VOF - © 2013 - All Rights Reserved [email protected] - www.postrmagazine.com @POSTRmagazine - www.facebook.com/POSTRmagazine Editors: Monkeys With Typewriters (Robbert van Jaarsveld & Michaël De Wilde) Art Direction & Graphic Design: Not Another Graphic Designer In honour of Timmy V.G. and Hunter S. Thompson Want to support POSTRmagazine? Donate at www.postrmagazine.com/donate/ “Mr. Obama is the liberal law professor who campaigned against the Iraq war and torture, and then insisted on approving every new name on an expanding “kill list,” poring over terrorist suspects’ biographies on what one official calls the macabre “baseball cards” of an unconventio- #13 nal war. When a rare opportunity for a drone strike at a top terrorist arises — but his family is with him — it is the president who has reserved EDITORIAL THE TARKIN DOCTRINE to himself the final moral calculation.” — Jo Becker & Scott Shane, The New York Times – http://nyti.ms/JKJjiM WHATS TRENDING IN A DiSSERTATION ON THE UnSPEAKABLE FEAR? – “Fear will keep the local systems religion of choice) is not exclusive to on Eternal Redemption but are essen- in line. Fear of this battle station.” – Western religion. The Islamic equiva- tially based on the same mechanism We don’t generally talk about our fears Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin lent to Hell (Jahannam) is pretty much as Little Red Riding Hood or Cinderella. – for the most of us, our daily routines the same thing, which means you end The fact that the concept of Hell has include putting on a mask in the morn- If we had to guess, we’d say you’re up in a dark pit outside of time (as in recurrent themes throughout different ing, a plastered facade that is in place scared of a bunch of things. Death you’re not leaving anytime soon) that cultures points out exactly how primi- to convince the rest of the pack that at probably ranks pretty high amongst features a lot of flogging, dragging and tive a tool it is: it uses primal fears least to a certain degree, we know what anybody alive (or at least, those whipping mixed with the visual imag- (darkness, fire, pain,…) that are pret- we’re doing. Every individual mask among us who actually have a life, ery of fire (flaming clothes, whips and ty much universal to the species to is carefully tuned and fitted to a very you pathetic social reject), followed chains, burning genitalia, etc…). Nota- scare the individual into being a good specific social dynamic and hierarchy, closely by the basic physical fears ble difference: Jahannam has 7 levels, person. That might have worked in things that one should be cautious not that relate directly to our survival the top one being reserved for regular ancient times but we doubt its ef- to upset – especially when you’re not (lions, heights, disease, violence,…) – sinful Muslims – the floors below are ficacy in the neo-hedonist year of exactly alpha-material. Now within but the ones that really warp the living reserved for Christians, Jews and other 2013: we want our fears personalized some social structures that we try to shit out of the human mind are gener- assorted infidels. The Chinese have and custom-catered, labelled by psy- navigate through as we grow up, ad- ally the ones that have sprung from anywhere between 3 and 10 ‘Courts Of chiatrists and treated with prescrip- mitting to fear in public might be inter- the complex social clusterfuck that Hell’ or up to 18 ‘Levels Of Hell’ (reduced tion drugs. Time flies in the 21st cen- preted as a sign of weakness, a mod- we’ve created over the last centuries. from the Buddhist version which men- tury – the world has gotten bigger yet ern version of rolling on the ground The fragile consensus that we call civil tions 118 levels). As in most versions easier to reach so you better make paws up with the softer underbelly society is dependent on everyone’s re- of Hell, sinners are assigned a cham- sure you let The Good Times Roll be- exposed – a grovelling display of sub- luctance to disturb the balance: basi- ber and corresponding punishment fore the hourglass runs out. Religion servience in a society that holds only cally we’ve built a huge house of cards based on the nature of their sins yet has become a comic footnote in con- a grudging respect for its leaders and and now we’re actually trying to live Chinese Hell (Diyu) seems more imagi- temporary culture – the Bible is the nothing but contempt for anyone out- in it, which means that everybody is native with its resources and does not epitome of uncool while the inter- side the alpha-class. Truly, the Group walking on the tips of their toes for rely primarily on fire like conventional net has brought the world into your might not feel like the safest place to fear of making the whole thing crash Western Hell. Visitors to this exotic living room, showing you all the action throw your innermost fears and inse- down. The framework of our world retreat will be able to enjoy a myriad of you’re missing out on. No need to wor- curities. In fact, most of the times that has so many pitfalls that we have never-ending torture methods, includ- ry about eternal damnation (still wait- DRONES IN SHINING people actually start a sentence with to dread a single wrong step, espe- ing but not limited to tongue-ripping, ing for the first Google user review on the words ‘I’m afraid that…’ they’re cially with everybody’s smart phone eye-gouging, skinning, being gored by that one), what you need to be afraid not really afraid of anything – they just camera’s perched for the kill. As if animals, burning, sawing and having of is not getting proper bang for your ARMOR know that what they are about to tell we couldn’t live without 90% of the hooks pierced into the bodies while buck while the offer lasts. As far as you actually sucks for you and as such social circle that we despise anyway being hung upside down. we know, you only live once – so you COSMETIC CiviLITY FROM ABOVE might elicit some negative emotions for not really knowing us, a feeling better make sure that you’re peaking on your behalf (e.g;. ‘your credit card of resentment that is in itself a re- all the time, before you’re too old to has not been accepted’ or ‘we had to verse psychological projection based wear skinny jeans and be in the club. So what’s the modern application of sequentially, declaring a war on that are not our own – we believe in them take both your kidneys’,…), something on how much of a shit we don’t give What you need Our lives have become that much sub- fear as an instrument? By far the most method and the ones practicing it is on good faith – very much the same which in turn makes them feel queasy. about others. Consequentially, these jected to the free market, we approach brilliantly coined strategic keyword and a great way for to a leader to cater to way that people in the Middle Ages be- The ‘fear’ that they refer to is the feel- feelings of fear also become the ones to be afraid of is it with the same goal of profit maximi- political reinvention of the past decade his nation’s civilians, especially if your lieved in Hell. Why? Because we need ing in them that hopes that you’re not that may potentially run and ruin your zation and squeezing it for every last has been terror and the subsequent population thinks it needs to be afraid that framework - it gives us a clear-cut going to cry or yell or – God forbid – life. The fear of speaking in public or not getting proper drop of happiness and enjoyment we war against it – it is a classic political/ of terrorist attacks, whether or not that choice on how to feel, act and talk. The ask them for help. Basically anything confronting someone higher up the can get out of it. Only in the Western military term that has its origins in Latin fear be justified. At the same time, a fact that people accept fear as a given NOT SO F.A.Q. that is not in the pre-written protocol ranks than yourself is as real as you bang for your buck world will you find a copy of The Way (terrere – to frighten, strike fear into), a War on Terror is not limited by territori- mind state hints at how primitive our or social script. Oh we’ve all heard it: decide to make it for yourself – and Of The Tao next to someone’s toilet – strong foothold in popular culture and a al restrictions or army uniforms which consciousness really is: we revel in the ‘I’m afraid I can’t do that.’ – the words this decision will correlate highly with while the offer spiritual enlightenment is something variable control span that can be adjust- provides a wide margin to operate in. simplicity that fear offers us. What we spoken with a smirk that says they love a person’s desire to do well within that we try to squeeze into the daily routine ed to include virtually any target. Un- You can make your enemies include are really scared of is life and the infi- telling you exactly that.