Misanthropy is generalized dislike, distrust, disgust, contempt or hatred of the human species, human nature, or society. A misanthrope is someone who holds such views or feelings. The word's origin is from Greek words (misos, "hatred") and (anthrōpos, "man, human being").

In Western thought

Literature

Misanthropy has been ascribed to a number of writers of satire, such as William S. Gilbert ("I hate my fellow-man"), but such identifications must be closely scrutinized because a critical or darkly humorous outlook toward mankind may be mistaken for genuine misanthropy. Jonathan Swift is widely accused of misanthropy (see A Tale of a Tub and, most especially, Book IV of Gulliver's Travels).

Moliere's character Alceste in Le Misanthrope (1666) states:

Samuel Beckett once remarked that "Hell must be like... reminiscing about the good old days when we wished we were dead." — a statement that may, perhaps, be seen as utterly bleak and hopeless, but not as anti-human or expressive of any hatred of mankind.

Philosophy

In Western philosophy, misanthropy has been connected to isolation from human society. In Plato's Phaedo, Socrates defines the misanthrope in relation to his fellow man: "Misanthropy develops when without art one puts complete trust in somebody thinking the man absolutely true and sound and reliable and then a little later discovers him to be bad and unreliable...and when it happens to someone often...he ends up...hating everyone." Misanthropy, then, is presented as the result of thwarted expectations or even excess optimism, since Plato argues that "art" would have allowed the potential misanthrope to recognize that the majority of men are to be found in between good and evil. Aristotle follows a more ontological route: the misanthrope, as an essentially solitary man, is not a man at all: he must be a beast or a god, a view reflected in the Renaissance of misanthropy as a "beast-like state."

It is important to distinguish between philosophical pessimism and misanthropy. Immanuel Kant said that "Of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing can ever be made," and yet this was not an expression of the uselessness of mankind itself.

Another example of mistaken misanthropy is Jean-Paul Sartre's quote "Hell is other people." On the face of it, this looks deeply misanthropic, but actually Sartre was making an observation about the tendency of human beings to lack self-knowledge. We tend to project our worst fears, and our most deeply disliked personal characteristics, onto other people, rather than look inside and face them within ourselves. Thus, when we look at other people we often see the worst of what is in our own personality.

The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, on the other hand, was almost certainly as famously misanthropic as his reputation. He wrote that "human existence must be a kind of error." It should be added, however, that misanthropy does not necessarily equate with an inhumane attitude towards humanity. Schopenhauer concluded, in fact, that ethical treatment of others was the best attitude, for we are all fellow sufferers and all part of the same will-to-live; he also discussed suicide with a sympathetic understanding which was rare in his own time, when it was largely a taboo subject.

More specifically, Schopenhauer has also been accused of misogyny. Martin Heidegger also showed misanthropy in his concern of the "they" — the tendency of people to conform to one view, which no-one has really thought through, but is just followed because, "they say so". Unlike Schopenhauer, Heidegger was opposed to any ethics or reason to treat others with respect. Though rare, misanthropy has appeared in forms of popular entertainment.

Political economy

Detestation of people, humanity in general may be a reaction to social orders perceived as barbaric, repressive, unfair, or hyper-competitive. In his 1949 article Why Socialism? Einstein gives the example of a cultured man who states that the destruction of humanity would not be a bad thing.

Popular culture

The American standup comedian Bill Hicks expressed misanthropy in his work, calling the human race "a virus with shoes" and referred to himself as a "misanthropic humanist". Similarly, themes of misanthropy appeared on The Holy Bible, the third album by Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers. It included lines such as "All I preach is extinction" and a speech sample of author J. G. Ballard expressing what appear to be deeply misanthropic sentiments.

Psychopathology

Serial killers and other sociopaths frequently express misanthropic attitudes. The murderer of at least 21 people, Carl Panzram said "I hate all the fucking human race. I get a kick out of murdering people" while in a Washington DC jail in 1922.

In Arabian thought

In early and pre-Islamic philosophy, certain thinkers such as Ibn al-Rawandi, a skeptic of Islam, and Muhammad ibn Zakariya ar-Razi often expressed misanthropic views.

In the Judeo-Islamic philosophies (800–1400), the Jewish philosopher Saadia Gaon, uses the Platonic idea that the self-isolated man is dehumanized by friendlessness to argue against the misanthropy of anchorite asceticism and reclusiveness.

See also

Humanism

Misotheism

Philosophical pessimism

Philanthropy

Notes

Category:Human behavior Category:Hate Category:Social psychology Category:Psychological attitude

Coordinates	38°53′37.11″N77°2′33.33″N
Name	Elizabeth Short
Caption	Elizabeth Short, September 23, 1943
Birth date	July 29, 1924
Birth place	Hyde Park, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Death date	ca. January 15, 1947
Death place	Los Angeles, California, United States
Occupation	Waitress
Parents	Cleo Short and Phoebe Mae Sawyer

"The Black Dahlia" was a nickname given to Elizabeth Short (July 29, 1924 – ca. January 15, 1947), an American woman and the victim of a gruesome and much-publicized murder. She acquired the moniker posthumously by newspapers in the habit of nicknaming crimes they found particularly colorful. Short was found mutilated, her body sliced in half at the waist, on January 15, 1947, in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, California. Short's unsolved murder has been the source of widespread speculation, leading to many suspects, along with several books and film adaptations of the story.

Early life

Elizabeth Short grew up and lived in Medford and was born in greater Boston, Massachusetts. She was the third of five daughters of Cleo Short and Phoebe Mae Sawyer. Her father built miniature golf courses until the 1929 stock market crash, in which he lost much of the family's assets. In 1930, he parked his car on a bridge and vanished, leading some to believe he had committed suicide. Short's mother moved the family to a small apartment in Medford, and found work as a bookkeeper. It was not until later that Short would discover her father was alive and was living in California.

Troubled by asthma and bronchitis, Short was sent to live for the winter in Miami, Florida at the age of 16. She spent the next three years living there during the cold months and in Medford the remainder of the year. At age 19, Short travelled to Vallejo, California, to live with her father, who was working nearby at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, located on San Francisco Bay. The two moved to Los Angeles in early 1943, but an altercation resulted in her leaving there and finding work in the post exchange at Camp Cooke (now Vandenberg Air Force Base), near Lompoc, California. Short next moved to Santa Barbara, where she was arrested on September 23, 1943, for underage drinking. Following her arrest, she was sent back to Medford by the juvenile authorities in Santa Barbara. Short then returned to Florida to live, with occasional visits back to Massachusetts.

In Florida, Short met Major Matthew Michael Gordon Jr., a decorated United States Army Air Corps officer who was assigned to the 2nd Air Commando Group and in training for deployment to China Burma India Theater of Operations. Short told friends that Gordon wrote her a letter from India proposing marriage while he was recovering from injuries he sustained from an airplane crash. She accepted his proposal, but Gordon died in an airplane crash on August 10, 1945, before he could return to the United States. She later exaggerated this story, saying that they were married and had a child who died. Although Gordon's friends in the air commandos confirmed that Gordon and Short were engaged, his family denied any connection after Short's murder.

Elizabeth Short returned to Los Angeles in July 1946 to visit Army Air Corps Lieutenant Joseph Gordon Fickling, an old boyfriend she had met in Florida during the war. At the time Short returned to Los Angeles, Fickling was stationed at NARB, Long Beach. For the six months prior to her death, Short remained in southern California, mainly in the Los Angeles area. During this time, she lived in several hotels, apartment buildings, rooming houses, and private homes, never staying anywhere for more than two weeks.

Murder and aftermath

The body of Elizabeth Short was found in the Leimert Park district of Los Angeles on January 15, 1947. Her remains had been left on a vacant lot on the west side of South Norton Avenue midway between Coliseum Street and West 39th Street (). The body was discovered by local resident Betty Bersinger, who was walking with her three-year-old daughter. Her severely mutilated body had been severed at the waist and drained of blood and her face was slashed from the corners of her mouth toward her ears, called the Glasgow smile. The body had been washed and cleaned and she had been "posed" with her hands over her head and elbows bent at right angles.

A number of people, none of whom knew Short, contacted police and the newspapers claiming to have seen her during her so-called "missing week"—a time period between the time of her January 9 disappearance and the time her body was found on January 15. Police and district attorney investigators ruled out each of these alleged sightings, wherein, in some cases, those interviewed were identifying other women they had mistaken for Short.

Many "true crime" books claim that Short lived in or visited Los Angeles at various times in the mid 1940s; these claims have never been substantiated and are refuted by the findings of law enforcement officers who investigated the case. A document in the Los Angeles County district attorney's files titled "Movements of Elizabeth Short Prior to June 1, 1946" states that Short was in Florida and Massachusetts from September 1943 through the early months of 1946 and gives a detailed account of her living and working arrangements during this period. Although a popular portrayal amongst her acquaintances and many true crime authors was of Short as a call girl, the Los Angeles district attorney's grand jury proved there was no existing evidence that she was ever a prostitute and the district attorney's office attributes the claim to confusion with a prostitute of the same name. Another widely circulated rumor holds that Short was unable to have sexual intercourse because of a congenital defect that left her with "infantile genitalia." Los Angeles County district attorney's files state that the investigators had questioned three men with whom Short had sex, including a Chicago police officer who was a suspect in the case. The FBI files on the case also contain a statement from one of Short's alleged lovers. Found in the Los Angeles district attorney's files and in the Los Angeles Police Department's summary of the case, Short's autopsy describes her reproductive organs as anatomically normal although the report notes evidence of what it called "female trouble." The autopsy also states that Short was not and had never been pregnant, contrary to what had been claimed prior to and following her death. As with a large number of killings that took place before and after the Short murder, the original LAPD investigators looked into the Cleveland murders in 1947 and later discounted any relationship between the two cases. However new evidence implicating a former Cleveland torso murder suspect, Jack Anderson Wilson with Short's death was investigated by Detective St John in 1980. St John claimed he was was close to arresting Wilson for the death of Short when Wilson unexpectantly died in a fire on February 4, 1982.

Crime authors such as Steve Hodel and William Rasmussen have suggested a link between the Short murder and the 1946 murder and dismemberment of six-year-old Suzanne Degnan in Chicago. Captain Donahoe of the Los Angeles police also stated publicly that he believed the Black Dahlia and Lipstick murders were "likely connected." Among the evidence cited is the fact that Elizabeth Short's body was found on Norton Avenue three blocks west of Degnan Boulevard, Degnan being the last name of the girl from Chicago and there were striking similarities between the writing of the Degnan ransom note and that of "the Black Dahlia Avenger." For example, both used a combination of capitals and small letters, the Degnan note read in part "BuRN This FoR heR SAfTY" with one of the words matching exactly, both notes also contained a similar mis-shapen letter P. Currently, convicted serial killer William Heirens is serving time for Degnan's murder. Initially arrested at age 17 for breaking into a residence close to that of Suzanne Degnan, Heirens claims he was tortured by police, forced to confess, and made a scapegoat in the Degnan murder.

Books, films, and other media

Adaptations

A 1975 TV movie about the case, Who Is the Black Dahlia? by Robert Lenski and starring Lucie Arnaz and Efrem Zimbalist Jr., is a highly fictionalized version of the murder. Many details were changed because several people, including Short's mother and Red Manley, who brought Short from San Diego to Los Angeles, refused to sign releases for the studio.

A film by Brian De Palma, The Black Dahlia, based on the James Ellroy novel described below, stars Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson, Hilary Swank, Rose McGowan and Mia Kirshner as Elizabeth Short and was released in September 2006.

Selected references in other media

Music

The Black Dahlia Murder (band)

The song "In California" by alt-country songwriter Neko Case contains the lyric, "the Black Dahlia smiles and smiles," a reference to the lacerations to Short's face.

The song "Butchered Whore" by death metal band Deaden begins with a sound clip describing Elizabeth Short's murder and depicts the murder of a woman by a sexual predator in its lyrics.

Black Dahlia- Hollywood Undead

The song "Black Dahlia" by progressive rock band Porcupine Tree was released in 2009 on their album The Incident.

Black Dahlia, a 12-part orchestral suite and tribute to Elizabeth Short composed by Bob Belden and released on Blue Note Records in 2001.

"Chelsea Smile", a song by metalcore band Bring Me The Horizon. The music video starts with a woman that looks like Short puting lipstick in the form of Short's scars

Literature

John Gregory Dunne used the murder as a point of departure in his 1977 novel True Confessions, which was made into the 1981 film of the same name starring Robert Duvall and Robert De Niro with a screenplay by Dunne and his wife, Joan Didion.

Neo-noir author James Ellroy based his 1987 book, The Black Dahlia on the crime.

Max Allan Collins combined the Black Dahlia and Cleveland Torso Murder in his Shamus Award-winning 2002 novel Angel in Black, featuring his character, private investigator Nathan Heller.

William Randolph Fowler, a reporter at the scene of the crime, included the Black Dahlia case in his 1991 autobiography Reporters: Memoirs of a Young Newspaperman.

The book Exquisite Corpse: Surrealism And The Black Dahlia Murder by Mark Nelson and Sarah Hudson Bayliss compares the Black Dahlia murder to surrealist art.

Jack Webb's novel The Badge includes an entire section devoted to the case of the Black Dahlia.

The plot of the Lynda La Plante novel The Red Dahlia features a copycat killer emulating the Black Dahlia case. The book has since been adapted into the 2010 TV mini-series Above Suspicion: The Red Dahlia.

Television and film

The case inspired the 1953 noir film The Blue Gardenia, including a title song sung by Nat King Cole.

In the thirteenth episode of season 4 ("The Black Dahlia"-1988) of the NBC television series Hunter, Sgt. Rick Hunter investigates the Black Dahlia case, as old bones with cuts identical to Elizabeth Short's are found under an old building.

References

Further reading

External links

Black Dahlia Killer Profile on America's Most Wanted

Black Dahlia in The Los Angeles Times.

truTV entry for Black Dahlia.

The FBI's Black Dahlia files from the FBI's Freedom of Information Act site.

"Somebody Knows" episode a 1950 radio program on the case.

Black Dahlia murder with rare photos from the LA Public Library

The Black Dahlia photos at rotten.com

Category:1947 crimes Category:American murder victims Category:Hollywood history and culture Category:People from Boston, Massachusetts Category:People murdered in California Category:1924 births Category:1947 deaths Category:Unsolved murders in the United States

Coordinates	38°53′37.11″N77°2′33.33″N
Name	Nocturno Culto
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Ted Skjellum
Alias	Nocturno Culto
Born	4 March 1972 (age 38)
Origin	Norway
Instrument	VocalsElectric guitarBass
Genre	Black metal, death metal, crust punk
Occupation	Musician, Songwriter
Years active	1988–present
Associated acts	Darkthrone, Satyricon, Sarke

Nocturno Culto (born Ted Skjellum on 4 March 1972) is a Norwegian musician, best known as the vocalist, lead guitarist and partial bassist (shared with Fenriz) of the influential black metal band Darkthrone. He has been with the band since 1988. He currently works in Norway as a school teacher, and has two daughters. He has also released a documentary film called The Misanthrope in which he deals with black metal music and life in Norway.

Discography

Note: All releases are with Darkthrone, unless noted otherwise. This does not include minor guest appearances.

1988 – A New Dimension

1989 – Thulcandra

1989 – Cromlech

1990 – Soulside Journey

1992 – A Blaze in the Northern Sky

1993 – Under a Funeral Moon

1994 – Transilvanian Hunger

1995 – Panzerfaust

1996 – Nemesis Divina (with Satyricon - guitar)

1997 – Goatlord

1996 – Total Death

1999 – Ravishing Grimness

2001 – Plaguewielder

2003 – Hate Them

2004 – Sardonic Wrath

2004 – On Frostbitten Path Beneath (with Vidsyn - additional vocals)

2006 – The Cult Is Alive

2007 – F.O.A.D.

2008 – Dark Thrones and Black Flags

2009 – Vorunah (with Sarke - vocals)

2010 - Circle the Wagons

Filmography

2007 – The Misanthrope (documentary)

External links

Nocturno Culto on MySpace

Interview with Nocturno Culto in Norwegian and English

Interview with Fenriz and Nocturno Culto for The Lodge

Interview with Nocturno Culto for The Lodge

Category:1972 births Category:Living people Category:Black metal singers Category:Heavy metal bass guitarists Category:Norwegian bass guitarists Category:Norwegian black metal musicians Category:Norwegian educators Category:Norwegian heavy metal guitarists Category:Norwegian heavy metal singers Category:Norwegian male singers Category:Norwegian multi-instrumentalists Category:Norwegian rock guitarists Category:Norwegian rock singers Category:Date of birth missing (living people) Category:Place of birth missing (living people)

Coordinates	38°53′37.11″N77°2′33.33″N
Name	Limbonic Art
Background	group_or_band
Years active	1993–2003, 2006–present
Origin	Sandefjord, Norway
Genre	Symphonic black metal
Label	Nocturnal Art Productions
Url	Limbonic Art at MySpace
Current members	Vidar JensenKrister Dreyer

Limbonic Art is a black metal band from Sandefjord, Norway.

Biography

Limbonic Art formed in 1993. In 1996, they were signed to the record label Nocturnal Art Productions, owned by Samoth (of Emperor and Zyklon). Their debut album was Moon in the Scorpio. In 2003, the group decided to disband with a statement saying "we feel that we have reached as far as we could in our collaboration ... the circle is complete, begin another".

On June 6, 2006 (06.06.06), the band reunited and started to write new material. On February 21, 2007 it was announced that the band plans to release the new album entitled Legacy of Evil in summer 2007.

A subsequent dispute between the band members resulted in Morfeus's ouster from the band, making Limbonic Art essentially Daemon's solo project. He has currently completed the new Limbonic Art release, named Phantasmagoria, out summer 2010. The new music strips the symphonics and keyboards, making it a more raw, pure black metal band.

Discography

Studio releases

Moon in the Scorpio (1996)

In Abhorrence Dementia (1997)

Epitome of Illusions (demo compilation) (1998)

Ad Noctum - Dynasty of Death (1999)

The Ultimate Death Worship (2002)

Legacy of Evil (2007)

''Phantasmagoria (2010)

Band members

Current members

Vidar Jensen (Daemon) - lead vocals, guitars,bass, keyboards, electronics, drum programming, lyrics - (1993–2003, 2006–present)

Past members

Krister Dreyer (Morfeus) - lead guitar, vocals (on early albums), keyboards, electronics, drum programming, samples (1993–2003, 2006–2010)

Guest members

Per Eriksen - Gong on Ad Noctum - Dynasty of Death

Anne Aasebø (Morgana) - vocals on The Moon in the Scorpio and In Abhorrence Dementia

Lisbeth Fagerheim - vocals on In Abhorrence Dementia

Attila Csihar - backing vocals on The Ultimate Death Worship

References

External links

Limbonic Art on MySpace

Category:Norwegian black metal musical groups Category:Symphonic metal musical groups Category:Norwegian musical groups Category:Norwegian heavy metal musical groups Category:Musical groups established in 1993 Category:Symphonic black metal musical groups