That there are weirdos in this world is a fact. That we have been demonized, persecuted, judged, even hunted as if we were monsters – that’s a fact too. This continues to happen today in different ways.
I recently read a book that explains this phenomenon and some of the reasons behind it: Conform or Be Cast Out: The (Literal) Demonization of Nonconformists, by Logan Albright.
The cover to Conform or Be Cast out by Logan Albright [Moon Books]
- Publisher: Moon Books
- Print Length: December 1, 2021
- Language: English
- Genres: Folklore & Mythology, History, Occultism, Popular Culture
- Print Length: 176 pages
- ISBN-10: 1789048427
- ISBN-13: 978-1789048421
- Synopsis: Everyone knows that being different is a good way to be unpopular, but what if you’re so different that people think you are an actual servant of evil? Conform or Be Cast Out is a history of humankind’s tendency not only to shun nonconformists, but to label them as devils, demons, and Satan worshippers. Beginning with scapegoats and devil figures in folklore and mythology, the book moves on to look at other aspects of nonconformity such as witchcraft, the Inquisition, spiritualism and medical conditions once mistaken for lycanthropy, vampirism, and demonic possession before concluding with a discussion on aspects of contemporary culture ranging from heavy metal music to zombie movies.
First of all, thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
This is a short, simple, yet useful book that makes me wonder how many times we’ve condemned those we didn’t understand. Conform or Be Cast Out includes examples from several times across history, mostly European, but there are a few cases from other cultures as well.
The main topic being demonization, Logan Albright pays special attention to those beings – that is, demons – and how they’ve come to be seen in Europe and America, along with people that have been described as demon-like or considered as such in the flesh, with painful details about some of them. I wouldn’t say it’s graphic, but these are strong topics for sure.
St. Guthlac and a bunch of demons. From the 13th century Guthlac Scroll, housed in the British Library.
Conform or Be Cast Out is also a good reading to examine one’s own prejudice and biases. I have recognized mine for a while, but this book helped me see how much damage those can do, see things under a different light, understand where some of those may come from, and put myself in the right way to be more receptive and respectful.
It is interesting that it’s human to attack what we don’t understand, to get defensive, instead of being open to dialogue. Maybe this is because we are taught that way, to fear the unknown, to fear the other, the different. As an immigrant, a child of immigrants, a Pagan, a Goth, and possibly an autistic person, I’ve seen this happen time and time again, either to me or around me.
I do think it would have been better if it was a longer book, but it was still effective. It is beyond the scope of any publication to provide a full, complete account of all the times we’ve seen horrible acts committed because of prejudice and intolerance, and it certainly gets a reader thinking about all those topics. However, a higher level of detail would have brought this book up a notch rather than being more generic.
Logan Albright did a good job at writing something special, something different, to take the reader out of their comfort zone and challenge their views. There are modern and historic examples of people losing their humanity due to their ignorance, a simple reading that’s easy to follow and keeps you attentive. Conform or Be Cast Out will be useful for Witches that want to have a better understanding of minorities and preconceived ideas that might or might not be right.
Definitely worth giving it a try!
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