Censorship Now!! by Ian F. Svenonius: Absurd Theories or Cultural Critique?

Censorship Now!! is a collection of essays by Ian F. Svenonius that satirically critique mass media and pop culture. Svenonius’s essays propose comical and ridiculous ideas in an anarchist, post-modernist, and snotty punk-rock fashion. Some might dismiss the whole book as a ridiculous joke, claiming that his theories are totally unhinged. In my opinion, the essays contain a considerable number of accurate observations about modern society that make his theories seem like legitimate, if absurd, cultural critique. 

Titles include “True Origins of the Internet,” “The Historic Role of Sugar in Empire Building,” and, my personal favorite, “All Power to the Pack Rats! Ikea and Apple’s War on Hoarders,” which discusses Apple’s master plan to control the masses with their sleek, minimalist, and mechanized aesthetic. In this essay, Svenonius connects Ikea’s stark products to Apple’s and explores how these companies create impossible instruction manuals in order to kill romance, break relationships, and sell double the products. According to this theory, hoarders are the only remaining contingent who have the power to save romance and resist America’s all-consuming, disconnected, corporate landscape.  

Another one of my favorite essays, “Heathers Revisited: The Nerd’s Fight for Niceness,” is a fascinating and controversial take on the classic 1988 high school movie Heathers. Svenonius states that the whole movie is a story of patriarchal monotheism Christianity overruling feminine paganism. Veronica and J.D. are the conservative Christians trying to eliminate The Heathers, which represent pagan goddesses, a return to the old order. J.D.’s father (who is the inspiration for the murders) is the Old Testament God, while J.D. is Jesus Christ. Although it sounds like a reach for something as vapid as a high school movie, the argument Svenonius makes is pretty convincing. 

I would recommend Censorship Now!! to anyone who has a knowledge of traditional Marxist or religious theory and is looking to expand their perspective to a more modern context. I would also recommend it to anyone who is looking for an introduction to societal commentary in a light, relatable, and amusing way; this book is nothing if not a contrast to the rigid and intimidating structure of most theory.