Jon Ronson - 14.06.12 - University of Surrey

by Victoria Ashdown

What springs to mind when you hear the word psycho? Personally, I hear the jarring screech of violins from the classic film, and consequently picture a madman, in a dress, with a knife. However, after reading Jon Ronson’s critically acclaimed ‘The Psychopath Test’, my somewhat stinted views on the subject have altered. Throughout his writing, Ronson explores what it means to be deemed a psychopath and takes an in-depth and comical journey through the human condition and the ways in which society classifies the psychotic. He consults Robert Hare’s list of twenty qualities widely used to classify a psychopath and employs wit and humour in suggesting that many people in positions of power do, in fact, display psychopathic tendencies. His use of case studies and primary research make Ronson’s work intriguing, comical and slightly disturbing! He blurs the boundary between sanity and insanity and leads the reader to question both themselves and the people who surround them. Will Self, a critic from The Guardian, described ‘The Psychopath Test’ as ‘achingly funny’ and ‘naggingly painful’, acting to ‘force us to think more deeply about the subject in hand.’         

In addition to this thought provoking text, Ronson has won acclaim with his journalistic pieces, created a number of film documentaries and has written a variety of best-selling novels. One of which is the popular title ‘The Men Who Stare At Goats’, which was recently adapted into a film starring George Clooney and Ewan McGregor. Based on true events, the novel focuses on the connection between the US Army in the late 1970s and the potential military applications of the paranormal. In 1979, a covert unit of the US Army was established that held the belief that there were soldiers trained to walk through walls, become invisible, and most bizarrely, kill a goat with a single glance. Ronson’s novel reveals the extraordinary - and very strange – national secrets at the heart of George Bush’s War on Terror and makes some profound links to current affairs.

The University of Surrey has been provided with the exciting opportunity to have an audience with Jon Ronson as part of the Surrey PEN Writers Series that will take place on June 14^th. This will give a valuable insight into the mind of a best-selling author and will give you the chance to ask questions about his work. Please support the work of a talented author and come along, you might be surprised what you learn… here’s hoping it’s not that you’re a closet psychopath. 

Tickets are £3 / £5 / £10 and the event will be followed by a wine reception and a book signing.

Go to www.PENsoc.org for more details and to buy tickets. 

New Bill “celebrated” as it aims to reform Libel Laws

By Alexandra Dawson

A new Bill, introduced to protect freedom of speech and free expression, will help to reform current libel laws and was proposed last Wednesday. The brief announcement of the new Bill in the Queen’s speech, which was published Friday, has been hailed a triumph by campaigners.

The Libel Reform Campaign, which consists of English PEN, Sense About Science and Index on Censorship, hailed the announcement as an immense victory, as the campaign has been calling for legislation to reform libel law since November 2009. Director of English PEN Jonathon Heawood, stated “Our libel laws allow people accused of funding terrorism or dumping toxic waste in Africa to silence their critics whilst ‘super-injunctions’ stop the public from even knowing that such allegations exist. We need to reform our libel laws now, and that’s why we’re launching a national campaign to persuade our politicians to do so.” Whilst there is still work to be done, a spokesman for the campaign said: "The Bill will open the way to ending libel tourism and protecting free expression for journalists, writers, bloggers and scientists around the world.” Despite this, the campaign added, “There is still work to be done and we will carry on campaigning to make sure that the detail in the final Bill will truly deliver reform."

The Bill will work to re-stabilise laws on freedom of speech, and to ensure individuals who have been defamed are able to defend and protect their name and reputation, reducing unjustified threats of libel proceedings. Scientific and academic debates will also be protected, enabling debates on matters of academia and education to be freely expressed, regardless if individuals of such debates are critical of products made by wealthy global companies.

Tireless campaigning has enabled the announced of the new Bill, as Sense About Science managing director Tracey Brown said: " We are really pleased to see the Government has moved closer to honouring its promise of a fairer law and protection of free speech in today's Queen's Speech. This opens the way to developing a law guided by public interest not powerful interests."

Index on Censorship chief executive Kirsty Hughes said "The 60,000 people who signed the Libel Reform Campaign will be delighted that the Government has announced this reform, though we'll be awaiting the detail."

Editor Jo Glanville of Index on Censorship added: "We have now have a chance for libel legislation that's fit for the 21st century.”The introduction of the single publication rule and greater protection for internet service providers will help to put an end to the chilling effect online."

However, Justine Roberts, co-founder and chief executive of the Mumsnet website, stated that whilst the Defamation Bill is “ a very good start,” she criticised the government for “not going far enough to protect freedom of expression, particularly in the online environment,” in relation to social-networking sites.

She added "Websites and hosts of user-generated comment risk becoming tactical targets for those who wish to clamp down on criticism or investigation of their activities."

The reforms that are expected to feature in the Defamation Bill include addressing the current libel laws and the detrimental effects they have on freedom of expression, in relation to academic and scientific debates. The work of non-governmental organisations in accordance with journalism will also be addressed, whilst the debate over libel tourism remains an ongoing concern.

Greater protection for publishers and booksellers will also be tackled, whereas website operators will be protected in regards to online material posted by uses of sites which it hosts. At present, website operators must remove material when they are told it is defamatory or face a risk of libel action. This has lead to many “innocent” cases, where website operators have not been in a position to know whether or not content uploaded by uses onto their sites is in fact defamatory.

In the future, most cases of defamation could be settled by a judge sitting alone. This will significantly reduce costs of cases and time taken to resolve such claims, many of which are identified as “unjustified and trivial.”

Freedom of speech is a gift that should not be abused: use yours.

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