Groups
From Plastic Tub
There is a dizzying array of groups discussed on the Tub, ranging from the friendly to the nefarious to the obscure, each with a tangled weave of lost origins, shifting alliances, and splintering factions. How is one to make heads or tales of it all? This page presents a grossly over-simplified display of some of the more interesting and important groups presented on the Tub. Scholars cringe and tussle over the very notion of the black and white classifications and superficial histories that are presented here, so take this all with a grain of salt, and follow the links to jump into the wonderfully nuanced shades of grey, the dark subterfuges, and the light-hearted ironies that fill the swirling waters of the Tub...
The origins of the Accidental Associationalist movement can be traced back the auspicious meeting between Stimso Adid and Stimes Addisson. Years later, the Third AA International Conference split the AA right between the As, as the movement splintered into competing factions, the Accidentalist and the Associationalist camps. Other splinter and clamper groups soon formed, including, most notably, the militant Accidental Action, the Accidental Associationalist Research Group, the Association of Association, and the 3rd A. Despite the efforts of such protectionist organizations as the 27 Viceroys and the Young Lords, the whole thing slowly collapsed under its own weight. Eventually the Second Wave arose, in large part emerging from members of the Tampa-based Alpha Las Vegas. One last particularly noteworthy spin-off is the children’s group, Lads and Lassies of the Skillet, formed in Stimes Addisson in 1953, seemingly in response to similar developments by Gnomes. A couple of publications of interest include the Reticent 27 and the Lil' AA. Places of interest include Mexico, a crossroads of interesting meetings and events; New Mexico, home to ? and ?; New York, home to many involved parties; and Minneapolis, Tampa, and Garland, Texas, home to latter-day AAers. |
The origin of League of Gnomes is debated. Most point to John P. Merriweather as the founder, tracing this moment through to the creation of various related efforts including the Gnome Scouts, the North American Cardboard Container Manufacturer's Association, the Order of the Wrinkling Lid, the Terminally Obese Children's Foundation, etc. The real sticking point is the Unseen hand which has been various interpreted as some sort of counterfeiting gang set up as blackguards of the Gnomes or as an older, even more sinister group, that established the League of Gnomes for reasons that are unclear. The other occult groups on the Tub can be loosely divided into Death Cults and Secret Societies. The distinction is arbitrary and a point of contention, for it is immediately clear that all contemporary death cults can be classified as secret societies and it is also immediately clear that many, many groups will utilize murder and mayhem as a means to an end. For the purposes of our discussion on this page of the Tub, death cults are more specifically those groups with a principal focus on death as a means of invocation, while secret societies are those secretive organization that seem to steer clear of ritualized bloodshed, turning to murder primarily when it suits their political desires. Death Cults are groups fixed on the cyclical processes of nature, the turn of the seasons, the passing of birth, creation and death. Ritual murder is their forte and ablation is a part of their dark processes. Contemporary death cults operate in dark alcoves, hidden away from the naive public eye, like wolves praying on so many sheep. This makes it difficult to properly identify and classify such groups, but most would agree that death cults include the Anahinthan, worshipers of Mormo and Mumu, and, possibly, the League of Men with Fancy Gloves and the Priory of Goom. Secret Societies include the Choco Cult, La Ligue d'Agenda de la Pinque, La Ligue du Masque Cancereux, the Second order of Sheiks and Friars (Middle East), the Society of Men with Secret Underwear. |