Skip to content
U.S. Transhumanist Party – Official Website
  • Home
  • Posts
  • Values
  • Platform
  • Leadership
  • Advisors
  • Candidates
  • Highlights
  • FAQ
  • States & Allies
  • Free Membership
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Search Icon

U.S. Transhumanist Party – Official Website

U.S. Transhumanist Party – PUTTING SCIENCE, HEALTH, & TECHNOLOGY AT THE FOREFRONT OF AMERICAN POLITICS

U.S. Transhumanist Party Official Statement Regarding Johannon Ben Zion

U.S. Transhumanist Party Official Statement Regarding Johannon Ben Zion

June 24, 2020 United States Transhumanist Party Comments 9 comments

logo_bg


The United States Transhumanist Party (USTP) issues this statement to address the recent activities of an individual who has alternately gone by the pseudonyms Johannon Ben Zion, Jochannon Ben-Zion, Johannon BenZion, J. Ben Zion, and Ben Zion. This individual (hereafter, “Ben Zion”) has not been affiliated with the USTP in any manner since June 8, 2020.

Recently it has come to the USTP’s attention that on June 14, 2020, Ben Zion publicly announced his intention to pursue a project for generating lab-grown human meat from his own cells (the “Ben Burger” or “BenZion Burger”). Furthermore, Ben Zion filmed himself carrying out this intention. Defying explicit warnings from USTP leadership against doing so, Ben Zion cultivated his own cells in a laboratory for three months and replicated them, eating the resultant mass of human meat on video. The screenshot below is an excerpt from a post recently made by Ben Zion to some of his social-media pages.

The USTP points to this bewildering scheme as a prime example of the many ill-advised and repugnant behaviors which led the USTP to expel Ben Zion from its ranks and to disavow him and his activities. Cannibalism of any sort and by any means, including auto-cannibalism, is not tolerated by the USTP and is contrary not only to the forward-thinking vision of transhumanism, but even to the elementary norms which every civilized society has arrived at through empirical observation since ancient times. Cannibalism is morally wrong even when it does not destroy sentient life, since it results in prion diseases and other maladies whose obvious incidence led even pre-scientific peoples to renounce it. USTP Officers had previously warned Ben Zion that he would be disavowed if he pursued this reckless project, and it appears that Ben Zion has lapsed into this severe breach of ethics now that the prudent guardrails previously established for his conduct by the USTP are no longer effective in restraining his worst tendencies. 

The USTP is aware that Ben Zion has been making various public mischaracterizations of our organization and its activities and outlooks. Ben Zion has been posting inaccurate and inflammatory allegations on a Facebook group dominated by authoritarian and intolerant trolls, which impersonates the USTP and calls itself “Transhumanist Party (US)” but is in fact an assemblage of known detractors who do not know how to behave civilly or gracefully and who ban all dissent. They are also in violation of the Transhumanist Party trademark. One such detractor, Eray Ozkural, was condemned by the USTP on August 11, 2019, as he had “in both public posts on Facebook and in private messages, […] harassed and severely insulted members of the U.S. Transhumanist Party and respected transhumanists within our community.”  We continue to take exception to this unacceptable behavior.

Therefore, the USTP considers it necessary to issue this definitive public statement in the interests of truth and transparency. Subsequent to the release of this statement, it will be the policy of the USTP not to officially involve itself with any activities of Ben Zion, nor to comment thereon, other than by reference to this statement. 

Ben Zion has starkly violated the commitment that he agreed to when he registered as a candidate in the USTP Primary in 2019. He answered “Yes” to the following question, yet his behavior, both recently as documented below and unfolding over a course of many months, has been in sharp contrast to that commitment.

“Do you agree to work collaboratively with the USTP during the campaign season and not to disparage the USTP as well as not to work contrary to the interests and goals of the USTP during that time?”

Ben Zion’s behavior during the past year illustrated his extreme unwillingness to abide by this commitment.

  1. He has repeatedly insulted and belittled members of the USTP and called for purges of those who disagree with him – violating our long-standing policy of openness and tolerance to a variety of political perspectives. He has sought to rid the USTP of libertarian, conservative, moderate, center-left, and apolitical members, who in totality comprise the vast majority of the USTP’s membership. He has expressly attacked and sought to undermine the USTP’s historic inclusive “big tent” approach of collaborating with individuals of a multitude of political and philosophical views.
  2. He has actively sought to splinter the USTP and form a competing organization and also to seek the nomination of other parties to the detriment and de-emphasis of his USTP endorsement.
  3. He has repeatedly engaged in hate-filled tirades in social-media comment threads – often “comment-storming” respected members of the USTP and allies, including some of our Transhumanist Party counterparts abroad, in a manner that alienated them.
  4. He has actively advocated for violent protests, contrary to the USTP Platform’s categorical opposition to violence. He has denounced and ridiculed, and attempted to malign and discredit with epithets and lies, those who express support for peaceful and civil action only.
  5. He has expressed glee at the prospect of a violent death for the President of the United States.
  6. He has continued to post inflammatory, tasteless, divisive, and esthetically atrocious content incessantly on social media despite being told for months that it is in poor taste and does not represent the values and character of the USTP.
  7. Finally, and most grievously, he has schemed clandestinely to spread malicious lies about the leadership of the USTP and essentially attempted to engineer a coup. In any organization, this kind of insubordination and attempted power grab cannot be tolerated. This matter requires some elaboration to illustrate the sequence of events. 

On or about June 4-5, 2020, Ben Zion sent a series of private messages to numerous individuals, containing egregious and utterly false allegations regarding USTP leadership, filled with outright falsehoods and fabrications intended to exploit the George Floyd riots and eliminate any obstacles to a Ben Zion takeover of the USTP. Many recipients of those messages, however, promptly shared them with USTP leadership, and Ben Zion’s actions were clearly recognized to fit the definition of an opportunistic power play. 

At that time a vote of the USTP Officers was called to expel Ben Zion from his Vice-Chairman position and from the USTP. Before the vote was finalized, however, USTP Officers tried various measures at containing the damage of these false allegations – for instance, requiring Ben Zion to issue apologies to everyone he contacted (although we are aware that he did not actually apologize to everyone). Ben Zion’s presence was even tolerated at a subsequent USTP Virtual Enlightenment Salon after this misconduct had occurred. USTP Officers then asked Ben Zion to voluntarily step down from the Vice-Chairman role, but the USTP remained willing to keep him as its endorsed candidate if he simply agreed not to spread false accusations or attempt a takeover again. He refused, and doubled down on his contrived and ludicrous allegations. At that point USTP Officers had no choice but to expel him from the Vice-Chairman role – whereupon Ben Zion made his choice to leave the USTP and to denounce it based on conspiratorial delusions. 

To summarize, Ben Zion is disavowed by the USTP for a long history of misconduct, including making egregiously false allegations, attempting a coup, engaging in toxic behavior on social media, advocating for positions contrary to the USTP Platform, disparaging respected USTP members and Officers, seeking to institute a purge of members who disagreed with him, and refusing any of the multiple accommodations offered by the USTP for an amicable resolution to these issues. The USTP is no longer associated with him in any way and takes exception to his ongoing false representations. In retrospect, it is apparent to the USTP that Ben Zion is and was a firebrand, infiltrator, and provocateur, not a genuine advocate of transpartisan, forward-thinking transhumanist principles. 

Recent revelations regarding the “BenZion Burger” project underscore the prudence of this disavowal by the USTP.  The USTP is pleased that the same video in which Ben Zion announced his “BenZion Burger” project was the video which he prefaced with a statement of his departure from the USTP. Our organization and the transhumanist community generally are better off by not affiliating with an individual who is willing to obstinately pursue such misguided and repulsive publicity stunts.

It is tragically unfortunate that Ben Zion has alienated many erstwhile friends and supporters through his divisive and reprehensible behavior. However, the USTP as an organization must move forward and heal from these unfortunate events. We are highly encouraged by the Charlie Kam 2020 Presidential campaign and will be promoting it widely in the coming weeks. We are also highly encouraged by the boost in new membership applications that the Charlie Kam campaign has already motivated. Ours is a big-tent organization, characterized by inclusivity and tolerance of a wide variety of perspectives and of individuals from all backgrounds and all parts of the world. We hope to continue our growth and expand our influence on broader public opinion by means of respectful, constructive, and techno-positive communications and projects.


Statements
Ben Zion, J. Ben Zion, Johannon Ben Zion

Post navigation

PREVIOUS
U.S. Transhumanist Party Action Items for New Members
NEXT
Charlie Kam – 2020 U.S. Presidential Candidate Endorsed by the U.S. Transhumanist Party

9 thoughts on “U.S. Transhumanist Party Official Statement Regarding Johannon Ben Zion”

  1. Hank Pellissier says:
    June 24, 2020 at 12:08 pm

    congrats Gennady – you have done the right thing, and acted professionally. Indeed, you were extremely patient with him for many months. I am sure there are many people, like myself, who are very happy to see BZ gone

    Reply
  2. zach richardson says:
    June 24, 2020 at 3:14 pm

    Good riddance. I could always tell he was going to be trouble by the way he sneered at differing viewpoints during the alternative debates.

    Reply
  3. Jonathan Mark Schattke says:
    June 24, 2020 at 4:03 pm

    Well, his actions during the primary were sleazy, but this raises to a whole new level of insanity.

    Reply
  4. Everest says:
    June 24, 2020 at 4:52 pm

    While it does sound as though other actions on Zion’s part justify a ban and then some, I find it extremely disturbing that the USTP is categorizing cannibalism—or, more precisely, eating meat *grown in a lab from one’s own cells*—as “morally wrong” and “contrary to transhumanism” even under circumstances when, by the Party’s own admission, it does not involve any harm to third parties.
    To the best of my knowledge, prion diseases are not contagious; given this, I find it hard to see the moral condemnation of cannibalism based on disease risk (rather than on, say, the psychological effects on surviving relatives of the deceased, which does not apply here) as anything other than a gross overstepping of the authority the Transhumanist Party has been granted by the trust of its members. I agree, of course, that cannibalism is *dangerous*, and that those who wish to avoid the risk of prion diseases likewise ought to avoid cannibalism; however, treating the choice to take on that risk as a *moral wrong* goes against my most deeply-held principles.
    My affiliation with transhumanism is not based on the desire for a particular end goal for humanity, but rather on the belief that transcending what nature has given us is a worthy and desirable goal. A consequence of this belief is that I affirm the right of every individual to do with his or her own body what he or she sees fit, even if I find it strange or disturbing. I do not view it as moral to condemn the choice to put oneself at risk, even if I would avoid doing the same, nor do I believe that cannibalism “violates the sanctity of the human body” or other such anti-rational nonsense.
    USTP leadership has severely disappointed me by taking this irrational anti-cannibalism stance, and—depending on whether it turns out to reflect a broader trend within Party thought—I may well have to reconsider my affiliation.

    Reply
  5. MichaƂ Szymacha says:
    June 24, 2020 at 9:05 pm

    How could you not filter person like that and let him run for president on behalf of the USTP? Some series of conversations with basic understanding of psychology and background check could have prevented that I think.

    “USTP remained willing to keep him as its endorsed candidate” I don’t agree with that. Any one occurrence of type of behavior you mentioned should disqualify him. I don’t know why officers have such a low standards for someone who is representing the whole party.

    Reply
  6. Rudi Hoffman says:
    June 25, 2020 at 10:19 pm

    Gennady’s writing above is articulate, measured, and reasonable. I don’t pretend to know or understand the fact-pattern in this issue, but I can say that Gennady’s and the USTP would seem to be better off without such a polarizing individual. We already have a polarizing egotist in power in the White House, let’s not have another in our nascent movement.

    Reply
  7. Zipporah Naomi Pecot says:
    June 28, 2020 at 4:20 am

    I see. I didn’t know this happened. I hope someone didn’t force Ben to do this…I noticed him acting strange , and was worried when we met and hung out , and I noticed abuse towards him from seemingly- hackers- when I tried to make sure he slept well. He we had a disagreement when we tried to confide in each other and I found it strange.

    Reply
  8. Bob "Gamer" Jones says:
    July 18, 2020 at 10:33 am

    So sad to see a fellow gamer go! I did not know he would do such a terrible thing to this wonderful party. I look forward to giving my support to the new party candidate, see you all in November!

    Love,
    A Fellow Gamer

    Reply
  9. Mark N says:
    July 27, 2020 at 11:41 pm

    I tried to warn people about this guy early on, but he kept bringing in more and more sycophants from the outside, in order to drown out any dissent. https://imgur.com/a/YFMHSbT

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Social Media

Constitution of the U.S. Transhumanist Party

Transhumanist Bill of Rights – Version 3.0

U.S. Transhumanist Party Facebook Feed

Free Transhumanist Symbols

Guidelines for Community Conduct

SUBMIT A POST

Subject Categories

    - Life Extension
    - Artificial Intelligence
    - Space Colonization
    - Robotics
    - Biotechnology
    - Nanotechnology
    - Autonomous Vehicles
    - 3D Printing
    - Cryptocurrencies
    - Vertical Farming
    - Universal Basic Income
    - Existential Risk
    - Rationality

Hashtags

    #USTranshumanistParty, #TranshumanistParty, #TranshumanistPolitics, #TomRoss2024, #RossTwedt2024

Recent Posts

  • Art Ramon Appointed as Chairman of Arizona Transhumanist Party as David Shumaker Transitions to Emeritus Role
  • RADICAL LIFE SUBTRACTION: Navigating An Uncomfortable Discourse – Article by Tom Ross
  • THE WA.I.TER RULE: Unveiling True Character Through AI Interactions – Article by Tom Ross
  • “PLAYING GOD” ACCUSATION: Unraveling the Controversy Surrounding Transhumanism – Article by Tom Ross
  • CONSPIRACY CAMPAIGN: Leaning into the Unconventional – Article by Tom Ross
  • Ending Aging Forum 2023 – Announcement by SENS Research Foundation
  • U.S. Transhumanist Party Virtual Enlightenment Salon with Miguel Conner – July 16, 2023
  • U.S. Transhumanist Party Virtual Enlightenment Salon with Brent Nally – July 2, 2023
  • U.S. Transhumanist Party Stream – Nigerian Student Tech Innovators: Nonso Nolly and Frederick Onwuka
  • Five Misconceptions About Radical Life Extension – Article by Arjun Khemani
  • Validating One’s Virtues and Vices – Article by Zach Richardson
  • Sorry, Dr. Coughlin, “Aging” and “Old Age” Are Real, and They Suck – Article by Dan Elton
  • U.S. Transhumanist Party 2023 Electronic Primary Results – Tom Ross Endorsed as Candidate for President of the United States, Daniel Twedt Selected as Candidate for Vice-President
  • U.S. Transhumanist Party Presidential Candidate Roundtable – Tom Ross and Daniel Twedt – May 7, 2023 – and Subsequent Candidate Answers to Viewer Questions
  • A Transhumanist “Minimum Effective Dose” for Humanitarian Needs – Article by Zach Richardson
  • The Class Struggle of Longevity – Article by Luis Arroyo
  • U.S. Transhumanist Party Call for 2024 Presidential Candidates and Outline of 2023 Endorsement and Primary Process
  • Universal Sign Language – Transhuman / Transhumanism / Transhumanist – Post by Art Ramon Garcia, Jr.
  • The Anti-Aging Manifesto by Mat Alex Richards
  • U.S. Transhumanist Party Virtual Enlightenment Salon with Makiko Yoshioka – June 5, 2022

Recent Comments

  • Vladimir Shakirov on U.S. Transhumanist Party General Discussion Thread for 2023
  • Zach Richardson on Five Misconceptions About Radical Life Extension – Article by Arjun Khemani
  • Jason Mallory on U.S. Transhumanist Party 2023 Electronic Primary Results – Tom Ross Endorsed as Candidate for President of the United States, Daniel Twedt Selected as Candidate for Vice-President
  • Ben Ballweg on U.S. Transhumanist Party 2023 Electronic Primary Results – Tom Ross Endorsed as Candidate for President of the United States, Daniel Twedt Selected as Candidate for Vice-President
  • Jess H. Brewer on U.S. Transhumanist Party Presidential Candidate Roundtable – Tom Ross and Daniel Twedt – May 7, 2023 – and Subsequent Candidate Answers to Viewer Questions

Archives

  • September 2023 (6)
  • August 2023 (1)
  • July 2023 (4)
  • May 2023 (3)
  • April 2023 (3)
  • March 2023 (2)
  • February 2023 (12)
  • January 2023 (24)
  • December 2022 (2)
  • November 2022 (2)
  • October 2022 (3)
  • August 2022 (3)
  • July 2022 (2)
  • May 2022 (6)
  • March 2022 (3)
  • February 2022 (4)
  • January 2022 (7)
  • December 2021 (11)
  • November 2021 (4)
  • October 2021 (5)
  • September 2021 (2)
  • August 2021 (2)
  • July 2021 (4)
  • June 2021 (2)
  • May 2021 (6)
  • April 2021 (7)
  • March 2021 (4)
  • February 2021 (5)
  • January 2021 (6)
  • December 2020 (10)
  • November 2020 (4)
  • October 2020 (2)
  • September 2020 (1)
  • August 2020 (4)
  • July 2020 (5)
  • June 2020 (6)
  • May 2020 (3)
  • April 2020 (3)
  • March 2020 (6)
  • February 2020 (1)
  • January 2020 (6)
  • December 2019 (3)
  • November 2019 (2)
  • October 2019 (9)
  • September 2019 (10)
  • August 2019 (12)
  • July 2019 (18)
  • June 2019 (17)
  • May 2019 (12)
  • April 2019 (8)
  • March 2019 (12)
  • February 2019 (7)
  • January 2019 (13)
  • December 2018 (9)
  • November 2018 (5)
  • October 2018 (9)
  • September 2018 (5)
  • August 2018 (10)
  • July 2018 (13)
  • June 2018 (14)
  • May 2018 (8)
  • April 2018 (8)
  • March 2018 (10)
  • February 2018 (15)
  • January 2018 (17)
  • December 2017 (8)
  • November 2017 (17)
  • October 2017 (19)
  • September 2017 (11)
  • August 2017 (11)
  • July 2017 (16)
  • June 2017 (15)
  • May 2017 (10)
  • April 2017 (7)
  • March 2017 (8)
  • February 2017 (16)
  • January 2017 (8)
  • December 2016 (6)
  • November 2016 (5)

Categories

  • Allied Projects
  • Announcements
  • Art
  • Candidates
  • Discussion Panels
  • Distributed Computing
  • Exposure Periods
  • Foreign Ambassadors
  • General Discussion
  • Guest Articles
  • Inclusion
  • Interviews
  • Official Ballots
  • Petitions
  • Platform
  • Presentations
  • Press Releases
  • Research
  • Sample Ballots
  • Science Fiction
  • Statements
  • Tolerance
  • Virtual Enlightenment Salons
  • Vote Results
  • Working Groups

Victor Run Virtual Race – June 4-6, 2021

Historical Archive – 2020 U.S. Presidential Ticket – Charlie Kam and Liz Parrish

© 2023   Copyright - U.S. Transhumanist Party - All Rights Reserved | WordPress design: Art Ramon Paintings