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Anarchism and Primitivism
2 min read
While I feel drawn to traditional anarchism in most of its forms, I find "primitivist" anarchism really disturbing. I suppose the strangest manifestation of primitivist anarchism was the infamous unibomber. First of all, for me, it seems that there is a important line between the destruction of property owned by the oppressive ruling class, and what looks more like ideologically indefensible murder/attempted murder. Property is one thing, human life is something very different.
The annoying thing is that John Zerzan (who gets practically mushy about the Unibomber!) and his followers weaken the anarchist impulse (rather than the "movement"), but adopting an almost comically extreme pose which I doubt even they entirely support. It is one thing to be opposed to oppression and state-sponsored enslavement, but something completely different when that opposition seeks to dismantle all sophisticated material human connections. Primitivists see themselves as "anti-civilization" because the can visualize the oppressive machinery that exists below the suface of present (and historical) "civilizations." However, these folks don't really seem to be able to seperate the forest from the trees.
Certainly, most civilizations have been (and are) oppressive on some level. Traditional anarchist have always argued that a massive, totalizing state is a terrible thing. However, "civilization" has also produced some terribly important results for humankind: sanitation, antibiotics, refrigerated food storage. Sure, this progress has often been at the expense of the natural world; however, the power (and technology) that comes with our current phase of civilization could do far more (if used differently than it is now!) to undo the damage humankind has unleashed on the environment, than encouraging people to smash their laptops and live in a ramshackle cabin in the woods.
The annoying thing is that John Zerzan (who gets practically mushy about the Unibomber!) and his followers weaken the anarchist impulse (rather than the "movement"), but adopting an almost comically extreme pose which I doubt even they entirely support. It is one thing to be opposed to oppression and state-sponsored enslavement, but something completely different when that opposition seeks to dismantle all sophisticated material human connections. Primitivists see themselves as "anti-civilization" because the can visualize the oppressive machinery that exists below the suface of present (and historical) "civilizations." However, these folks don't really seem to be able to seperate the forest from the trees.
Certainly, most civilizations have been (and are) oppressive on some level. Traditional anarchist have always argued that a massive, totalizing state is a terrible thing. However, "civilization" has also produced some terribly important results for humankind: sanitation, antibiotics, refrigerated food storage. Sure, this progress has often been at the expense of the natural world; however, the power (and technology) that comes with our current phase of civilization could do far more (if used differently than it is now!) to undo the damage humankind has unleashed on the environment, than encouraging people to smash their laptops and live in a ramshackle cabin in the woods.
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Devious Journal Entry
1 min read
I wonder what life would be like with slightly less gravity. I wouldn't want everything to go spinning off into space, mind you. I just think that on horribly hot days like today it would add a little spring to my step! It would also make it possible for more aging caucasians like me to slam-dunk!
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