I didn’t know what to expect of John Zerzan.
It was the Tuesday of my first week as the KWVA news director. I was still acclimating to studio equipment, the unforgiving nature of a microphone, and the overall magic of radioland. Out of all the news programs, “Anarchy Radio” is the longest running, with people often calling in from places as far as New Zealand. Even with its huge success, its host, Zerzan, has stayed open-minded, humble and down-to-earth. I’d imagine that his radicalism would’ve been silenced years ago if he acted otherwise.
Zerzan has spent decades slaving tirelessly for social and environmental justice: whether on “Anarchy Radio,” in his books, website or in direct-action efforts. Interestingly enough, opinions on the anarcho-primitivist range from genius to nut job — which only intrigued me more.
After all, primitivists believe humans should return to a pre-agricultural lifestyle. Based on the available amount of food available to us, the earth could support about 100 million people if we lived as hunter-gatherers. The world population is nearing 7 billion.
You do the math.
At first, I thought these ideas were downright insane. But when you consider the development of both social inequality and environmental degradation, they began with agriculture. When Zerzan explains this rationale, he makes sure to recognize that the development of agriculture occurred after nine-tenths of human existence. He thinks that before the domestication and industrialization of our food system, we had more time for leisure and were free of exploitation.
When three ancient civilizations adapted agriculture, they created a food surplus. Suddenly, instead of every human foraging for food, certain people grew the food, while others became their organizers. The birth of this labor division is what created labor specialization. While the question of why certain people allowed others to exploit them remains a mystery, one thing is for sure. With agriculture came social unrest, and with that unrest came mitigation methods.
Some methods were violent.
“The state has always had a monopoly on violence. They are the only organization that can legally wage war on others and physically punish its citizens. Keep in mind, too, that this violence is also waged on our planet,” said Jacob, an anarcho-primitivist and friend of Zerzan.
With BP and the Minerals Management Service being one in the same, this argument holds a large amount of truth.
“The creation of agriculture occurred in three places across the globe. These places ended up becoming centralized empires, and the spread of their agricultural methods was not a peaceful one. It was very bloody, and came with a lot of resistance,” Zerzan said.
I’ve always enjoyed my time in nature. During deep backpacking excursions, instead of using the earth, I started to live with it. When away from civilization or technology, I started to adapt a new way of thinking. Without instant communication, billboards, or quick food, I had to work with others around me. We had to navigate our way through obstacles and physical dangers created by Mother Nature. It was humbled us to our human state. The relationships we cultivated in nature were the most genuine of my lifetime.
Just yesterday, Facebook made me identify my “friends” by face and name before granting me access to the site. It seems like the more we become disconnected by technology, the more technology we need to embrace to become “connected.”
I’ve never been able to reach John Zerzan by mobile telephone. He doesn’t use any type of social networking websites. When I asked him how a primitivist has a radio show and a website, he smiled and responded, “It would seem hypocritical. But I can’t just sit and scratch my ideas on cave walls. The word has to get out there.”
The reality is that primitivism in the United States is impossible. Such a lifestyle can only be practiced in hiding, as all land has an owner. The primitivists I’ve talked to recognize this, and they aren’t planning on trying to personally dismantle society to make their ideals a reality.
“The environmental movement that’s developing isn’t going to look like any social movement of the past. It’s not going to look like the protests of the 1960s. This movement will be forced by the earth, and fueled by the human destruction inflicted on it,” Jacob said.
There is nothing more important then free speech. All ideas exist to preserve healthy debate and dialogue. While I may not endorse or believe in some of the components of anarcho-primitivism, I think there are parts of the philosophy that are extremely valid.
While we now have two massive oil spills to clean —- both in the Gulf and in China —- we should consider where our technology has gotten us. Can you gather better food than your grocery store? Is a “wall post” the same as a face-to-face conversation? As Comcast and NBC merge, BP drills in more deepwater sites, and Monsanto sends seeds to third-world countries, such questions will become increasingly more important.
I’ll let you decide the answers.
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Anarchy ideas apply in world
Daily Emerald
July 25, 2010
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