There are a scattered handful of dedicated environmental activists in operation today out to save what is left of “the wild outdoors” by opposing corporate and government activities which are destroying and depleting what is left of the living Earth. The mainstream news media, owned by corporate conglomerates, focus their attention on the activists’ destruction of property, research projects and the general mayhem they incite, identifying these activists as eco-terrorists but the news media never labels them eco-warriors.
In the U.S. 98% of all harvestable trees have been cut down but the tree-hugging environmentalists’ activism is labeled eco-terrorism because these eco-warriors seek to save what is left of the remaining two per cent. It is impossible to separate the interests of the news media corporate conglomerates from the interests of all other corporate conglomerates because, in many ways, they have too often merged to serve the interests of each other through political and economic ties.
The only advantage the tiny factions of eco-warriors have over the government and corporate conglomerates is eco-warriors seek no voice, no meeting place, no gathering of members, no leaders, no followers and no organizational structure which allows little or no opportunity for infiltration by the centralized government and corporate oppressors.
Instead, eco-warriors may be loners or groups of two or three who do not seek recognition for their acts of opposition. The acts of opposition do the talking, so to speak, by spreading political and environmental awareness. The non-vocal, shy, solitary, activist of the 21st Century carries the Earth First banner in his heart, not on his sleeve. The eco-warrior today forms no network and seeks no reward. He does not fight people, he fights a consumptive culture that has been institutionalized…he fights the planetary empire of unbridled growth and greed which employs the corporate growth maniacs, oppressors and killers of life and planet Earth. The government and corporate oppressors are the true eco-terrorists and they want only one thing in the world….everything!
It can be hard to avoid hypocrisy in any struggle against the status quo. The political and capitalist economies in place in America make it practically impossible. To be an activist against environmental rapists and polluters many vow not to wear leather, fur or eat meat and dairy products. However, animal products are still used to make cars, film, movies, musical recordings, cosmetics, clothing and countless other products. So, do you swear off driving a car, wearing clothing and going to movies? Even if you are a vegan the companies you buy vegetables from are likely connected to the meat and dairy industries.
To be an activist your choices are limited. You cannot entirely escape the conditions your may be forced to live within, replicate and reinforce. To insist that an activist obeys only one set of rules is not only unrealistic but dogmatic and even authoritarian like the dogma which has been forced on activists for centuries.
An activist’s guidelines need to be re-evaluated and challenged from time to time to prevent stagnation. Tasting the forbidden fruit of hypocrisy also helps the activist remain immune to the shame and potential despair that may afflict the person who strives for the ideal activism of perfect innocence.
Inconsistencies in your heart and soul are only natural. Be proud to be a hypocrite in your struggle to overthrow the status quo. Anyway, it is difficult to be a saint and still be a part of the political and capitalist economic system of modern life in America. Do not even try to claim you are innocent and a saint, pure and right all the time. Act joyous and do not accept that you are helpless to effect change…even if you are. Act on your own, passionately and joyously and this, in and of itself, can be the revolt you seek but probably not the revolution. A real revolution involves breaking out of all preconceived roles, reclaiming our lives and seizing control of our own destinies creating new selves and new forms of interaction and community.
In your heart the activist knows and believes that state-organized societies, whatever economies they are based upon, cannot be ecologically sustainable in the long term future. Activism helps us and others see. However, in the meantime, you will face negativity and harsh language from critics which try to make you feel alone and guilty about that which you cannot control or change right now but in your
heart you know something is wrong and that wrong should not stand. Remember, negative words from critics are merely psychological ploys to keep you on the defensive.
Activism is all about priorities and not always about ideals. An activist enslaved to “the cause” stunts his own life and his will to live, generating bitterness and antipathy toward life while withering everything around him. A martyr may be noted in history, but the most productive success may be to try and create and promote a role for others to emulate which can be more rewarding for an activist than martyrdom.
An activist’s self-imposed isolation from people is wrong because these are the very people he should be connecting with. For example, to be anti-capitalist is to alienate ourselves from the service of the “things” capitalism has created to help further “the cause”. We have arrived at where we are today riding on the backs of our ancestors so be thankful. Compared to their hard lives, today, the streets in America are paved with gold and we are living in the Golden Age of information and progress. Enjoy it while you can. It may not last.
Activism expresses real struggle, not the affirmation of separateness and distinctiveness of a particular group. However, beware of linking your activism with other activists’ causes or campaigns different from yours. This may only relegate your “cause” to the ghetto of “good causes” in the public eye.
SUPPLEMENTAL SOURCE: EARTH FIRST JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2001