Anarchism vs. Primitivism - Rousseau Studies - Free

41 Pages·2012·0.49 MB·English

Brian Oliver Sheppard
Anarchism vs. Primitivism
2003
Contents
1. TheDemonologyofPrimitivism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
TheDemonologyofPrimitivism: Electricity,Language,and
otherModernEvils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. AnIgnobleSavage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3. Whatistheprimitivistideal? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
NoLanguage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
NoTechnology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
NoAgriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4. RealitiesofTribalLifeways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5. PrimitivistAttacksonAnarchism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
6. TheBloodySideofPrimitivism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
7. Appendix: OnDecodingPrimitivistBabble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
ConflationofCivilizationandCoerciveSocialRelations . . . . . . . . . . 36
ConflationofTechnologyandCoerciveSocialRelations . . . . . . . . . . 37
Conflationof“Industrialism”andCapitalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
ConflationofPovertyandFreedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
ConflationofGroupDecisionMakingandStatecraft . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
ConflationofOrganizationandAuthoritarians(or“Leninism”) . . . . . 38
ConflationofUnionspersewith“MediatingStructuresof
Oppression” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
ConflationofEconomicsandCompetition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
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1. The Demonology of Primitivism
“Noonehaseverbeensowittyasyouareintryingtoturnusintobrutes: to
readyourbookmakesodelongtogoonallfours. Since,however,itisnow
somesixtyyearssinceIgaveupthepractice,Ifeelthatitisunfortunately
impossibleformetoresumeit: Ileavethisnaturalhabittothosemorefit
foritthanareyouandI.”
—Voltaire,lettertoRousseau,August30,1755.
The Demonology of Primitivism: Electricity, Language, and
other Modern Evils
Gar Smith, editor of the Earth Island Institute journal, The Edge, and critic
ofmoderntechnology,recentlycomplainedtojournalists,“Ihaveseenvillages
in Africa that had vibrant culture and great communities that were disrupted
anddestroyedbytheintroductionofelectricity.”Headded: “Idon’tthinkalot
of electricity is a good thing. It is the fuel that powers a lot of multi-national
imagery.”Whenaskedwhylackofelectricity—ahallmarkofpoverty—oughtto
beconsideredadvantageous,Smithsaid,“Theideathatpeoplearepoordoesn’t
meanthattheyarenotlivinggoodlives.”Headded,“thereisalotofqualitytobe
hadinpoverty.”
JohnZerzan,aleadingmodernprimitivist,writesinasimilarvein,butclaims
thoselivinginsocietiesbeforeelectricityenjoyedhigherstandardsofmentalwell-
being: “Being alive in nature, before our abstraction from it [through modern
civilization],musthaveinvolvedaperceptionandcontactthatwecanscarcely
comprehendfromourlevelsofanguishandalienation. Thecommunicationwith
allofexistencemusthavebeenanexquisiteplayofallthesenses,reflectingthe
numberless,namelessvarietiesofpleasureandemotiononceaccessiblewithinus.”
Zerzan,theGreenAnarchyCollective,andotherprimitivistsregularlyreminisce
overanidealpastwhere“thewheatandcorn,pigsandhorseswereoncefreely
dancinginthechaosofnature.”Infact,throughtheiractivismprimitivistshope
todeliversocietyintothisprimalchaos, sothatthe“wheatandcorn, pigsand
horses”—andtherestofus,presumably—mayfreelydanceoncemore.
Onwebsiteslikeprimitivism.com,primitiviststellushowtheInternetshould
notexist. InprintedmagazineslikeGreenAnarchy,theycondemnprintingpresses
andtypesettingtechnology. AndineventsliketheGreenAnarchyTourof2001,
theycomplainoftheroadsthatenablethemtotravel,theelectricitythatpowers
theinstrumentsoftheirtour’smusicalacts,andoftheexistenceofthefacilities
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thathosttheirevents. Primitivistsenjointheiraudiencetolivelikeearlyhominids,
thoughtheycertainlydon’tleadbyexample.
When analyzing primitivist musings, two mysteries immediately confront
the reader. The first: how can such ideas be seriously entertained by anyone?
Electricity,advancedmedicalcare,informationtechnologies,artificialheatingand
cooling,waterpurification,andcountlessothermoderninnovationsareregarded
byprimitivistsasundesirable. Onewouldthinkthatthelifespanofsuchnotions
wouldbeasshortasthatofaPalaeolithictribesman’s. Yet,primitivethinkingis
currentlyenjoyingakindofvogueamongtheradicalleft.
Thesecondperturbation: howtobegintomakesenseofalltherubbishprimi-
tivistswrite? Someoftheirscreeds,ontheonehand,ape(nopunintended)the
mostobnoxious,opaquephraseologyofpost-modernism: “Symbolizingislinear,
successive,substitutive,”JohnZerzandelicatelyinformsusinRunningonEmpti-
ness. “Itcannotbeopentoitswholeobjectsimultaneously.”Ontheotherhand,
manyprimitiverantsdropanypretenseofsophisticationand’devolve(again,no
punintended)intoinfantilehistrionics: “WhyshouldItoleratethisinsanity”a
writeratinsurgentdesire.co.ukbloviates. “NedLuddwasright! Themachineis
theenemy. Smashitwithoutmercy!”
Indeed,whyshouldwetoleratethisinsanity? Howcanweunderstandsome
ofthegenuinelybizarreideasthatlitterthepantheonofourprimitiveromantics?
Andhowisthattheprimitivistcocktailofmysticism,pseudo-science,andwild
speculationhasseriousadherentsinthefulllightofthe21stcentury?
Unfortunatelyforanarchists,plungingintotheprimitivistmiasmahasbecome
necessary. Overthepastfewdecades,primitivistshavesuccessfullyassimilated
themselves into the anarchist movement. Within the U.S., their influence has
grownsostrongthatanarchistscannolongeraffordtoignoreit. Thecorporate
media,initsinfinitewisdom,hasoftendecidedtopresentprimitivismas“thenew
anarchism,”blissfullyignoringtheclassicalstrandofanarchistthoughtthatagi-
tatesforworkerandcommunitycontrolwithinastatelesssociety. Unfortunately,
thisgenerousfreeadvertisingensuresthatmanynewmembersoftheanarchist
movementwillarrivethroughprimitivism’sferalgates.
The primitivists’ stated aim is to reorient anarchism towards the wholesale
destructionofcivilizationanditsattendanttechnologies. Theiranalysisasserts
that civilization estranges humanity from its true, feral nature — a regrettable
situation, they say, since humans, as the Steppenwolf song goes, are born to
bewild. LikeChristianevangelists,theymaintainthatmodernlivingresultsin
spiritualandemotionalpoverty—akindofsoullessnessthatMammothhunters
didnotexperience,andoftenhintthatpaganbeliefsystemsaresuperiortorational
thought. Technology,too,isinherentlyoppressive, nomatterwhowieldsitor
towhatusesitisput. Inaddition,primitivistswarnofthedangersofpopulation
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growthwhileZerzanitesevenclaimlanguagetobeatypeofalienation. (Such
statements alienate us with their language, incidentally). Although classical
anarchists like Peter Kropotkin and Mikhail Bakunin spoke of eliminating the
state by transferring ownership of the means of production into the public’s
hands,primitivistshaveadifferentagenda: theywishtodestroy,notredistribute,
industryandtechnology.
Theproblemofprimitivismintheanarchistmovementisnewonlyinscope.
Therehavealwaysbeenthoseonthefringesoftheleftwhohavehopedtoreturn
societytosometypeofidyllic,GardenofEden-likeexistence. Theideaofanoble
savageatpeacewithhimself,thepristinewilderness,andhisfellowhumansbefore
moderncivilizationisasoldastheplaysofJohnDrydeninthe17thcentury. Many
beforeourmodernprimitiveromanticshaveadvocatedbuckingitallandgetting
backtonature. AsthelateevolutionarybiologistStephenJayGouldcounselsin
TheMismeasureofMan,“thesamebadargumentsrecureveryfewyearswitha
predictableanddepressingregularity. Nosoonerdowedebunkoneversionthan
thenextchapterofthesamebadtextemergestoephemeralprominence.”
Today,forexample,tomeslikeFuturePrimitiveandprimitivesounding-boards
such as Anarchy: A Journal of Desire Armed (A:AJODA), Green Anarchy, and
FifthEstateabound. TheRainbowGathering,nominallynon-anarchist,attracts
all manner of tree folk, Middle Earthers, permaculture fanatics, and mystics
to its primitivist-type festivals. At few points since the 19th century, however,
have“primitiveman”fantasistsattemptedtoidentifywithanarchism. Indeed,a
prominentstrainofutopiansocialists—romanticswishingtoescapethemodern
worldthroughcommunalliving—havebeenafixtureontheleftsincetheearly
1800s,taggingalongonthemarginsofanti-capitalismmuchliketheapocalyptic
Christiancultsthatgatheronsociety’sfringe. MarxandBakunindifferentiated
this type of utopian socialism from forward-thinking socialism, which values
scienceanditsbenefits;indeed,Bakuninhopedforarevolutioninwhichscience
“would become the property of everybody.” And although Marx, for example,
recognized that hunter-gatherer clans did indeed practice a type of “primitive
communism,”neitherhenorhisanarchistopponentsadvocatedturningbackthe
clock to relive such times. Anarchists did not consider the living standards of
theNeanderthalworthyofmodernhumans. Theonlyoneswhofeltthatpeople
shouldlivelikeprimitiveswerethosecapitalistswhosedesiretokeepbusiness
costsdownresultedinprimitivelivingconditionsfortheirwageslaves.
Utopian,“get-back-to-nature”sectsattractedanarchistcriticismfromthebe-
ginning. Itwasinresponsetosuchbackwards-thinkingromanticsthatMikhail
Bakuninaffirmedinthelate1800s,“Itisnotinthepast,noreveninthepresent
that ye should seek the freedom of the masses. It is in the future.” Anarcho-
syndicalist veteran Sam Dolgoff, speaking of life at the Stelton Colony of New
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Yorkinthe1930s,notedwithdisdainthatit,“likeothercolonies,wasinfestedby
vegetarians,naturists,nudists,andothercultists,whosidetrackedtrueanarchist
goals.”Oneresident“alwayswentbarefoot,aterawfood,mostlynutsandraisins,
and refused to use a tractor, being opposed to machinery, and he didn’t want
to abuse horses, so he dug the earth himself.” Such self-proclaimed anarchists
wereinreality“ox-cartanarchists,”Dolgoffsaid,“whoopposedorganizationand
wantedtoreturntoasimplerlife.”InaninterviewwithPaulAvrichbeforehis
death,Dolgoffalsogrumbled,“Iamsickandtiredofthesehalf-assedartistsand
poetswhoobjecttoorganizationandwantonlytoplaywiththeirbellybuttons.”
Thishasbeenaproblemseeminglyforaslongasanarchismhasexisted. Writ-
ing nearly a century ago, Malatesta’s comrade Luigi Fabbri noted in Bourgeois
InfluencesonAnarchismthattheanarchistmovementhasalwaysbeenoverrun
withflakes,parasites,andoutrightcrazies. Hewrotethatthese“empty-headed
and frivolous types. . .are not repelled by the absurd, but. . .on the contrary,
engageinit. Theyareattractedtoprojectsandideaspreciselybecausetheyare
absurd;andsoanarchismcomestobeknownpreciselyfortheillogicalcharacter
andridiculousnesswhichignoranceandbourgeoiscalumnyhaveattributedto
anarchistdoctrines.”
Withtheriseoftheanti-corporateglobalizationmovementinrecentyears,the
primitivistproblemhasassumedanewurgency: Whereasinthepastprimitive
thinkerswereconsignedtothemarginsofthemovementbyvirtueoftheabsurdity
oftheirideas,arecentabsenceoflively,massclassstruggleactivismhasallowed
primitivethinkerstoexertgreaterinfluence. Theonusisontraditionalanarchists
totakethemovementback,andforceprimitivethinkerstotheirpreviousplace
onthesidelines.
Nottobediscounted,either,istheinfluenceofthecorporatemedia,whichhas
takenprimitivismandsituateditfrontandcenter,presentingittothepublicas
thelifebloodofa2lst-centuryanarchistresurgence. Primitivism,thecorporate
mediatellsus,isthe“new”anarchism—andyoungadults,hungryforanyideas
thatpointtoawayoutofthecapitalistghetto,sometimesbelieveit,andsignup.
Thepopularityoftheanti-corporateglobalizationmovementholdsmuchpromise
foranarchism;themedia’sattemptstoassociateitwithprimitiveideas,however,
doesnot.
Time magazine, for example, ran two articles in 2001 on John Zerzan and
the cult-like following he has attracted in his home town of Eugene, Oregon
(among other places). And a few years prior, Time bestowed the title “king of
theanarchists”uponprimitivist/UnabomberTedKaczynskiinoneofthemore
than30articlestheydevotedtohim. TheDecember13,1999,issueofNewsweek
featuredapictureofanarcho-syndicalistNoamChomskywithimagesofZerzan
and convicted murderer Kaczynski beside him; the publication associated all
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threeasleadinglightsofmodernanarchistthought. NPR,60Minutes,andother
news outlets have given air time to the absurd proclamations of John Zerzan
even as the unofficial media ban of Noam Chomsky and other more capable
analysts continues. Again, as Fabbri, noted: “[A]nd so anarchism comes to be
knownpreciselyfortheillogicalcharacterandridiculousnesswhichignorance
andbourgeoiscalumnyhaveattributedtoanarchistdoctrines.”
The effect of the media’s focus on anarchism’s most embarrassing side has
beenadvantageousforelites;byfocusinglaserlikeonthelooniestelementsof
anarchism,theentiremovementcanbemarginalizedanddiscredited. Thisfollows
ahistoricalpatterninwhichanarchistactivistsareignoredbytheestablishment
untilonedoessomethingsoantisocialoroutlandishthatelitescanscorecheap
pointsbyreportingit. Ifthepublicseesonlytheprimitivistwingofanarchism,it
willbeunlikelytosupportanythingassociatedwithanarchism. Understandably,
fewpeoplewanttosupportsomethingthatishostiletothelife-savingmedical
care,informationtechnology,andelectronicentertainmenttheyenjoy.
Themedia’sgravitationtowardsprimitivismhaspressuredotherpartsofthe
anarchist movement to accept it as well. The University of Michigan’s Joseph
A.Labadiecollection,commonlyregardedasan“archiveofrecord”fortheanar-
chist movement, recently decided to admit the papers of unabomber Theodore
Kaczynskiintoitsvaults. ThisincludesinterviewswhereKaczynskireportson
attempts to have a dialogue with terrorist Timothy McVeigh, dragging again
the shadiest figures of modern politics into anarchist history. The shelving of
Kaczynski’smurderousUnabomberManifestoalongsideclassicsbyEmmaGold-
manandothersispresumablysomethingtheanarchistcommunitywillhaveto
livewith. Theacquisitionisoffurtherirony,giventhatthefigureforwhichthe
UniversityofMichigan’sarchiveisnamed,laboractivistJosephLabadie,favored
publiccontroloverindustrialsociety,notaKaczynski-stylemailbombingofit.
Aswell,KaczynskiadmirerJohnZerzanworkswithaself-styled“GreenAnarchy”
collectiveinOregon. WhenZMagazineeditorMichaelAlbertapproachedJohn
Zerzantodebateprimitivism,Zerzanultimatelysniffed,“Asananarchist,I’mnot
interested.”
Thewaxinginfluenceofprimitivethinkersthreatenstoredefinethecharacter
oftheanarchisttraditionforfuturegenerations. Italsothreatenstodiverteager
newactivistsintoitstheoreticalcul-de-sacwherenothingrevolutionarycanever
beaccomplished. Worstofall,theprimitivistagendawouldresultinmassscale
atrocityifitsobjectiveswereevermet: societywouldbestrippedofthemedical
can, shelter, food supplies, distribution networks, and even language (!) that
humansdependuponforlife. Thatprimitivistsplaycasuallywithsuchglobally
catastrophic notions speaks volumes about their real concern for human well
being.
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2. An Ignoble Savage
IamasfreeasNaturefirstmademan,
Erethebaselawsofservitudebegan,
Whenwildinwoodsthenoblesavageran.
—JohnDryden,TheCongumofGranada,1670.
Primitivistsemphasizehowgoodancienthumanshadit. Inthis,theystrongly
echoRousseau’sruminationsupontheNobleSavage. RousseaustatedinDiscourse
onInequalitythattheeraofprimitiveman“musthavebeenthehappiestandmost
durableofepochs. Themorewereflectonit,themoreweshallfindthatthisstate
wastheleastsubjecttorevolutions,andaltogethertheverybestthatmancould
experience.”Rousseaustatedfurtherthat“[t]heexampleofsavages,mostofwhom
havebeenfoundinthisstate,seemstoprovethatmenweremeanttoremaininit,
thatitistherealyouthoftheworld,andthatallsubsequentadvanceshavebeen
apparentlysomanystepstowardstheperfectionoftheindividual,butinreality
towards the decrepitude of the species.” Primitive man enjoyed a simple, bliss
fulllife,hesaid: ‘Theproduceoftheearthfurnishedhimwithallheneeded,and
instincttoldhimhowtouseit. Hungerandotherappetitesmadehimatvarious
timesexperiencevariousmodesofexistence; andamongthesewasonewhich
urgedhimtopropagatehisspecies—ablindpropensitythat,havingnothingto
dowiththeheart,producedamerelyanimalact.”
InAgainstHis-story,AgainstLeviathan,FredyPerlmanacknowledgesthedebt
toRousseau—andeventoJohnZerzan—reportingthattheyare“amongcontem-
porarieswhoselightsI’veborrowed.”Perlmantellsusthatprehistorichumans
“livedinaconditionJ.J.Rousseaucalled‘thestateofnature.’”Infact,urgesPerlman,
“Rousseau’stermshouldbebroughtbackintocommonuse”becauseit“makesthe
armor[ofcivilization]visible.”“Insistthat‘freedom’and‘stateofnature’aresyn-
onyms,”Perlmanwrites,“andthecadavers[thatis,apologistsofcivilization]will
trytobiteyou.”Furthemore,“thestateofnatureisacommunityoffreedoms,”he
writes. Astateoffreedom“wastheenvironmentofthefirsthumancommunities,
andsuchitremainedforthousandsofgenerations.”
Infact,evidenceabouthowthefirsthumancommunitiesfared,oraroundwhat
principlessociallifewasorganized,issparse. Whatevidencewedohaveshould
cautionusfromprojectingourownfantasiesontothem,however,orasserting
themasdesirablealternativesforthefuture. Itshouldalsogowithoutsayingthat
atalltimeshumanityhaslivedin“astateofnature,”includingrightnow. Thatis,
thenaturalworldisstillhereandensconcesus,evenifaspectsofitaremodified.
Perlman’s “state of nature” also, by the way, includes hurricanes, loathsome
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diseases,life-threateningelements,andotherunpleasantness. Itisdoubtfulthat
any primitivist would run headlong into a tornado in order to experience the
“state of nature”; if he held his or others’ well being in any regard, he might
wishforaweathertrackingsystem(forexample)totelluswhentornadoeswere
coming,sothatwecouldavoidthem.
InhisbookFuturePrimitive,JohnZerzanagreeswithRousseauandPerlman:
Human“lifebeforedomestication/agriculturewasinfactlargelyoneofleisure,
intimacywithnature,sensualwisdom,sexualequality,andhealth.”Zerzan,Eric
Blair,andtheGreenAnarchyCollectiveissuedajointstatementfurtheringthe
point: “Prior to civilization there generally existed ample leisure time, consid-
erable gender autonomy and equality, a non-destructive approach to the nat-
uralworld,theabsenceoforganizedviolenceandstronghealthandrobusticity.”
GeorgeBradford(DavidWatson),editoroftheprimitivistFifthEstate,writesthat
primitiveman’ssocietyis“affluentbecauseitsneedsarefew,allitsdesireseasily
met. Itstoolkitiselegantandlightweight,itsoutlooklinguisticallycomplexand
conceptuallyprofoundyetsimpleandaccessibletoall. Itscultureisexpansive
andecstatic. Itispropertylessandcommunal,egalitarianandcooperative. . .Itis
anarchic. . .freeofwork. . .Itisadancingsociety,asingingsociety,acelebrating
society,adreamingsociety.”
Inshort,notonlywerepre-technologicalsocietiespleasantplacesinwhichto
live,theycloselyapproximatedtheanarchistideal. Howtrueisthis,really?
Conservativesoftenfixateuponanidealized-andunrealistic-notionofthepast,
lamenting that society has grown far away from it. Starting with Christian-
ity, which agonizes over humanity’s expulsion from its idyll in the Garden of
Eden,backwards-lookingideologieshavehopedtorestoresocietytoanimagined
GoldenAge,whenthingswerebetter. TheNaziPartypresentedastoryofaonce-
greatTeutoniccivilizationindecline,thevictimofJewishparasitesandcommu-
nistforces;contemporaryU.S.conservativeshearkentothewholesomevalues
ofAmerica’sPuritanpast,andsoon. Theprimitivistssimplytrumpthemallby
goingbackthefarthest,proposingtoreconstructprehistory(or,alternately,“the
IronAge”)inourmodernmidst. Theproblemwithsuchideasisthattheyposit
a romanticized vision of an earlier era, inconsistent with the often unpleasant
realitiesthatexisted.
Likewise,conservativesoftenmaintainthat“poorpeoplereallyhaveitgood,”
much as primitivists do. Gar Smith’s assurance that “there is a lot of quality
to be had in poverty,” for example, echoes much of the anti-welfare rhetoric
one hears coming from the right (viz., the poor are really not bad off because
theyhavetelevisionorfastfood;andbesides,beingpoorbuildscharacter,etc.).
Certainly,anyonewhowantstoliveinashackandgoitalonewithoutelectricity
orheating,asprimitivistidolTedKaczynskidid,shouldbefreetodoso;butthe
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poorblacksofthe,MississippiDelta,whereKaczynski’schoiceoflivingconditions
areday-to-dayrealitywhetheritispreferredornot,shouldhaveaccesstomany
oftheamenities(medicalcare,heating,betterchoiceoffoods,etc.) thatKaczynski
chosetoabandon. Anarchistshavetraditionallyfavoredsucharedistributionof
society’swealthandbenefits—anditisinfacttherulingclass,muchlikeZerzan
Company,thatpreferstoseeitsworkerslivingprimitively.
Primitivists’fixationupontheimaginedmentalvigorand“robusticity”ofpre-
technologicalpeoplesisoldhataswell. Again,thisnotiongainedmuchcurrency
amongtheEuropeanfarrightintheearly20thcentury,whichconceivedof,for
example,theAnglo-Saxonraceasahardy,earthy(volkish)peoplesoftenedbylib-
eral,effeminatenotionsofwelfarestatismandprogress. Germans,infact,enacted
racial hygiene laws to preserve the most robust strains of the species. Murray
Bookchinhasnotedthisideologicaltendencyinthereactionaryromanticismof
NazisympathizerMartinHeidegger. Aswell,JanetBiehlandPeterStaudenmaier
haveexploredtheproblemin-depthintheexcellentEcofascism: Lessonsfromthe
GermanExperience. Thereisinfactacontemporaryrightwingschoolofthought
that claims modern medicines and even environmental protections are bad be-
causetheycontributetothe“softening”ofhumans;thatis,fundingformedical
careorenvironmentalregulationshouldnotbeincreasedbecauseitisthrough
such means that humans trade in “robusticity” for diminished racial resilience.
Expertswhoassertthatthereisakindofmetaphysicalwholesomenessinlivinga
rugged,difficultlifestylecanbefoundsittinginsomeofthenation’smostodious
conservativethinktanks,reapinglargesalariesfromenvironmentallydestructive
(orsimplymisanthropic)corporations. Goodmedicalcare,subsidiestohelpwith
homeheatingcosts-theseamounttomollycoddling,businessownersassert. Real
Americans,theymaintain,realizethathardshipbuildsmoralfiberandphysical
stamina-anideathatconvenientlyjustifiesbusinessinbehaveasirresponsiblyas
itwants. Ininsistinguponthephysicalandmoral“robusticity”thatissupposed
toaccompanyprimitivelivingconditions,primitivistsechothisdubiousstrainof
reactionarythinking.
However, primitivists, unlike the corporate elite, claim to oppose environ-
mentalruin. Indeed,environmentaldegradationisoneofthecentralprimitivist
grievanceswith“civilization.”The“stronghealthandrobusticity”ofprimitiveman
arosenotthroughstruggleandhardship,primitiviststellus,butthrough“ample
leisuretime,”“affluence,”andotherperksthatprimitivesenjoyed. LikeAdamand
EveintheGardenofEden,primitivehumanshadalltheirneedsprovidedfor,but
theyalsostayedfit.
So,whowerethepeoplesthatprimitivistsseektoemulate? Whatweretheir
livesreallylike? Thisis, infact, wherethefraudofprimitivistthoughtreveals
itselfmostclearly.
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