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Consumerism is killing us. This is known. The oceans are choked with plastic from billions of packages, used once and discarded. Landfills are crowded with acre upon acre of … stuff.
Our insatiable appetite for more and more stuff is not just burying the planet; it’s killing us spiritually. We know this, too. We feel in our bones that something is off about the way we live, that the pursuit of an easier, safer, more convenient life has trapped us in a cycle of work-buy-consume. Die.
We seek a deeper, more spiritually satisfying identity than “Consumer.”
It’s a struggle. We are bombarded with messages artfully crafted to stimulate our deepest brain synapses. We are literally brainwashed, constantly. And, let’s be honest — we like those nice things that make our standard of living one that the richest king of the ancient world could scarcely imagine.
It’s an old, old dilemma: Consumer goods make for a better life — until they don’t. It doesn’t take much to put our feet on a trail that leads to a dark end.
The first steel knife, the first copper kettle acquired by a First Nations people in exchange for the pelt of a lowly beaver marked an inexorable change. The Indians did not wish to become like the white men with whom they traded; they wanted to live their traditional lives — only with better tools, nicer clothes, better “stuff.” But, as they found out to their cost, it doesn’t work that way.
In Fur Fortune & Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America, Eric Jay Dolin notes that:
In effect the fur trade enabled the Indians to improve their standard of living and their status within their tribe and within the broader Indian community at little cost. The Indians’ interest in European goods, however, must not be confused with the desire to accumulate wealth or become rich… Their goals were more practical and sacred in nature. Metal hatchets, knives and kettles, as well as metal-tipped arrows fashioned from those kettles, performed better and lasted longer than the stone counterparts the Indians traditionally used…
European fabric, especially when colored red or blue, was in high demand not only because it was easily made into durable, flexible, lightweight, and relatively weatherproof clothing, but also because it was cheaper than beaver.
As an Algonquin chief told a French Jesuit:
“The Beaver does everything perfectly well — it makes kettles, hatchets, knives, bread; and, in short, it makes everything.”
The First Nations people jumped in to the global economic engine of the Fur Trade enthusiastically. Far from being ecologically-attuned wood elves living in a state of nature, they quickly became commercial hunters and trappers on a vast scale.
French historian Nicolas Denys says:
“Formerly there had been little incentive for Indians to kill more than a fixed number of animals… Pre-colonial trade enforced an unintentional conservation of animal populations, a conservation that was less the result of enlightened ecological sensibility than the Indians’ limited social definition of ‘need.’”
Just like it is for us, wants soon became needs. Not only did iron arrowheads perform better than flint, once iron arrowheads became a staple, the Indians swiftly lost the knowledge and skill-base to produce flint arrowheads. There was no going back. You can’t un-bite the apple.
The scope of the First Nations’ involvement in the Fur Trade, and its ecological impact, was enormous.
Becoming locked into a dependent relationship with traders of several nations fundamentally changed the social structure, the politics, the economies, the material culture and the spiritual lives of the First Nations people. Add in alcohol and disease and the presence of a dynamic, breakout civilization that coveted their lands … they were simply doomed.
It’s fitting in a bittersweet way that the epic and genuinely heroic (and, yes, also sordid and violent) conquest of the continent by Anglo-American civilization — spearheaded by that very Fur Trade — has devolved to a landscape dominated by Amazon.com. America was ever a commercial endeavor.
•••••
It seems that we may have hit an inflection point, where the upward curve in standard of living enabled by cheap, quality consumer goods turns south, as the social, ecological and spiritual costs of producing and living and working for those goods gets higher.
Certainly it feels like something’s not quite right. All of our accumulated goods and purportedly life-enhancing technologies haven’t made us happier. In fact, they may be making us actively unhappy.
Prof. Amitai Etzioni put a sharp point on it:
What needs to be eradicated, or at least greatly tempered, is consumerism: the obsession with acquisition that has become the organizing principle of American life. This is not the same thing as capitalism, nor is it the same thing as consumption.
To explain the difference, it is useful to draw on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs. At the bottom of this hierarchy are basic creature comforts; once these are sated, more satisfaction is drawn from affection, self-esteem and, finally, self-actualization.
As long as consumption is focused on satisfying basic human needs — safety, shelter, food, clothing, health care, education — it is not consumerism. But when, on attempts to satisfy these higher needs through the simple acquisition of goods and services, consumption turns into consumerism — and consumerism becomes a social disease.
•••••
How to stay on the right side of the consumption vs. consumerism equation?
The key seems to be de-coupling our sense of identity from our “stuff” and attaching it instead to what we do. We are not defined by the truck we drive, but by the places it takes us, the adventures it enables.
I find that if I keep my attention fixed on my passions: the outdoors; the shooting sports; history; music — and confine my “trade” to what facilitates those passions — I buy less frivolous crap, avoid getting caught up in the latest gadgetry, reduce impulse buying and I’m willing to save a little to get better quality.
Eating real food that doesn’t come in boxes and plastic packages is healthier all the way around, and I’d rather drink out of a steel water bottle than a one-off plastic bottle anyway.
I’m not trying to save the planet and I’m not winning anyone over to any ideology. I’m just trying to hold my own.
Maybe you’re thinking, ‘That’s no more than an Indian hunter trading for a better knife or an iron hatchet.’ And you’re right. I’m just trying to stick to the tools that “perform better and last longer” and stay away from the cheap mirrors and baubles and the rotgut rum and trade whiskey.
It’s the best I can do, and maybe it’s enough.
Pat_H says
I’ve heard it claimed that consumerism, in the modern form, is relatively recent. At least to a degree, I suspect that’s true. That is, if we look at European and American lives prior to some point from half a century ago to a century ago, consumerism as a defining force wasn’t with us. That doesn’t mean that people weren’t buying and selling, of course, but rather that the entire really unhinged idea that buying more crap would make us happy wasn’t with us.
Have you explored that at all? I.e., the history of it in our own society?
Nice essay by the way.
Thanks Pat. Yes, still exploring the history — and the psychology. A couple of factors that kicked in in the modern era are mass media/advertising and consumer credit. Those factors definitely played a major role in making consumerism a defining force as you put it. That’s a post-War phenomenon, deliberately created, and it helped to spark the social upheaval of the ’60s in reaction to it. It’s also interesting how easily the whole counterculture was co-opted and pulled into consumerism.
I don’t think it’s true, though, that unhinged idea that buying more crap would make us happy wasn’t with us earlier. I think it’s baked in and the human psyche has ALWAYS operated that way — we’ve just become much more proficient at creating goods and at manipulating the psychology to convince us that we “need” them. (Amazon algorithms). That puts the onus on us to be self-aware and to try to control (or maybe channel is a better word) our own dopamine response.
Of course, I’m a newspaperman, which means my livelihood rests on advertising, so I’m as tied up in this cycle as anyone. As in most things, I guess I’m just searching for an elusive sweet spot where it’s more beneficial than pernicious.
… I’m as tied up in this cycle as anyone. As in most things, I guess I’m just searching for an elusive sweet spot where it’s more beneficial than pernicious.
Yeah, that’s the ticket!
I might try “tools not baubles” as a new mantra … though I still have a serious weakness for books. Then again, a book — a good book, anyway — is a tool for the mind.
Books are absolutely tools.
Very much so.
Credit where it’s due – I have, in the past, read one or two Tony Robbins’ books. (I’m too cheap to buy the infomercial package.) Sure, he applies a lot of pop psychology but I certainly had some takeaways.
The foremost was – “take what you need, ignore the rest.” He was referring to whatever you might learn from his lessons. I still have that philosophy today – everything from social media interaction to the writing software Scrivener. Lots of people starting out with Scrivener are overwhelmed. I just use the features I need, skip all the bells and whistles. This might fall under “tools not baubles.”
More on point to this post; Robbins also points out – strongly – why having a plan for your life is important. Because everyone else has a plan for you, too. If you don’t have one, you’ll default to someone else’s plan. And their plan isn’t designed to benefit you it’s designed to benefit them.
Government, political parties, school systems, Hollywood, the military, and particularly corporations and their marketing machines have plans for you.
It certainly feels like those marketing plans have hit the tipping point, as you have noted.
So, whose plan is at the top of your list?
And yeah – the irony of being warned about the plans of marketing departments by one of the pioneers of late night infomercials is not lost on me. 😀
Well, yes. Robbins is selling, too.
I don’t think there’s any value in getting caught up in purity spirals and “my consumption is less evil than your consumption” virtue signaling. Personally, I don’t want to be scolded by somebody else about my consumer choices. I’m sure nobody here wants to, either. What you cite here from Robbins is on point for this essay and for Craig’s previous one, too. There are a lot of forces trying to herd us onto the reservation. The best we can do is to, as you say, have a plan for our own lives and work that plan so that we’re as little subjected to the plans of others as possible. “Take what you need and ignore the rest” is damn good advice, whoever is selling it, and regardless of ironies.
And it’s hard and constant work to apply it — worthy endeavor and (as always) a work in progress.
I wasn’t out to make a comprehensive list, but it really should be noted credit card corporations and banks (on the lending side) sure have plans for you, too. We’ve seen what the dovetail of destroyed credit with perceived consumer ‘need’ has done to many people.
Most of the plans, of course, are to separate you from your money — or to get your vote, in the case of politics.
I’ve not read Robbins, but I am a fan of Dave Ramsey. He stresses having a plan for you money before you get it because, as Paul says, there are plenty of people out there who have plans for your money.
felonious monk says
“The danger of civilization, of course, is that you will piss away your life on nonsense”.
Jim Harrison.
Dammit — my whole essay distilled down to one true sentence!
That’s Harrison for you. A sage.
Saddle Tramp says
Indeed!!
Harrison, equal parts sage, gourmand and as a writer it goes without saying where he ranks. Yes, I bought (hardback of course) his final collection THE ANCIENT MINSTREL which of course takes you in myriad directions and to places that lay below the surface in so many ways. A nice capstone to an amazing human being!
Jim, your philosophy towards consuming are simpatico with mine. The sweet spot we seek, that as you know all too well is continually being refined. Everyone to their own taste of course. Perhaps that is one of the identifiable issues. The variety of tastes and it’s overlapping affect on the planet being itself being consumed and ever damaged by it. No doubt it is inate in humans (and even some animals) to try increase their leverage from the reaching back to the Stone Age epoch. However (for all kinds of reasons) we have now reached a time of saturation never witnessed before. I have the Gollum disease myself for “my precious” processions. Like you though I try for a certain quality, value and long time usefulness when it comes to durable or personal items. Functionality rates high. How to keep that to a minimum and a harmlessness is no easy task. One of those Robber Barons of the gilded age I believe said that if your only goal is to become rich, you never will be. I think we know what he meant and we are practicing it at an out of control pace. The Beatniks (love ‘em or hate ‘em) saw this and others before them. The 60’s rebelled and then came the greedy 80’s and we made a severe turn at that point. I will spare the empty platitudes and sum it up with:
“It’s the best I can do, and maybe it’s enough.”
Well said Jim C.
VIA: Redding today. Eugene tomorrow and then flip it back south…
Thanks, ST.
On the macro level, it’s just about too many people doing too much. The aggregate impact is massive.
On the micro or individual level, it’s about defining what “the good life” truly is. And there are, as you note a variety of tastes. I do not wish to impose or be imposed upon, so I have no “answer” to offer other than the suggestion that we all take a good hard look at what we really value.
This post reminds me of a book I read a few years ago call THE HUNDRED THING CHALLENGE. The author decided to trim material things from his life to curb his consumerism. He got rid of all but a hundred personal items. Community items, such as the sofa, didn’t count. My wife was enthusiastic about this idea until I explained to her that individual books didn’t count. They were part of the library, which counted as one item. For some reason her enthusiasm waned. I wonder why…
While I’m not going to go to that extreme, this post did resonate with me in that I’m trying to eliminate impulse purchases and focus on needs rather than wants.
I’m not sure my wife would buy the book exemption either.
Lane Batot says
Not a problem for me, because a wife is not among my hundred things(ahem!).….
My wife was enthusiastic about this idea until I explained to her that individual books didn’t count. They were part of the library, which counted as one item. For some reason her enthusiasm waned.
Well played, my friend. Well played!
Annie Marland says
I’m not much of a consumer of things/stuff, (like the latest gadget) being on a fixed income. I’m most interested in our environment which is certainly impacted by consumerism. We are held hostage by manufacturing and producers. When there is no alternative to purchase an item, that is not in one of those clam shells things, we have no choice. Clam shells can’t be recycled. We are forced to contribute to land fills. You need a saw to open those damn things. Even some produce is packaged. Really is that necessary?? Granted there are companies producing items from recycled material but even they go back to landfills after use. At least some stores are trying to be responsible for doing away with plastic and only use paper except in the produce department. Why do we need plastic for produce?
I really liked Tom McCall’s Bottle Bill and “Keep Oregon Green”. For many years highways and streets and forests were free of bottles, cans, and garbage. With the next generation it doesn’t seem as important. Is consumerism generational?
I took an Advertising/marketing class in college. Marketing can be very subtle. In a movie or during a TV show pay attention to what is in the background of the scene. See that can of Pepsi on the table, a jug of Tide in the scene that happens to be in or near a laundry room. You probably see it but your mind doesn’t really focus on it. What do you buy the next time you go to the store. It could be Tide and you haven’t used it before.
How do we stop ships from trashing our oceans?
Tom McCall was a giant. He understood that conservatism is rooted in “conserve.”
Katy Yoder had a piece in The Nugget a couple of weeks ago on Dave Hiller’s work on ocean pollution.
Lane Batot says
The old-time Northwest coast Native Americans had a solution for this mass acquisition dilemma that would be wise to incorporate into modern consumer society–it’s called the POT-LATCH! Yeah, let’s let modern prestige and status be determined by how much crap one GIVES AWAY at huge, elaborate ceremonies–problem solved, and “wealth” redistributed throughout society! We could hold local, national, and international Pot-latches, and have a Superbowl Pot-latch that would be far more interesting and useful to society as a whole, as opposed to a few overly paid jocks pretending some oblong ball’s manuvreing is of the utmost importance. But then, as citizens, we might not be able to be as easily controlled, did we start thinking like THAT. Which is why the American governments OUTLAWED pot-latches in the first place(but we COULD vote them back in.….)
Lane Batot says
.…And while we’re at it, let’s start some TRASH POT-LATCHES, where HUGE-ARSE cash prizes are awarded(and various reality tv shows depict) contestants gathering the most trash/litter. There could be individual and team categories, and fresh water, ocean, and terrestrial categories. Get that crap cleaned up, so the rich winners can go buy more stuff for redistribution(and prestige, status, and celebrity) in the regular Consumer Pot-Latches! Let’s vote in a Kwakiutl or some other Northwest Coast tribe Chief as our next President, and git this goin’! About time our “Commander-In-Chief” is a REAL Chief already well-seasoned and chosen previously for real leadership abilities! Just sayin’.….
felonious monk says
Zing !. I hereby award your remarks re the “Commander-In-Chief” with my weekly
Bob The Nailer award. It’s equivalant to a koala stamp with gum leaves. Well done!.
And for Pete’s sake don’t hold back.
Bob the Nailer. lol. Haven’t heard that in a while. Love it.
ozziebobbie says
It’s ’cause he nailed it and Bob’s yer uncle. (google that)
Lane Batot says
I am greatly honored! And I really like koalas(how could one not?)
I sense a movement afoot…
Lane Batot says
.…and for inspiration directly related to this subject, one could hardly do better than read Steve Bodio’s books and check out his blog, from which I am now going to BLATANTLY steal the quote he uses as his heading over on his Querencia blog–“Stuff is eaten by dogs, broken by family and friends, sanded down by the wind, frozen by the mountains, lost by the prairie, burnt off by the sun, washed away by the rain. So you are left with dogs, family, friends, sun, rain, wind, prairie, and mountains. What more do you want?” And more rambling from MOI about how I have resisted a lot of the traps of out-of-control addictive consumerism in a bit.….….
felonious monk says
DARN TOOTIN’ !!!!!!!!!!!
Thom Eley says
Jim,
A great article on a topic that has been bothering me for a while now. I used to think of consumerism when I go into a Walmart, which I rarely do. Then about 3 years, we had a Cabela’s and Bass ProShop open at the same time in Anchorage. You go in and you are overwhelmed by stuff. Stuff that you really need. Stuff that you might need. Stuff that is cool but you don’t need. Stuff that you don’t even know what it is.
Hell, when I go into my local sporting goods store to buy ammo, you have Federal, Remington, Winchester, Hornady and Buffalo bullets. In Cabela’s, they have brands of ammo and calibers that I’ve never heard of before. Granted we have new calibers coming out all the time and I do own a 6.5 Creedmoor. You look at your .30–06 ammo in 110, 125, 142, 147, 150, 167, 180, 200 or 220 grain bullets with as complex types of bullets in these weights. We used to be satisfied with 125, 150, 180 and 220 grain bullets. Maybe I’ve lost touch but 142 and 147?? There is an infinite amount of stuff in those stores and people are trying to buy it all!
Then, as the salmon or moose seasons are upon us, the store turns into a veritable feeding frenzy of outdoor people buying stuff. People are fighting over the last of something. It looks like one of those Walmart sales back East where people are fighting over TVs. To top-it-off, customers can bring their dogs in and whenever the store is the most hectic, several dogs get into a fight, another pisses on a mannequin, and another takes a shit. The owners are oblivious to their dogs as they are too busy trying to grab this or that. These places are like drugs for the likes of us. I had a friend who was moving to Alaska and stopped at one Cabela’s in Nebraska and laid down over $2,500. He then stopped at a second one and it was a $3,000 stop. Over 5,500 dollars of what was to be part of his down-payment on a house in Anchorage. I have never gone into Cabela’s or Bass ProShop and really looked around because I’m afraid of what stuff I might find. There needs to be an AA for Cabela’s type places and the folks that shop there.
As I read your article, Jim, I recalled some comments by Aldo Leopold in A Sand County Almanac. Although he never lived long enough to see one, be called stores like this gadgeteers. “the American outdoorsman with an infinity of contraptions, all offered as aids to self-reliance, hardihood, woodcraft, or marksmanship….the traffic in gadgets adds up to astronomical sums, which are soberly published as representing ‘the economic value of wildlife.” But what of cultural values?” Leopold then opines, “Roosevelt did not disdain the modern rifle; White used freely the aluminum pot, the silk tent and dehydrated foods. Somehow they used gadgets in moderation, without being used by them.”
Keep up the good work, Jim and Craig!
Appreciate you being here, Thom. I’m going to Cabela’s in Springfield this weekend. My mettle will be well-and-truly tested. The guy who blew through his down payment? That could be me. It’s no different than hitting the tables or the liquor store or the whores — or all three. there’s always something available to prey upon your addictions. Using and not being used by is really the crux — and we can only identify that for ourselves. I thik it’s a constant question we have to ask ourselves on a case-by-case basis. I believe the call that mindfulness and I guess that’s all I’m arguing for. Best we can do(?)
Thom Eley says
Thanks, Jim.
TJ says
Great read Sir! One of the reasons I am still driving my 1996 Taurus with 220K. Possibly one of the ugliest American cars ever produced. The three rusting faded (operational), bike racks fused onto the roof really make it pop. I can park on any mountain biking trailhead, locked or unlocked without fear. The Subaru’s and F150’s get hit, the Taurus is invisible to the tweekers suffering from their own meth fueled consumerism. Joking aside this current culture is suffering greatly from this and I am doing my best to teach my boys different.
The new site looks great Craig and I can see becoming a fan of your partner’s work!
Thanks Todd. We are glad to have you around this campfire. You have much to offer to the conversation.
Good to meet you Todd.
Saddle Tramp says
Hey dear readers, Jim and Craig…
We have not even touched yet on the cosmic debris and space junk.
In light of the BFR and the even Bigger you know what Rocket to come don’t forget. A fleck Of paint can do extreme damage to for example the Space Shuttle as it hurls along at 25,000 mph…
Keep that in mind (you arisrocrats you) when you say: get me out of orbit on the next thing smokin’ when you bail out on the rest us for Mars. Who get’s to clean up that you know what mess??
Reader says
One of my brothers has absolutely and easily beaten the consumer instinct for decades now: No car, bike has been repaired again and again, simple, home-cooked meals, a dish or two and maybe one pot in his kitchen. My sister and I worked on him for years and he finally gave in and got a high def TV because he frequently has friends drop by to watch college sports. He loves the TV, uses it well, suffers no guilt about buying it. He gratefully accepted one of my old iPhones. He is not a kook, proselytizer or poser. He does not look down on his consumerist friends and family. He is extremely well read, informed, funny and writes with style and wit. He has many loyal friends and his passion is … golf. Only in recent years have I come to truly appreciate the uniqueness of his lifestyle. Maybe I will interview him one of these days.
Yeah, he’s got it knocked. I’ve known surfers and skiers and climbers who live much as you describe — it’s not a “lifestyle” it’s just how they live because they’ve got a particular focus and built a life to serve it. Admirable.
Love this.
Rick Schwertfeger says
Fine article promoting an essential mindset and contemporary life skill.
My buddy and I went on a mild hike last week. Easy five-mile trail. Beautiful day. We had a nice hike. However, part of the time was spent by him trying to learn how to use his new GPS. He was reasonable about it and didn’t take up too much time. But a GPS was totally unneeded on this hike. Now, there surely are times when an outdoorsman can benefit greatly from a GPS. And, to give him his due, he didn’t buy it: It was a Christmas gift from his wife. He realized that he needed to spend time on his own learning how it worked. But the situation still exemplified how we let unneeded gadgets intrude on and complicate simple experiences.
As others have said above, maintenance of gear also reduces consumerism. My wife and I own three vehicles. The oldest is a 2002 Tahoe that my son keeps for us in Montana for when we travel up there. The youngest is my 2008 GMC Sierra. All three are still functioning well. We’re beating the system every day that we don’t have a car payment. I’m still using a camp stove that I bought in 1976! A simple propane stove that still works fine.
Discipline, delayed gratification, and self-denial also are essential life skills. As Jim well knows, I still haven’t bought that .22 rifle that I want. And I lust after the new Rigby Highland Stalker. But one of my friends once told me that I “maximize the use of my resources.” That is one of the greatest pieces of praise I’ve received.
(Now, how do I get that rifle?!)
Hell yes it is.
Robert Kracht says
Well, it’s the cutting edge of radical thinking here ain’t it,
Having an existential crisis going to the shop, you poor
burghers. Wake up , 1% owns 82 % of all wealth. How do
you think they got there ?.
And don’t mention the elephant in the room, a planet that’s
aflame and a grifting fascist in charge of the free world,
plunging us further into the abyss.
Thanks for the “contribution.”
My partner has been generous. This isn’t a contribution, it’s a rant, and evidence the speed of the game is too much for you. I think I know why, and I’ll share it with you because you apparently can’t see it yourself:
“The inordinately selfish are particularly susceptible to frustration. The more selfish a person, the more poignant his disappointments…The fiercest fanatics are often selfish people who were forced, by innate shortcomings or external circumstances, to lose faith in their own selves. They separate the excellent instrument of their selfishness from their ineffectual selves and attach it to the service of some holy cause. And though it be a faith of love and humility they adopt, they can be neither loving nor humble.”
We welcome strangers to enjoy a seat around our campfire. But we require a measure of manners, which failed you in this case. Do better.
Lane Batot says
This “contribution” doesn’t rile me that much, maybe because I hear such pointless spewing all the time. It virtually always comes from young whipper-snappers that have yet to have much in the eway of individual life experiences, and buy into the “knee-jerk” responses of the herd milling around them. SOMETIMES, you can point out a thing or two–an older, wiser philosophy(often originating from a different culture that has different perspectives), and cause those wet-behind-the ears young-uns to stop and THINK a bit. THINKING FOR ONE’S SELF is becoming the rarest of qualities, in this media saturated world, however. Harder and harder to get through to such who are addicted to these technological umbilical cords. They’d rather spend their time “skimming” the internet to try and find confirmation that agrees with their spouting–and they can usually find SOMETHING! However, if I had a nickel for every time one of these self-righteous Skimmers sent me a link to show me the error of my opinion, and such a link(which I WILL read, curious and willing to consider all opinions) actually supported MY view when thoroughly read and interpreted correctly–hilarious!(and rather pitiful.…)–I’d have a nice little nest egg from that alone!–but back to dissecting the above comment.….to be continued.…
It is not a “rile” worthy comment, for certain. Neither is it valuable, because it contributes nothing. Which is the opposite of what we are attempting to do here. Opinions are important, but as we can see they often outpace someone’s ability to frame them in a constructive way–which was the problem in this case. Even a gibbon ape can toss a grenade. And manners. They are still important.
Lane Batot says
.…but, Craig, sometimes you JUST GOTTA point out the obvious to the young-uns that ain’t learned to think things through for themselves yet–it DOES take practice! SOMETIMES you can actually bring ’em around! Sometimes you can’t, and havta just stand back and let them run off the cliff with the rest of the herd.…
Lane Batot says
.…Well, Mister Kracht, yer kinda missin’ the WHOLE POINT of this blog–recognizing and considering alternatives to what ails today’s modern Western society. The SUBJECT of this particular post was addictive over-consumerism, and giving a platform to all of us readers to contribute possibly helpful ideerz to maybe sway some thinking to avoid such self-absorbed addiction. We all ALREADY KNOW there’s a problem, and I, for one, find it heartening to read of others’ recognition and striving to improve on this issue. WE SHOULD be taking such into consideration when we “shop”–although I seriously doubt anyone here is having one a them “existential crises”–heck, I had trouble just SPELLING that word! AGAIN, the POINT of this whole post.…And after thoughtfully considering such–WHO CARES if the greedy 1% has most of the wealth?(although always remember Mark Twain’s wise observance, in that there are 3 kinds of lies–Lies; Damn Lies; and Statistics) . And it SHOULD make one ponder EXACTLY WHAT IS REAL wealth?The best way to beat such consumerism and control is to learn NOT TO NEED IT. And maybe host a potlatch. Which(again), is the main point of this post.…..And yes, yes, young-un, the Planet IS “aflame”, and has been since–oh, when was it intensive agriculture began–several thousand years ago? And yes, things(some of them) get worse and worse, but by gosh, when folks get together and try to improve stuff, it’s amazing what gets improved! LOTS of improvements environmentally just since I was a kid back in the ’60’s! NOTHING will get improved by whining on the internet about it, but not actually attempting to DO something about it-(if only by sharing things conversationally)-which, by-the-by, is what this particular post is about inspiring.….And that “fascist” in the office–gosh, the many, many forked-tongue, arrogant white-eyes I have seen come and go in my lifetime! Don’t worry, youngster, this latest, most outrageous installment will be gone soon enough. Think of all the good he’s done by getting “elected”(?)–outraging people enough to get them organized and working together and focusing on something bigger than themselves–even if that wasn’t perzackly on his agenda! You just gotta learn to READ(not “skim”) between the lines. So try and think of(and PRACTICE!) ways that help us climb back outta that abyss–which is, by the way, what this post has been all about.……
Reader says
Thanks eds. Rants have become so tiresome, and as you say, contribute nothing.
As Charlie would say, never bring your bronc to breakfast.
Hah!
Saddle Tramp says
This is for Lane..
I have been considering a submission about my working with, friendships with and encounters with Native American Indians. It is quite extensive and I am having difficulty narrowing it down. None should be left out. If anything, I have experience and I ain’t gonna bullshit anyone. Practical or relevant? Only my perspective and take. I am 64 and not trying to hide it. Seen a few things. Done a few things. The more you know the more you don’t. That is my daily mantra. I hope this remains an open and respectful forum. Strong opinions (with constructive intent) is welcome by me. I realize there is a format here. It is easy to stray at times. Aside from pure entertainment , I always try to get to the crux of the matter. If it steps on a few toes, I hope it does no long term damage. After being here a while I have a pretty good sense of the responses (muted) or enthusiastic. Part and parcel from my perspective. We’ll see how it works itself out. If I feel that am detracting rather than contributing, I will gladly make more room around the campfire…
This is a statement only and I am not fishing for a response. I also am a work in progress.
Lane Batot says
Hmmmmm.…I’m immediately intrigued. OF COURSE I would welcome ANYONE’S personal experiences and stories about anything of interest to me–and anything Native American(Injun) most assuredley! I have been toying with doing a series of posts myself over on the “Frontier Partisans”(for which the Blogmeister–is that anythiong like a Bhurger?–has encouraged me to do) about Frontier Partisan DOGS–what makes one, famous ones historically, and ones I’ve known meeself–and in the hopes it would stimulate OTHERS to contribute likewise–in commentary and perhaps some guest posts of their own. If you feared, Saddle Tramp, I might be one of those TIRESOME types who are jealous of their own narrow bit of knowledge, and want to be the center of attention all the time, fear not! My telling of tales I always HOPE stimulates others to share likewise–I come from a subculture that revels in “swapping stories”, and considers it POLITE to do so, not a source of jealous resentment. I LOVE to hear and live vicariously through other’s tales, and one can learn A LOT from that. I’ve probably accumulated more wisdom and practical stuff via such anecdote swapping than I EVER did in institutionalized schooling! And don’t worry if observations of yours don’t necessarily jibe with mine–despite my sometimes seeming over-romanticizing of the Injuns, and being a bit of a bunny-hugger at times, I also have plenty of realistic, practical experiences to balance that out, and I always try to respectfully consider any opposing views. I never have, and never will, stop LEARNING. I’m saying all this because your comment above seemed to be apologizing before the fact, so I’m letting you know I ain’t perzackly the sensitive sort(even if strongly opinionated on certain subjects!) and you really shouldn’t let those who ARE keep you from telling your tales! I sure never do.…
I’ll publish that series.
Thom Eley says
Nice comments, Saddle Tramp! I’ve worked with Native Americans in Alaska for nearly 40 years, and I’d like to hear your experiences and perhaps I’ll share mine. It would be interesting to see how similar or dis-similar they are.
Saddle Tramp says
Thom Eley…
I do appreciate your comment as well as your invitation. In the spirit of collegiality I felt compelled to respond to your comment even though as I said I was not seeking any. When I saw your comment it inspired this thought:
“ A writers dilemma. How to say something worthwhile without saying too much and that is a lot more work.”
— saddle tramp
February 10, 2018
This may have some relevance to to the disturbance we are experiencing. It most definitely what has stymied my efforts at submitting it.
You do not have to throw a rock very far in order to hit someone guilty. Plenty of blame to go around. I always steer clear of scapegoats. Who are the peacemakers among us? Those silently without recognition putting a hand out to help. The rest is complicated as hell. No doubt Lane and yourself are both peacemakers among us. Lane a bit of a rascal yes. All the better. Not a floor mat either. I say that with the best of intentions and respect. Jim and Craig ride herd and it’s becoming a full time occupation. The reason I can’t do it myself.
Thanks Thom!
VIA: The new Flying J (or as I prefer to call it) Flyin’ Hook in Tehachapi, CA
We ride for the vanishing middle. The conversation here has been outstanding, and we are all better for it.
Saddle Tramp says
Yep!! All for the better.
“Keep your mind in the middle and your hand on the reins …” (if I recalled some Tom Russel lyrics correctly). Maybe I will dig it up. He is so damn prolific you know. Jim probably knows the song…
Lane Batot says
A “bit of a rascal”? Ha! You have NO IDEA the tiny tip of THAT iceberg, Saddle Tramp! But my “stings” serve the same purpose as those of a wasp–it makes the recipient(if they have a lick of sense) think a bit more deeply about what might have provoked such a barb(or two.…). Some young-uns need to get stung A LOT before they start THINKING before acting.….Oldsters that can’t contemplate things very well are usually beyond help(in my experience)–probably something genetically missing in the neo-cortex.….
Saddle Tramp says
P.S.
I think I smell a “dirty” sock [puppet]…
At any rate I think this post and most of the comments established that we have a problem of epic proportions on our hands that will require even greater efforts to reverse it. I hope not for a catastrophe. I hope all the horses can start pulling together to get the cart there. I feel (as important as individual efforts are) that without a large concerted and organized efffort we will be in an even more precarious position in rapid fashion. It requires taking a majority position first. Some get religion (metaphor here) sooner than others. Nothing new in that. Some lead. Some follow. Some stand passively on the sidelines. I am just thankful that this issue has been broached here with an awareness that I most certainly agree with. You can have no better start than that. Thanks Jim!!
If I read Captain Snidely Snarkypants correctly yesterday (I was hitting the road over the mountains and had little time for him) he was mocking us “burghers” for not being radical enough or being sufficiently freaked out by the hairdo in the White House. That’s ironic, in that I’ve spent the past several weeks in the company of radicals of varying stripes, which will shortly result in a multi-part series of posts at RIR. That study allows me to argue with some certainty that a “radical” approach to civilization and its discontents is a counterproductive, self-righteous fantasyland that at best is opera bouffe and at its worst is murderous Jacobinism.
At RIR we’re shooting for some honesty and humility and humanity. We’re not trying to convince anybody of anything — we’re trying to find a path. And, as Craig notes, the thoughtful and practical engagement here is outstanding and we’re all the better for it.
And, for the record, when I read “burgher” I see this… and fail to be insulted.
Lane Batot says
Excellent! But it’s hard for me to think of myself as much of a burgher having lived well below the financial National poverty level most of my life. I HAVE “advanced” a bit now to slightly above the poverty level! Has it made me more of a consumer? Regarding BOOKS and my DOGS–yes(unapologetically), but little else. I continue to be the grubbing tightwad I’ve always been otherwise.….
You’re a pretty generous grubbing tightwad, too. My shelves can prove it.
Lane Batot says
.…well, that’s still in the “books” consumer category–and books are tailor made to be shared! And,okay, DVD’s too!
Rick Schwertfeger says
“Forget Sale Price. Everything is 100% off when you don’t buy it.”
- Joshua Fields Milburn
designing a simple life / NOSIDEBAR.COM
I managed to escape Cabelas this weekend with .… nothing…
Lane Batot says
If I go to such stores, I rarely BUY things, but I get all kinds of IDEERZ on how to MAKE things(much, much cheaper!) Think of such places as visual sorts of libraries.….
Damn. That’s some willpower!
They have a store in Maine we usually visit on our annual vacation. They opened a store in MA, too, but that is an hour drive, so resistance is possible.
I have a weakness for safari shirts. I wonder why?
Honestly, I was considering writing a “Stuff That Works” FP post about my Cabelas wind breaker shell. Best one I’ve ever had and I really should have brought it to Florida on our trip last month. I missed it sorely.
Do it! That fence needs more whitewash!
Will do.
Thom Eley says
Great quote, Rick!
Saddle Tramp says
Pretty biting comments Jim. Evidently (or not) there is much more to this than meets the eye behind the curtains. I could never read that much into it myself. When I saw the egregious comment I took it rather humorously myself. I do take everyone’s efforts here seriously and sincerely as I do myself. One thing for certain is that I am the furthest from a radical that there is. A little hyperbole on occasion never hurts. The accused offense here is perhaps that it was personalized against [us] the ones along with yourself and Craig who are trying to find a path. I am sure you will be going deep into fanaticism and radicalism (with this being a lead-in) to it as well. As for me I am a lone wolf. An outsider. Always have been. Always will be. Never a joiner so to speak and never a radical. I have found it more practical not to be and not cowardly. However I do understand leverage. It is necessary for the heavy lifting. Edward Abby and others did their part, but it takes a lot of people rowing together to move a big ship to it’s desired destination. That is not your stated purpose here. I understand that. I am only acknowledging the fact that to overcome this monstrosity it will take a much larger cohesive effort, which would exclude ineffective and dangerous radicalism or fanaticism. How does one support that or encourage it. In many ways this has been a showing of the hands. Where you stand is where you sit. It seems to me this was an over reaction and was over analyzed. That’s just me. Paradoxes abound however. It is a given right for the Sergeant Of Arms to fulfill his duty and I respectfully honor that. Looking forward to your upcoming series and I have no doubt it will be revealing and I am on your side more than any other side…
Saddle Tramp says
Correction:
Sergeant-At-Arms
Hopefully your next epic post goes up soon and we can soon stir our thoughts with perhaps less animosity (perceived or not) …
Thanks Jim!
Two weeks. Even if it kills me.
Saddle Tramp says
I stumbled into anarchism some years ago. I was walking back from Powell’s Bookstore to my truck still parked at the curb in front of Frantz Bakery in downtown Portland. They graciously allowed me to leave it so I could go to Powell’s. I took some side streets coming back and saw THE BLUE HORSE BOOKSTORE. I had no idea that it was dedicated to anarchy until I walked in and and sniffed around for awhile. Fascinating to say the least. I will save some of my thoughts on radicalism along with some of of it’s perhaps lesser known participants…
Two weeks? Arrrrrgh…
I look forward to that. Actually, you’ll get a start on it on Thursday, so it ain’t THAT long a wait.
Saddle Tramp says
I will have my ear to the ground.
Correction on that Book Store.
It was Laughing Horse Book & Film Collective, not Blue Horse.
Now closed I guess.
That was several years ago. I must have lodged Tom Russel’s Blue Horses in my memory. The anarchy was there though.
There goes my credibility.
However, I would never purposely mislead you.
The integrity of my posts are sacred to me.
Laughing Horse might have been some good research ground. The web does not hold all the secrets or maps on how to get somewhere…
There’s a radical book store in Seattle that is a blast to browse through. Smells like musty book, which, I’m sure you all recognize as my favorite scent. Well, besides gunpowder.
Reader says
I am recalling the Bobby Burns supper I attended recently. There must have been something in the whiskey at this particular birthday celebration since the address tae the haggis and to the lassies and the laddies were particularly baffling. The nice older gentleman seated to my left kept leaning over to me asking, “Do you know what (he/she) is talking about?”
“No idea,” I replied.
Lane Batot says
Dah-YAM! Bobbie Burns is really gittin’ up there! Just how old is that feller now? I’m surprised he could even attend such a supper!(ahem!)
Haggis!
Reader says
I fear I failed in my effort to convey with “rye” humor my confusion over how this conversation was evolving.
Thomas J. Eley, Jr. says
Ed Abbey’s masters thesis was on anarchy. He talks about it in many of his books. The Monkey Wrench Gang being one. I had students read it in two natural resource management class. Th students on campus thought it was great—actually had roped them in, they were sold. The folks on the Air Force base couldn’t deal with it.
The Monkey Wrench Gang certainly had its romantic appeal to certain temperaments (not in the Air Force, apparently). Stay tuned.
Lane Batot says
I had never even heard of “The Monkey Wrench Gang” when, on a college-oriented course on wolf reintroduction in Montana, I got to backpack for two weeks on the Rocky Mountain front(truly GOD’S country, that!), and also up into Alberta(as, at that time–1982–there were no wolves–yet–where we were scouting, and the instructors wanted us to see real wolf sign, so took us just over the border in Alberta. Incidentally, just GUESS who found the first wolf sign in that group while there? Yup, that viztin’ student with the Southern drawl.….)–and at night around the campfire, telling tales was the main entertainment, and I had a sympathetic audience for my various tales of guerrilla conflict with motorcycles, trappers, housing developments, etc. etc. And all of these died-in-the-wool greenie tree-huggers I was with(bless ’em!) COULD NOT BELIEVE I had never even heard of Edward Abbey and “The Monkey Wrench Gang”! So, as soon as we got back to “civilization”(being Missoula, Montana in this case), they DRAGGED me to a local bookstore and handed me a copy of the book–which I still have that sentimental copy to this day(ragged and abused as it is).I hardly needed any MORE encouragement for that sort of activity, however.….
Saddle Tramp says
This might help prime the pump as well:
American Experience on PBS / The Bombing Of Wall Street:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/bombing-wall-street/
Outstanding! Thank you.
Rick Schwertfeger says
“He claimed to be an anarchist, a man against the state, but his life’s work was dedicated to federal protection of desert wilderness. Three years after the first edition of “Desert Solitaire” came and went with its few encouraging reviews, the book was out of print and Edward Abbey was again making ends meet with seasonal fire-lookout and ranger work. That’s when the paperback edition appeared, and it was quickly embraced by hordes of long-haired backpackers filling the national parks of the Southwest. Abbey, a loner and extremist, spoke deeply to a communal movement made up of people young enough to be his children. A battered copy of “Desert Solitaire” in a backpack signified that the owner loved wilderness for the sake of wilderness, philosophical combat against the industrial capitalist state that had replaced citizens with consumers.”
— Ken Layne, “Celebrating 50 years of an unforgettable tale of the desert,” LA Times, February 9, 2018; celebrating the 50th anniversary of Edward Abbey’s masterpiece DESERT SOLITAIRE.
http://www.latimes.com/books/la-ca-jc-desert-solitaire-20180209-story.html
Thanks Rick. Love me some Ed Abbey. If a man can’t piss in his own front yard, he’s living too close to town.
Lane Batot says
Damn straight! And pissin’ in yer yard can be quite beneficial! Ever since Fire Ants have spread northward(we have them here in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of N. C., but they haven’t colonized the high mountains in the western part of the state–yet.…), I have learned to greatly discourage their presence by pissing on their mounds every chance I get. And of course wherever I piss, all my dogs(especially the leg-hiking males) are COMPELLED to mark, too, thus establishing a scent post that the dogs continue to utilize, with or without my help! And believe me, it eventually DESTROYS every fire any colony so targeted! LITERALLY “pissing them off” in the process! I DO advise to stand well back when administering the liquid repellent, and not to linger after application.….
Thom Eley says
Good quote Rick. I met Ed Abbey twice. The first time in Berkeley at the old Nature Company. He was sitting behind a desk signing the 10th Anniversary edition of the Monkey Wrench Gang. He had a white cowboy shirt on and a blue bandanna around his neck–quite dapper looking I thought. He signed my book and then we were talking about something and he stood up. He had a tattered pair of jeans on and cowboy boots that were beat-to-hell. I think that he was trying to pick up the young lady that went in there with me.
Robert Kracht says
“As the American participates in all that is done in his country, he thinks himself obliged to defend
whatever may be censured; for it is not only his country which is attacked upon these occasions
but it is himself”
de Tocqueville.
“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed.
Third, it is accepted as being self evident.
Schopenhauer.
“The Poet is a liar who always tells the truth”
Jean Cocteau.
Lane Batot says
.…“and a stitch in time saves nine”(Mrs. Petticaras to the Raisuli while playing chess).….