jeff:
>>My preference is peaceful change and
>>cultural activism by living the answers
Toni:
>Example *is* the best teacher, but living *too* peacefully (read
>quietly) will accomplish nothing. Cultural activism is not a term I
>recognize - please clarify ?
First, i have to admit to a hidden objective in my previous
post. The original intent of ecopath was to focus on
building solutions and not activism which fights the current
power structure. So, my post was a reminder of this focus.
Probably, i need reminding more than others.
Another objective was to keep the concept of balance visible.
There are few absolutes in this world but we talk about
issues as if there is a choice between activism and
passiveness. In real life the choice is one of balance, and
often there are many other dimensions and choices.
So... what is cultural activism? I've seen the term used in
several places recently. The last time in a Small Farmers
Journal editorial. I've not seen a definition, but will give
it a go.
The environmental movement fought on many fronts during the
60's and into the 80's. In the 90's many gains were lost,
but looking at statistics it is clear that we never stopped
sliding downhill. The environment and resources are being
destroyed at ever increasing levels.
One possible response is to ask if there is a root cause and
we are just fighting the symptoms of this problem. An
analogy would be the medical profession that aggressively
goes after cures and does little on prevention.
If we begin looking for root causes what do we find? For
awhile i thought economics was the big problem. Then, slowly
other factors began to creep in. Individual greed, unethical
advertising, increasing population, and many others.
Stepping back and looking at all these factors what i see is
culture. Basic attitudes about exploiting resources and
domination over nature that have been with us for hundreds of
years.
We have trouble seeing these cultural problems because it is
us. All the media contains cultural assumptions and each new
generation picks them up (cultural immersion).
One response is to try and form a new model for culture (an
ecopath) and encourage others to do the same. Then, write
long winded posts which make us feel better <grin>. Culture
is mostly passed by language and that says we should look
closely at communications. Thus, this medium (internet) is
an opportunity to build culture and possibly virtual
community which can plant some seeds.
cultural activism - let's see.. actively attempting to change
culture? Or maybe, trying to be the change
one wants to see in the world and showing
others it is possible.
Techniques to fix problems such as laws, political power,
ethnic cleaning, war, debate, mass education, etc. currently
dominant our world and will probably not produce a
sustainable result without a cultural target. Cultural
activism is about creating, sharing, and living a cultural
target. It isn't passive or quiet and it tries to build
rather than pressure others into different beliefs and
behavior.
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Jeff Owens ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Zone 6-7
Underground house, solar energy, reduced consumption, no TV
