[Peace-discuss] Thanks to Andy!

[Jan & Durl Kruse]

Host of 'Anarchy Radio' to speak about growth of society

Zerzan, 'anti-civilizationalist', looks forward to discussing 
controversial topic with students

By: Jim Vorel

Posted: 4/12/07
  Radical speaker John Zerzan will visit the south rec room of Allen 
Hall, 1005 W. Gregory Drive, this Monday night at 7 p.m. Zerzan, host 
of "Anarchy Radio", KWVA 88.1 FM, is a well-known figure among the 
community of "anti-civilizationalists." Since 2000, Zerzan has hosted 
the weekly Oregon-based radio show devoted to his and other views on 
the problems facing a continually structured society. He will give a 
free presentation in Allen Hall entitled "Green Anarchy", which is also 
the title of the online journal he edits: "an anti-civilization journal 
of theory and action."

  "I've never been in the Champaign-Urbana area, but I think that 
students there will be particularly receptive to this message," Zerzan 
said. "All the college speeches I've given have been wonderful 
exchanges. Students in college have more time to think about things, 
which is why you're in college I guess!"

  Zerzan's beliefs center on the conception of prehistory before the 
rise of organized civilization.

  "Interest in non-civilization living is increasing," said Zerzan. "I 
think that's because reality is knocking on the door so insistently. 
Things are getting threatening, eco-cide, global warming, extinction of 
species, and pollution is everywhere. It's an assault on nature. I 
think students and young people are aware of this and want to talk 
about it."

  Andy Lewis is one such young person. A live-in assistant at the St. 
Jude Catholic Worker House in Champaign, the 27 year old Lewis helped 
to bring Zerzan to the University.

  "I've been a listener of his radio show for some time now," Lewis 
said. "I heard that he was hoping to be able to do a college tour in 
the Midwest, so I got in touch with the University to see if we could 
get him to speak here."

  Lewis believes that Zerzan brings a very important message to people 
who may not be familiar with his ideas.

  "I think that right now, he's the only one looking at the roots of the 
problems of technology and civilization," Lewis said. "Civilization may 
be viewed as just a deterministic process; he believes in a more 
holistic approach, not necessarily believing in the natural ascension 
of a structured civilization."

  Zerzan's approach is bold, calling into question assumptions about the 
natural growth of a society that have the human race's entire history 
of existence as evidence.

  "I think he might be a somewhat controversial speaker, but we're not 
afraid of having controversial speakers," said Laura Haber, the Program 
Coordinator for Allen Hall's Unit One, the organization that is 
sponsoring Zerzan's presentation. "We actively try to seek out a 
variety of different types of speakers. As long as (Zerzan's speech) 
promotes dialogue and discussion and gets students thinking and asking 
questions, then we are very happy to have him speaking here."

  Zerzan himself tries to fight misconceptions about anarchists and 
primitivists in his speeches.

  "I think the transition towards a world without civilization has to be 
phased, and not just done in one burst," he said. "Anarchists and 
primitivists don't want a bunch of people to die, a mass die-off, to 
break from industrial society and machines, despite what critics may 
say. "

  Nobody I know advocates that this would be an over-night thing, but it 
would be as fast as possible. I think we may be running out of time," 
he added.

  Zerzan also defends the accusations of hypocrisy that most 
anti-civilizationists have to deal with for using technology to promote 
their message.

  "Yes, we are called hypocritical, et cetera, for using technology 
while critiquing it so heavily," he said. "I think it's an unavoidable 
contradiction. If I didn't use it, my travel and radio show would be 
pretty impossible.

  We just strive to be transparent about this bind and continue to 
attack that which we are really forced to use if we wish to make a 
public contribution."
  © Copyright 2007 The Daily Illini
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