Thursday, Apr. 22, 2004 - 1:43 a.m.

Hey, MacLeod, Get Offa My Ewe!

The anarchist study group is the best thing ever. The quality of the discussions just keep getting better and better. Two weeks ago, we discussed a chapter from Derrick Jensen’s latest book, a chapter about pornography. There was only one guy there with a dogmatic blanket denunciation of porn, parroting the classic line that it causes rape, or failing that, nearly causes it. Everyone else had a highly critical, but thoughtfully nuanced, take on the issue. Then we went on a tangent discussing the nature of reality itself. I’m such an ontology junkie. I was in heaven! Who needs college for intellectual stimulation?

Last week was a little less fun because I got into an amiable debate with several of the others on the issue of violence. They think my pacifism is counterrevolutionary? Fine. I think their endorsement of violence is counterrevolutionary.

The Anarcho-Primitivism Today TV show has been splendid the past two weeks. On April 14, I gave a little anti-tax rant complete with instructions on how to eliminate withholding by claiming more allowances. This week, I gave a short speech decrying moralistic judgment. I have renounced proselytizing for Nonviolent Communication and Marshall B. Rosenberg. It just doesn’t work. People usually assume they know what it is before you tell them, and they’re reluctant to believe it has any value or relevance to them. Or the name turns them off because they have a low opinion of liberal pacifists. They make all kinds of assumptions that make it a difficult sale. From now on, I’m just going to speak about the ideas from NVC without mentioning the name or the founder or the scene. That’s what I did tonight on TV. Let the ideas speak for themselves. After all those ideas are not original to NVC anyway.

The empire which assumes to claim me as one of it's citizens has overthrown the democratically elected leader of Haiti. Not that I endorse democratically elected leaders, but still. Sent Marines right in there and kidnapped the guy and sent him to de facto detention in the Central African Republic. Just like that. Venezuela is next. A lot of oil there.

I’m still running my bubble tea shop, but often I wonder if I’m a really big idiot. I’m not making enough to live on, and not even enough to eat on. (I got some charity food from the Catholics. After enduring years of boring Religious Instruction classes as a child, it’s nice to get something back from the Catholics.) Like Squirrel Life said, how can you be a capitalist without capital? I dunno. I’ve had very few customers, and I don’t have the money to advertise the place properly. When I started, I only sold a few drinks a day. Then the weather warmed to nearly summer temperatures and sales climbed. Now we’re back in winter temperatures (for Oregon) and lots of rain. No one wants cold drinks. I don’t know what to do. I’m livin’ on a prayer. But the lulls give me time to read and sing high pitched stuff. For some reason, I’m mostly happy right now.

I love biking past gas stations and seeing the high gas prices. Suckers!

Goaded on by Anarchy Man, I have resumed working on my book, FunSmart. I’m very afraid that I could get distracted at any moment and not continue the project, but I’m encouraged to see that I’ve done more work on it in the past two weeks than I had done at any time before that. I just had to make it a priority. Fuck Maslov’s hierarchy of needs. I have no idea how I’m going to make enough money to live on, but I’ve just got to fulfill my need for higher meaning. Since I’ve been working on my book, I have such a better attitude and renewed vigor. It comes from living in alignment with what is most important to me. The world really needs my book. I’m really starting to believe that.

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