| Date: 15 April 2011, 11:10
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From the back of the book:
Elements of Refusal is the first collection of John Zerzan's Writings--and this Second Edition of the collection is long overdue. No less than as they first appeared, these essays are provocative and important.
Present day 'reality,' as constituted by those with vested interests in maintaining this domination, is touted as the 'best' possible reality. Accordingly, history is shaped like a monstrous land-fill to legitimize this hoax.
Daily life, with its intensifying alienations and psychopathology becomes more spectacular and bizarre. All is not well in Utopia. We grow more dependent on glitter and diversion to fill the void where all that is human is gutted. Life is reduced to a game. But there is nowhere to play. Every technological innovation promising to bring us closer together drives us further apart, every revolution promises to liberate us from want, but leaves us more in nedd.
The word 'survive' displaces the word 'life' in everyday speech--as if they were equivalent. A kind of social terror permeates everything, a commonplace in ourlives. Why? Because, says John Zerzan, this 'work-buy-consume-die' paradise teeters on the brink of collapse.
Elements of Refusal spells it all out. Here it is axiomatic that art, language, time, industrialism, number, technology, work and other aspects of our social lives--all hailed as the liberators of humanity--are, in fact, the co-conspirators of domestication and domination.
The Overwhelming power of present-day ruling notions and the requirements of sheer survival leave most of us virtually incapable of recognizing how diverse are the real possibilities of life. But today, more than ever, they stand exposed.
Summary: All-Encompassing Critique
Rating: 5
Zerzan questions fundamentals we all take for granted, from art to language to number to time to agriculture, to every building block of civilization. And he does so lucidly and with consistent, forceful logic and insight.
Zerzan's writings have become better known in recent years because of some correspondences between his viewpoints and those of the Unabomber. However, Zerzan's writing are both far more profound and without an exhortation to Unabomber-type violence.
This is one of my very favorite books. Highly, highly recommended.
Summary: Resist Civilization! Go feral!
Rating: 5
Elements of Refusal is regarded by many as the bible of anarcho-primativism, a spiritual call to dismantle domination and return to wilderness. In these technocratic, totalitarian times, Zerzan's profound critique of industrialism, capitalism, work and the machine itself is utterly life-changing and urgent. It will inspire you to quit your job, turn off the tv and run naked through the woods. This book will help you learn to measure your life not in minutes, but in moments, moments of deep connection, sensuality and adventure. (Time, after all, was invented by capitalists as an instrument of socal control.) So tear up your time card and jump into the river. Fall into the arms of lovers or dance with the birds and wind. Remember what the Situationists once said, "Beneath the paving stones, the beach".
Summary: Important Perspective
Rating: 5
If you agree with his ideas or not, he proves a well written, well sourced, well researched perspective on civilization.
Especially notable are the initial resistance to many "realities" we live with everyday. Its interesting to look though history as we have change and assimilated various "improvements" and social "advances".
Obviously we live in a world very ingrained in certain accepted "norms" and john zerzan challenges all of that. his writings are most important as to not question the answers and challenge the way we look at life and civilization we just might loose ourselves in our "progrss"
Just opinions and different perspectives. I hope others don't hesitate to pick this up and give it an honest open minded read.
Summary: How deep does the rabbit hole go?
Rating: 5
I've been using this book in a college course on "liberation theology" for several terms. Since the essential goal of liberation theology is to discover the roots of our enslavement and do something about it, Zerzan's book is essential for anyone seeking to go deeper than the manifestations of economic and social injustice that abound today. Zerzan argues cogently and with passion that most social diagnosticians are still naming symptoms rather than the disease itself. With much courage, Zerzan gets to the root of our ills.
Few students I've taught have ever asked the questions Zerzan asks, nor considered any of the evidence he offers. This can be daunting, intimidating, even frightening. But with guidance, reading Zerzan can lead to stimulating discussions that extend far beyond the bounds of the classroom.
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