“The nature of this earth is change. The nature of this earth is endings. The nature of this earth is extinction.”
Author Archives: John Halstead
Roy Scranton Defends Pessimism (Last Born in the Wilderness)
I think that, given the scope of the crisis that we are in and given the stakes, the dangers of reactive action are too great to just keep going, to just keep acting, to keep fighting. I think we need to have that moment. We need to slow down and have that moment where we really ask ourselves, “How do we want to move forward? What does it mean to be human? What kind of relationship do we want to have to the non-human world?”
What is Post-Doom?
Yes, I’ve experienced despair, but I’m far from giving up. The despair led me to re-evaluate what activism looks like for me, to ask myself how I can be most effective in the world.
The Problem with Progressive Protests
I think there is a time and place for this model of activism. But it’s being overused, and on the whole, I don’t think it’s working. There have to be some alternatives. I don’t claim to have the answers. But I would really like to be a part of a conversation around this.
Doom Porn as Spectacle by Vera Bradova
My kind of community has clear awareness and acceptance of the multiple and converging crises we face, the understanding that cornucopian techno-salvationism is not the path forward, and heavy focus on the need to go back to basics: local food and manufacturing, a sane economy, self-reliant frugal living, community, and common sense.
“The myth of a technological salvation” by Paul Kingsnorth
Humanity is obsessed with progress, which usually means building better machines to solve our problems. What if this thinking was in fact making the problems worse?
“Romance and reason” by Paul Kingsnorth
Environmentalists who don’t want to destroy trees because just just feels wrong, are often dismissed as wooolly and emotional. But what’s so wrong with acknowledging our emotions?
“Taking the greens out of the left-wing” by Paul Kingsnorth
The environmental movement has become politically aligned with the Left. But accommodation on either side of the traditional spectrum limits the ability to look beyond the needs of humans alone.
“Seeing our planet as a factory floor” by Paul Kingsnorth
If we believe that the rest of nature is a resource for human use, then we will treat our planet simply as a factory floor. Even if we manage that factory sustainably, it will be a poor and depressing world.
“The meaning of the wild” by Paul Kingsnorth
Our society seems to be obsessed with the concept of wildness, but further from it than ever before. If we don’t pay attention, we may lose our wilderness altogether.
Another End of the World is Possible 