Underminers

Frank Zappa on Schools

January 6, 2012 Leave a comment

Didn’t have time to put this into Chapter 6, which is now online, but it’s as good as anything John Taylor Gatto (who I do quote) said. This is the full transcript:

“Schools train people to be ignorant, with style. They give you the equipment that you need to be a functional ignoramus. American schools* do not equip you to deal with things like logic; they don’t give you the criteria by which to judge between good and bad in any medium or format; and they prepare you to be a usable victim for military-industrial complex that needs manpower.”

“As long as you’re just smart enough to do a job and just dumb enough to swallow what they feed you, you’re gonna be alright. But if you go beyond that then you’re gonna have these grave doubts that give you stomach problems, headaches…make you want to go out and do something else. So, I believe that schools mechanically and very specifically try and breed out any hint of creative thought in the kids that are coming out.”

If you want to undermine what Frank was talking about then click on this link.

*this can apply to any school system in any part of Industrial Civilization.

Filed under General Thoughts

TACTIC: Undermining

December 19, 2011 Leave a comment

TACTIC: Undermining (Meta Tactic)

Common uses: Where individuals and communities are disconnected from the world outside the industrial civilized culture (a.k.a. The Real World), Undermining will be in operation where impediments to connection with The Real World are removed.

Body: Undermining is a Meta Tactic, in other words is describes a set of principles under which a number of tactics are located. The key principle on which Undermining is based is that humans living within the culture called Industrial Civilization are kept from rebelling or otherwise choosing their own way of living through the existence and operation of a large number of Tools of Disconnection. “Connection” in this sense is awareness, respect for and connections with the world that is not part of Industrial Civilization, i.e. it was not created by Industrial Civilization. One may feel “connected” within the paradigm of Industrial Civilization but this is probably just an illusion, created in order to suppress rebellion. The Tools of Disconnection include such things as “Pretend We Have A Choice” (e.g. consumer “choice”, voting), “Sell Us A Dream” (e.g. advertising), “School Us”, “Steal Our Time”, “Abuse Us” and “Give Us Hope”. These are listed in full in the book Underminers (Chapter 2).

Undermining is any tactic that succeeds in countering any Tool of Disconnection, thus it can be any of a vast range of tactics and variations on tactics. Undermining has a set of rules that ensure appropriate use of time and energy, and also minimise harm to both the Underminer (a person who carries out Undermining) and anyone against whom the tactic may affect. The rules can be summarised as: (1) Concentrate on the Tools of Disconnection; (2) Take Responsibility for your Actions; (3) Plan Ahead; (4) Don’t Get Caught. Again, more detail is available in the book Underminers (Chapter 5).

The reason for using Undermining above any tactic that could not be considered a form of Undermining is that all other tactics play into the hands of the system. Anything that does not Undermine Industrial Civilization either makes Industrial Civilization stronger or simply has no impact upon its grip on our behaviour. We thus remain victims of the Culture of Maximum Harm , and equally culpable for the destructive actions of civilization as any other person operating within the industrial system.

Potential pitfalls: Many tactics that fall under the Undermining banner may be potentially dangerous to both the actor and the any people directly related to the target of Undermining. Risk must always be borne in mind in all cases. Undermining may be considered by some activists to involve “violence”, although violence in its untainted definition can only take place against a living creature; this is a point of definition. Undermining may also, in some cases, involve illegal activities, though in very few cases will they be unlawful (as defined by Common Law or Natural Law) and in most cases Undermining acts to prevent unlawful actions, even as the Undermining itself may be illegal.

This was originally submitted for the book Beautiful Trouble, but was not accepted.

Filed under General Thoughts

The Bubble of Indifference

December 7, 2011 Leave a comment

So, here we go again. Another almighty chapter finished, another (slightly less almighty) under way. I probably should have written more but I’ve taken on a few extra responsibilities recently and had to work harder in others, at the expense of writing which, to be honest at least in the case of essays and blogs, is no bad thing. It just so happens that the first big wodge of Chapter 8 is, in part, attacking the self-referential nature of the “environmental movement” (it has to be in quotes as there’s nothing really moving about it that I can see). This encompasses a few things, but one key aspect is the way people hang onto everything that other, apparently more worthy, people write and say to the extent that they don’t have an original thought of the their own, and spend so much time congratulating the Gurus, that they don’t do anything themselves.

Rather like blogging (something I try to keep thankfully minimal), the world the mainstream environmentalists occupy is a bubble of words and ideas that have little relevance to the real world, and have even less chance of changing it. I would take one person outside of my circle of friends and fellow mind-travellers saying, “You know what, I really agree with you!” over a dozen of the aforementioned, if it was a case of working out if what I did, said or wrote had the potential to make a difference. Of course, it is lovely to have the approval of your peers, but the problem is: they are your peers. Of course they are going to agree with you otherwise you wouldn’t be connected to them. This is endemic in the mainstream environmental “community” (for want of a better word), to the extent that no NGO or advocacy group I have ever contacted has any desire to look beyond the civilized paradigm and into a world of other possibilities.

Time to pop the bubble.

Filed under General Thoughts, Writing

Chapter 7 Finished…All But…

November 17, 2011 Leave a comment

According to the radio it’s raining; it’s sunny outside. I was meant to go to a meeting last night; my mobile phone didn’t ring to say my lift was near. Chapter 7 was close to being finished; the computer packed up and I had to rebuild it. Fortunately I had backups.

There’s a pattern here. I’m very clear about the incongruity between writing this and publishing on the Internet and the need to remove industrial civilization, which is why there is now a decent chunk in the latest chapter about this, including a section called The End of The Internet. This is a big one – the whole chapter is, and I am nervous about releasing the 30-odd thousand words to the wider world because it has sections that if and when enacted will take down huge chunks of the industrial infrastructure of death. This is a good thing – it’s still a scary thought, though.

The chapter will be released by the end of the year, including a couple of important essays by people who really know what they are talking about, and if nothing else it should provide food for thought (and people, based on the last section) for those who think that there is such thing as a “healthy” economy and neutral technology. The technology for writing and distributing this book is just a tool – we would be a hell of a lot better off without it.

Filed under Writing

Not Gathering Moss, Honest

November 1, 2011 Leave a comment

So October ends and November begins. An evening of ‘Guising through the streets of our village (well, wife and children did, I stayed in with a friend waiting for the many knocks on the door to indicate a new group of suitably attired children replete with bad jokes and the occasional song) ends a busy month writing, along with all the other things I get up to in my life as an economic non-entity. The garden has been tidied but we still have some chard and spinach growing well, as well as cabbages and cauliflowers being lazily grazed by the late slugs. The potatoes were killed off by an early frost and only time will tell if they got enough energy from the leaves to become edible – I fear not.

The writing, while not being visibly stupendous has been steady and productive. Chapter 7 nears completion, although the end of year deadline may suffer due to all sorts of new undermining ideas emerging. You may also have noticed Chapter 4 being published on the Book page, which should provide some serious spadework for those who have never been involved in activism before, or who have only ever carried out symbolic actions. During editing I was delighted to stumble upon a host of essays by CrimethInc. which slotted perfectly into the chapter (with kind permission), avoiding the need to once again chase up the original essayist who, for whatever reason, stopped communicating after I sent the book text along. I might be persuaded to reveal who, in person, on receipt of comestible gifts.

Chapter 5 is next up for publication which, looking at the dates, will be along during the second week in November. I’m looking forward to the chance to reveal the Anonymous Hivemind essay to the world. Now it’s time to write about the end of the Internet and what it could mean to Undermin…….

Filed under General Thoughts, Writing

Interview on More Thought

October 10, 2011 Leave a comment

I was very pleased to be asked for an interview by the author of a new website called More Thought a few weeks ago. It was especially nice because Richard Capes asked me before anyone else, based on his enjoyment of my book Time’s Up! – parhaps “enjoyment” isn’t the right word, but it was clear that he had a deep interest in my ideas for which I am gratified.

The interview is a section-by-section discussion of the main points covered in Time’s Up! although towards the end I move into talking about Underminers.

Anyhow, here is the blog, along with the embedded interview via Soundcloud…

Keith Farnish ‘Time’s Up!’ Interview

“If we don’t do something about civilization in general, it’s going to do something about itself. It’s going to collapse in appalling devastation.” – Keith Farnish

Here’s my interview with environmental writer, philosopher and activist Keith Farnish about his book ‘Time’s Up! An Uncivilized Solution To A Global Crisis’.

The interview was conducted by Richard Capes and recorded on the 5th September 2011.

(Note: The Soundcloud applet downloads the whole 36MB file before playing, after which you can move around)

An MP3 of the interview can be downloaded from: http://www.archive.org/details/KeithFarnishtimesUpInterview

A transcript of the interview can be downloaded from: http://www.archive.org/details/KeithFarnishtimesUpInterviewTranscript

Filed under Publicity

A Week of Intensity

October 8, 2011 Leave a comment

The rest of the family have gone away for a while; down south to see the Essex arm of the family, and feel a little bit of warmth as here the first breaths of winter start chilling the land. There is a huge amount to do in the garden and some serious invention needed to dispose of the results of the walls of water that have fallen upon us over the last 4 months. I love greenery, but it doesn’t make for good crops – for that you need sun. But between going outside and making things ready for the winter – and for the first time tending winter crops – I have a book to write and plenty of time to write it.

Chapter 3 has just gone online, which is important to ensure the momentum for getting the whole book up before the end of the year continues. It may change before next week is out, but as I have instigated a versioning system, you will notice any changes to the book pages are clearly shown at the end. With that cleared, I can get on with writing Chapter 7, perhaps the most hard-core chapter in terms of getting things done. I can’t say much at the moment except that there are certain tasks within the text that only a few people will be keen to do – yet they need to be done and I know there are activists currently wasting their time climbing all over things, risking life and limb, and achieving nothing tangible, who would be up for the challenge given the right motivation. That’s why Chapter 3 is so important – it draws a clear line between those who are Underminers, and those who are not. We all have the potential to be Underminers, yet many apparently serious and genuine activists have taken a path which leads to nothing but further devastation.

And now it’s time to get dressed and crack on with writing. Oh, and there’s a ceiling to paint – you didn’t think I’d be left alone with no chores to do, did you?

Filed under Publication, Writing

Chapter 6 is Complete!

September 23, 2011 Leave a comment

I don’t really want to think about the last chapter. Coming in at a shade over 23,000 words it feels more like a brick of information than a chapter of a book, but then it’s my fault. I could have split the book up into 20…30 chapters and then be able to make a little squeak of delight every week as another little chapter goes into the “complete” pile. But that would be really confusing, and pointless, because each chapter as it stands (or will stand) has a distinct purpose. Chapter 6 is about undermining the Veil of Ignorance, which I must remember to credit to John Rawls as the first mention of the term I ever read, and because it’s such a vital thing it takes a long time to cover in detail.

Though I wouldn’t get too excited by the detail because, although there is a huge amount of practical help throughout the chapter, it’s important to keep stressing throughout the book that it is just a taster of the huge variety of undermining actions available to us. All I can do is lay out what I think are the key kinds of things that will undermine the various aspects of the system we need to be rid of, give a few examples of how this is done, and then give just enough motivation that readers go away and get on with things. What more can I do?

So onto Chapter 7, which I fully expect to be a more than a little scary. I’ll try to ease the reader into things gently…

Filed under Writing

Chapter 2 is Online

September 18, 2011 Leave a comment

A little tardy of me posting this blog, but in case it isn’t obvious from the menu items, Chapter 2 of Underminers is now online in two browser-friendly chunks. This chapter is a little heavy going as it goes through the Tools of Disconnection in some detail, including a few extra Tools that weren’t present in Time’s Up! / A Matter of Scale (although they were implied in later text). Dave Pollard deserves extra praise, not only for providing a fantastic essay to introduce the Tools in such an eloquent way, but also helping clarify what the Tools should consist of. In particular, Dave identified “Turn Us Against One Another” as a discrete Tool that has features not found in other disconnecting parts of civilized society.

The chapter is split into two sections because of its length, just over 13,000 words, which in one go would not sit comfortably in a browser window. The downloadable PDF, on the other hand, is in one chunk, designed for printing out or sending onwards to anyone you think might appreciate it. Don’t forget to send the link to others, and post it on blogs and websites. The book is going to start getting edgy in the next chapter so watch this space.