free html hit counter Peak Oil Debunked: 181. DERRICK JENSEN

Saturday, December 03, 2005

181. DERRICK JENSEN

I've already discussed some of the extremist riff-raff who wrote Advanced Praise blurbs for Heinberg's peak oil bible The Party's Over: the white separatist Virginia Deane Abernethy (#106,#123), the racist collaborator David Pimentel (#106,#123) and the paranoid mental case Michael C. Ruppert (#115, #116, #132). Today, let's take a look at another one of Heinberg's buddies, Derrick Jensen:

He almost sounds like a sane person in the promo copy in Heinberg's book -- just another moderate in the peak oil debate:
As Richard Heinberg makes shockingly clear in this extraordinarily well-researched and -written book, our way of life will soon change dramatically, as oil production and reserves both begin to decline. He also makes clear that our actions now will strongly affect what is left of the world when this shift away from oil takes place. But before we can act we must understand, and before we can understand, we must be informed. In this compelling book, Richard Heinberg gives us the tools -- the information and understanding -- to act. The Party's Over is a wise and important work.

-- Derrick Jensen, author of A Language Older than Words and The Culture of Make Believe
This is just a front. Jensen is actually a drooling luddite, and an advocate of violence against energy infrastructure. He talks very differently when he lets his hair down among the true believers:
Jensen currently lives among the redwoods of Crescent City, California, where he devotes much of his time to wildlife habitat restoration. In his own words: "Are human beings destined to destroy this earth? Why do we act as we do? What will it take for us to stop the horrors that characterize our way of being? Every morning when I wake up, I ask myself if I should write or blow up a dam."Source
My main objective is to bring down civilization. Actually that's not quite true. My main objective is to live in a world with more wild salmon every year than the year before, more migratory songbirds, more natural forest communities, more fish in the ocean, less dioxin in every mother's breast milk. And I'll do what it takes to get there. And what it will take is for us to dismantle everything we see around us.Source
If someone would have brought down civilization whatever that means, 150 years ago, people living along the Columbia river would still have salmon to eat. If people would have brought down civilization 200 years ago, people who live in what is now the New England states would still have passenger pigeons.Source
The whole reform versus revolution question, which is not the question you asked, is just crap. If we just wait for the great glorious revolution there is not going to be anything left when we get there, and if on the other hand all we do is reform there won’t be anything left in the end anyways. We need it all. We need everything. We need people chaining themselves to trees, we need people taking out dams...Source
In so far as what we can do to get there, I’ve done benefits for earth liberation prisoners and fully support the actions of the ELF and the ALF. I have supported them publicly on a bunch of occasions, and in a bunch of different local and national venues. That said I do have a criticism, and my criticism is that I wish they would move up the infrastructure. I think what we need to do is start looking for bottlenecks and start looking for leverage points.Source
-- by JD

38 Comments:

At Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 1:41:00 AM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

What we have here, is what you call a 'guilt by association' attack. There are some wacky people who likes Heinberg's book, and that is supposed to make Heinberg himself a suspicious character.

JD you truly are just a piece of trash.

 
At Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 3:49:00 AM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think this is a very relevant post. Pealoil.com is loaded with ecoextremists. I don't think this guy is so unusual.

 
At Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 9:02:00 AM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Where's your RSS feed for this blog?

 
At Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 10:59:00 AM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's not exactly guilt by association. As you can see in the post, this guy wrote promo copy for Heinberg's book. Heinberg must have at least asked him to do it, or approved it once it was written. If Heinberg let someone publicly endorse his book having these types of beliefs, or if he didn't know them, either is equally damning.

What's more telling is the complainers' refusal to denounce eco-terrorism and those who advocate or practice it. That's the response this post should provoke.

I guess the truth hurts. Thanks again JD for being the voice of reason.

 
At Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 12:05:00 PM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Gee, I wonder why JD has never posted a picture of himself on this blog. My guess is he's a huge wennie who couldn't get laid if he walked into in a whorehouse with a fistfull of 100 dollar bills and a kilo of cocaine.

 
At Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 12:32:00 PM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

That last post was by Derrick Jensen, by the way.

 
At Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 1:48:00 PM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

What the anonyomous said is true.

JW

 
At Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 2:10:00 PM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

JD wants you to believe he owns the truth and is protecting the ignorant masses from those (hysteric doomers) who would poison the debate.

Actually for personal reasons, JD hates environmentalists. By attacking them he is actually doing the bidding of the Julian Simon/Wise Use movement which is funded by Kawaski, Honda, Chevrolet, Ford and the rest of the petroleum aftermarket Recreational Vehicle industry.

 
At Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 4:06:00 PM PST, Blogger JD said...

chris l,
If Heinberg disapproves of Jensen's extremism, then why is Jensen quoted on the very first page when I open Heinberg's book? Heinberg knows that quote is there:
http://www.museletter.com/partys-over.html

 
At Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 4:26:00 PM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Can I just say that JD has always been very welcome at our establishment but can you please get him to talk about something else? Always the Peak Oil...

 
At Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 4:36:00 PM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

JD,

I left several messages on your machine. Long story short, "you know who" came down with herpes simplex type 345 and we all need to get ourselves checked out.

Yours,

JG

 
At Sunday, December 4, 2005 at 6:07:00 PM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

And I thought you were the ones criticizing JD for ad hominem attacks.

 
At Monday, December 5, 2005 at 2:32:00 PM PST, Blogger al fin said...

Thanks for pointing out some of the unsavory characters associated with the Peak Oil Movement. Also thanks for drawing them out in your comments section. The entertainment never ends.
;-)

 
At Monday, December 5, 2005 at 10:56:00 PM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

JD,

Ignore what Jeff said. It's not true. I kicked his ass to the curb months ago and he's just upset about it.

Karl R.

 
At Tuesday, December 6, 2005 at 11:41:00 PM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

al fin you dillweed there is no "Peak Oil Movement." There are no "Peak Oilers" meeting in secret covens that need to be "smoked out" or exposed in any way. There are merely intelligent people concerned that Americans are stupid f#$ks who can't see the train heading down the tracks toward them and are doing their damndest to open some stupid american eyes. kapeesh?

oh yeah. and what is with the secret letter you have to type in. I mean this is anonymous isn't it? Is this some Patriot Act routine or something?

 
At Tuesday, November 14, 2006 at 7:50:00 AM PST, Blogger John said...

Summerhome, you should try reading ANY book sometime.

 
At Monday, February 4, 2008 at 12:18:00 AM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just stumbled upon this blog doing some research on derrick jensen.

For what it's worth and I presume it won't be much to this crowd, I just finished a physics course at my university in which we were taught that peak oil is indeed very real and swiftly approaching. From what I've read it appears that many well respected scientists and professors believe there is indeed truth to peak oil.

I'm uncertain where all the hostility is coming from. If so many of our intelligent and qualified scientists believe this may be a problem then perhaps we should take it a bit more seriously rather than scoff at and ridicule it.

Great minds are rarely reduced to such childish language and communication as I've witnessed here which only leads me to believe that the opposition [here] is most likely unqualified, uneducated and ignorant.

 
At Monday, February 4, 2008 at 1:56:00 AM PST, Blogger JD said...

we were taught that peak oil is indeed very real

Everyone on this site accepts that peak oil is real. Read the disclaimer at the top of the page.

I'm uncertain where all the hostility is coming from.

The subject of this post, Derrick Jensen, is on the record promoting 9/11-style attacks on civilization and critical infrastructure. Hence the hostility. Pull your head out of your ass.

 
At Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at 9:51:00 PM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

He's harmless, he's just a philosopher advocating his utopia, which isn't far from the mark. I don't think you can compare blowing up dams or burning down billboards such as Edward Abbey proposed to 9/11 style attacks!

 
At Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 10:23:00 AM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

.. also I did read your hostile disclaimer before posting. However, I said "swiftly approaching" as "someday" seems extremely vague and implies you don't think it will happen for a very, very, long time.

I'm glad you have a site in which to channel your anger at more intelligent people than yourself. You must feel very important! Please feel free to continue swearing at me if it's theraputic for you.

 
At Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 4:38:00 PM PST, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I thought we were all "doomers" if that's the word you want to use. It's not too hard to see that we have screwed ourselves on many fronts. Isn't all of this just obvious? Does anyone on this blog actually believe otherwise? Maybe you know something I don't. Please don't mention Rapture. And if you think technology is going to save the day dream on.

 
At Tuesday, March 11, 2008 at 8:42:00 PM PDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

blowing up a dam is not "eco-terrorism" for it means to frighten no one. it is an act most like the underground railroad - illegal, true, but by whose law, the slaveholder's or the slaves?

 
At Friday, March 14, 2008 at 2:05:00 AM PDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"All writers are propagandists." Derrick Jensen

 
At Saturday, March 22, 2008 at 4:00:00 PM PDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Who cares about hypocrisy? Is it better to have no beliefs? I always find it strange how people who have no ethical compass can feel superior to those who do, just because they can't be accused of being hypocritical.

Jensen points out in his books that there are really no places left to go live in the woods, as was suggested. When every stream in North America is already toxic, when all land is private property or covered in pavement, how is one supposed to feed himself without going to the grocery store or McDonald's?

 
At Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 1:52:00 PM PDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, you can live in the National Forests that are owned by the US Government. But, they have a 2 week camping limit. You can also hunt in them, but you'll need to pay for a permit to bag anything bigger than a bunny.
There are always apologists for the status quo. Another great reason to shirk the status quo.

 
At Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 11:31:00 PM PDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

All of the Derrick Jensen quotes are sane and reasonable. Not sure what your point is.

 
At Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 6:44:00 AM PDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jensen states that "you will kill to maintain the system that sustains you. If you live off the land you will kill to sustain it and if you get your food from the supermarket and your water from a tap then you will kill to sustain the system that brings it to you"
I agree with him. I get my food from the supermarket and he wants to bring down that system. I have decided to kill Derrick Jensen. He and his kind must be destroyed. NO COMPROMISE!

 
At Monday, July 28, 2008 at 7:14:00 PM PDT, Blogger Prairiefyre said...

I wonder how many who are attacking Derrick Jensen here have read any of his books. None, I imagine. It's easy to throw stones at what you don't understand and choose not to.

 
At Monday, July 28, 2008 at 8:33:00 PM PDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I haven't read a solid criticism on this blog of Jensen, just attacks at his ideas. For 99% of human history man has lived in communal, hunter-gatherer cultures. Such cultures are what he suggests we need to return to. Industrial civilization is an anomolie and will not sustain itself. With 90% of original forests gone, 90% of big fish in the ocean gone, a warming planet and infrastructure and economies based on hyperexploited resources, wars and poverty, he makes a compelling argument.
Jensen suggests, to avert the further violence, starvation, war, degradation that will come from overpopulation and overconsumption, we need to return to the way we've lived for almost all of our time on earth.
As for advocating 9/11 actions, I challenge anyone to find a quote saying anything of the sort.

 
At Monday, August 18, 2008 at 8:34:00 AM PDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"For 99% of human history man has lived in communal, hunter-gatherer cultures."

I don’t know why these anarchist types are so enamored with primitive social groups. Primitive people are petty, violent, and ignorant and they smell bad. Thank God for civilization. If it takes the destruction of the earth for just 1% of human species to break free of the oppression and monotony of communal living, then so be it.

 
At Thursday, August 21, 2008 at 8:46:00 PM PDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't think Jensen is crazy at all. Read his work and think for yourself. It's fun and healthy!

 
At Tuesday, October 21, 2008 at 2:40:00 AM PDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This needs to be said: primitivism is not anarchism!

Anarchists simply want to abolish private ownership of means of production along with the state.

 
At Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 2:45:00 PM PDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jensen isn't crazy. He isn't even that extreme. Try reading one of his books. Regardless of his conclusions or personal anecdotes, he provides a lot of credible, researchable facts about the state of the world. His work is incredible relevant. Just because you don't want to face the truth doesn't mean its not the truth...

 
At Friday, July 10, 2009 at 3:56:00 AM PDT, Blogger JD said...

He isn't even that extreme.

Anybody who dreams about blowing up dams is a domestic terrorist, case closed. He just hasn't acted on his impulses yet. But his basic criminality is in no doubt -- after all, intent is what counts in the law.

 
At Friday, October 30, 2009 at 10:28:00 AM PDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jenson's views on how this world should run are bang on the money. Anyone who believes there currency way of life can be sustained for any more than a few centuries are deluding themselves. We would all be a lot happier (in the long run) if we slowly took on board ways to bring ourselves inline with nature and all she has to offer instead of abusing her until she finally gives up and says no more. When that day comes we will wish we hqad followed Derrick's advise. Derrick Jenson is a good role model for anyone.

 
At Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 11:20:00 PM PDT, Blogger maverick said...

what sane person believes that finite resources last forever? a lot of debate these days goes on about global warming and of course foreign oil dependence, but i find it hard to understand that anyone does not realize that oil and other resources are diminishing through overuse. for those of you who do not hold huge stock in oil companies or some other megacorp what are you truly gaining by denying this? and if you are making big bucks by sucking the planet dry, do you have kids? do you care at all what the next generations face?

 
At Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at 7:18:00 PM PDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Anybody who dreams about blowing up dams is a domestic terrorist, case closed."

Thank you senator McCarthy.

 
At Monday, August 2, 2010 at 4:23:00 PM PDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Derrick Jensen is calling for what would be the most monumental genocide in human history. He wants to destroy civilization and throw humanity back into the paleolithic era, and reduce the human population by several billions.

He would do this by presumably blowing up power plants and dams, and generally making life so miserable and horrible the population supported by industrial civilization dies of starvation, war and disease.

The response of Jensen and other primitivists is that the apocalypse is going to happen anyways, so it's better to get started now before the damage can get any worse. He must happily pinch the chubby around his belly in anticipation.

Now seriously, that takes a tremendous leap of faith, and is a wild exaggeration of the very real resource problems the world faces. Tomorrow may look bleak, but I'm highly skeptical of the claim that humanity is going to go extinct or destroy itself anytime soon.

There's also a totalitarian component to it. We can predict the future! And the future is exactly where we're all headed, so you can either get with the program or stand athwart history and time itself. This is a recipe of tyranny, and would be a sinister and terrible threat to our freedoms if it weren't confined to the sandwich boards of lunatics.

 

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