politics of despair? Ecology: us with his vision of paradise: Ec- dustrial society, in complete har- passion with which he presented failed to notice the energy and Anyone famiar with the writ- The inhabitants of Ectopia inge of Edward Goldsmith, or Goldsmith claims to draw in- presentation, could not have live in a communal, pre-in- who saw his Fragile Earth Deep mony with nature (Gaia).
Throughout the whole of "67 within the race as well, with the hie and the Fuhrer were one and Way , not once does Goldsmith Fuhrer at its head. Coincidental races, and a 'natural hierarchy" ly, and conveniently for Hitler, dustrialisation must, therefore, According to Hitler, there to it. Facist revolt against in- tum against civilisation too. Principles' concerning The was a 'natural hierarchy of the same. place?. It was a populist vision of Logether was that of the Volk. On simply mcan "the people', but on the ahstract level it could mean 3 safe, traditional, humane and in- "system of absolute values, im- timate existence, where the ills • popular level, the Volk could 'Community, was therefore a The concept that held this Force of human bchaviour. of industrialisation had no heaven on carth. so as to fulfill their differentiated is aquired through intuition' and that Ecology is emotional". For homearhy", and therefore: "Man He also says: "The most fun dumental ecological knowledge overall stability and are suhject They thereby contrihute to her ganised to form a hierarchy or functions within its hierarchy. to all the laws govering life him, "Gaian systems are or- processes on this planet". He claims that "development" and "industrialisation" have been Goldsmith points the accusatory With revolutionary zcal Mr responsible for the horrendous governments" and the World piration from Gandhi and a Bunk as culprits and co-con- spirators in the catastrophic destruction of many of the whole lost of "traditional finger at multinationals", world's coosystems.
"In a Homeolectic society, the The elders, and in some cases the nological activities coincide with the natural social groupings, the mal instituions or governments. soceity itself. There are no for- mention democracy. Indeed in citizens - that is differentiated units of political activity, like chiefs, are first and foremost those of economic and lech- family, the community, the menbers of the social sys- principle 6i he states: for ambiguity, and even room for peoplehood. Belween there two ful) synthesis of these views and meanings there was much room a mystical interpretation, gring The final (and most success (for those with the intuition) ac- social Darwinism was made hy Hackel, and represented what mutable metaphysical idea of has been referred to as "proto Nazi volkism", This new syn- cess to the innermost will of tions that are essential to the tech- Progress that is technological is intrinsically anti-evolutionary. and an anatlema to living within of the vernacular society, огі- created a surrogate world that is: nosphere is no longer a member when organised into the institu usurping the natural wisdom of the Gaian hierarchy". We have as human beings are paying the the cosmos, and obviously, we deed of the Gain hicrarchy. pendency of many Third World" term suffering for many millions our global future. He shows how development projects have often widespread famine, and increas ing desertification, that threaten of people, whilst the benefits of facing humanity: global wam- many of the massive problems countries. He rightly points to consequences of debt and de- caused wide-spread and long- ill-conceived and large scale ing. rapid deforestation,
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 23, April 1990 that which ensures social homeol- with environmental determinism helps maintain the critical order sentially a "Volkish" philosophy tem their role being limited to This synthesis of what is es ty, and that which thereby best is essentially fascistic. Are we enforcing the traditional Law of the Cosmos', its logical extreme: the race war The most extreme interpreta- the foundations for the National industrialisation had nothing to modemity of its views and laid Hitler's Followers believed that who took Social Darwinism to tion was developed by Hitler, thesis prided itself on the Socialist doctrine. with another idcology that has, at with disastrous consequences. It Such ideas can be compared times, captured the popular im- ganic community" as described by Tonnies. This was taken up agination in variour countries, Romantic tradition. This tradi- tion looked to the 'natural, or- started with the European The answer according to Mr This is the path to Ectopia. But, let us look a little deeper. What we are being offered is atempt- Goldsmith, is simple: we must this development are directed retum to stability and nature. ing mixture of revolutionary de industrialise society, and towards the few. Page 32
be at fault rather than the system audicnces: it is vitally important dramatic effect without raining shows how heavily these films dividual Presidents ure scen to nesiac ideology of American Too nimy cynical cycbrows rcly upon the collective am that political parties andin- political punches political scene in the movie, catt- but fumly give the edge on cruel brutality of both sides in the war brave resistance force deserving nam films, which tend to show, ing shame on all previous Vict- Kovik's words, it suggests that of victory. This wan the best the Vietnamese NIF was a Pulling those with implied nutrage, the REVIEWS Reviewed by Adam Lent Stone, starring Tom Cruise Born on the Fourth of paradoxical effect on the film Film, directed by Oliver Vietnam movies have a makers of Hollywood: July back to the time when the forces freely on humankind? And even times; the mortality rate and the conomic and political interests valid proposal, how would it be machines, computers, telecom- of natural selection could work spent in an idyllic communion Jous: Was that really Ectopia? The middle ages were not people endured were horren- with nature. They were hard if de-indostrailisation was a Do we really have to go really to do without kidney suffering that the common acheived? There are huge munications..?
Born on the Fourth of July. like all previous Vietnan movies, draws its dramatic im- pact from the siege mentality the USA has nur tured since World War Two. Despite condemning the "reds under the heds syndrome of the fifties, it is only because of the Laager ap proach that Hal- lywood can still chum out successful movies Protestors burn draft cards - under Johnson in 1967 ty to the Vietnamese. Nevertheless, these scenes are minor events in comparison to the overall message of the film. This message, like Stonc's The horrific war is a subject so weighty in it's moral and his- torical implications for the USA that it always seems to wrench brilliant artistic el- forts from directors, actors and cinematographers. And yet, as serious al- tempts to understand die polities of the war, and the system that caused it, the films harely even scratch the Born on the Fourth of Tidy is only a very minor ex- ception to this rule. It has all the qualities expected of ar
surface. that would ensure that it did not happen. The Deep Fcologists remain remarkably silent on the issue of their political programme; They find cocroion unpalatablc. Bur while they complain bitterly about the presence of left wingers inside the green move- ment, they say nothing about ex- Irome right wingers - despite the fact that the National Front has launched its cown organisa- tion Green Wave Goldsmith's own record is instructive. He founded the magazine The Ecologist-
plays its part in maintaining this will become major thematic con about the occupiers of Vietnam, lywood will tentatively begin to a more serious political fashion. radicalism in Stone's latest film and never show the faces of the making endless films about the that a hefty dose of racism also explore the issue of Vietnam in cers in the Vietnam movies of collapse of the Cold War, Hol decupied. For the same reason Of course one cannot deny weakness; but maybe with the Hollywood feels comfortable Maybe the tiny hints of whites of South Alrica. the grand ideals of the Founding Fathers and the Constitution, we can truly create a good America This is most evident in a real against the war. The welcome is (the American people) can find rupt goverments which betray it in our hearts to fight the cor- where Vietnams don't happen. dress the 1976 Democrat Con- the film. Kovik is about to ad- wimp of a scene at the end of makes carlier in the film at a Salvador, argues that if "wo" vention after a long crusade warm, unlike the protest he Republican Convention. A the film even more depressing lo mauntain their traumatic inspact. don't even bother to throw them puncbes: other Vietram movies an advance on pictures like The giving their utmost, war scenes at all. In some ways this makes consistent attention to detail in analysis of the lead character's Politically it is undoubtedly Parker, Born on the Fourth of of great beauty that somchow meliculous, uncompromising Deer Hunter and Full Melat Oliver Stote movie: actors Jady only pulls its political sound and scenc, and the thoughts and emotions. printed uxing tried and tested in- James Goldsmith, who happens funded by his younger brother. of course a low-tech, labour-in- to be one of the world's largest Goldsmith has a telephone and Malaysia, Sri Lanks and India, dug-out canue? Obviously not. When he made his Fragile You could call it cynicism, are we to believe he travels by Eath programme, did he use financiers. The ECologisris recycled cameras and film? tensive, anti-industrial fax dustrial processes. Mr E. When globe trotting to machine.
Page 33 over 400 words will be cut. Send to Socialist Outlook, PO Box 1109, London N4 keep them brief! Letters any subject: but please We welcome letters on the future? We can only hope. 2UU Kovik replies - to accompany- ing shouts of "right on!" and reporter asks how he feels. Vietnam in the first place? feel like I've come home" "way to go!" - "At last, 1 Democrats, Kennedy and Maybe I'm too pedan- feels this denoument will sent the US troops into Jolinson, who actually The fact that Stone tie, but wasn't it the have the required tal orderly tells the initially gung ho Kovik (Tom Crise) to shove The tilm also takes a surpris , while liberal America. A black hospi- nothing for the conflict because ing step foward when, through buried under the saler, hut ul another explains that he cares One is allowed a hint of a radical theme - only to see it Timately impotent, views of his Vietnam "up his ass", it is a "white man's war. SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 23, April 1990 ing, make comparisons with fas of where present trends are lead The Deep Ecology rejection view and its apocalyptic vision could be a profitable (in terms of removing competition) side of industrialisation, its world Goldsmith has realised there but 1 am sure that Jumes to any attempt at de-in- cism unavoidable. dostrialisation.