Class Readings: Polemic

Polemic: Industrial Tourism and the National Parks by Edward Abbey is one of the most thought-provoking writings we have read for class. Polemic is a passionate and provocative critique of various environmental and societal issues. Abbey advocates for environmental conservation, particularly in the American Southwest, and challenges the destructive forces of industrialization, urbanization, and overdevelopment. His writing often employs a confrontational and rebellious tone, advocating for direct action to protect the natural world. In this essay, Abbey makes bold claims about how nature should be enjoyed and who should be allowed to enjoy it. He makes harsh criticism of tourists and the average traveler of national parks. While his writing may offend some, I do believe he made some valid points. I would like to highlight some quotes from this passage that I have pondered on.

"If we could learn to love space as deeply as we are now obsessed with time, we might discover a new meaning in the phrase to live like men."

In modern society, many of us are so focused on time - whether that be from our stringent schedules or deadlines we have to meet for work/school. We put so much of our energy towards time management, saving time, and doing shortcuts to accomplish more in a shorter amount of time. For some, this causes a constant state of anxiety that preoccupies the mind. Abbey urges his readers to instead give importance to the natural world and to begin to give it as much thought as we give time. He suggests that living with an obsession with time is not fulfilling for humans and that there is more to life than just rushing through it. By cherishing nature and giving ourselves the space and time to reflect, we can find a richer, and more tranquil way of living.

"What about children? What about the aged and infirm? Frankly, we need waste little sympathy on these two pressure groups. Children too small to ride bicycles and too heavy to be borne on their parents' backs need only wait a few years...The aged merit even less sympathy: after all they had the opportunity to see the country when it was still relatively unspoiled."

    This is certainly one of Abbey’s more controversial opinions. While he comes off as inconsiderate and rude, I can understand his viewpoint. While in Colorado this summer visiting Garden of the Gods, I saw an older woman trying to climb up a large boulder. She was not physically capable of scaling this rock on her own, and by attempting to do so she was putting herself and others in danger. For me, the moral of this message is that people should be considerate of others and their own abilities when going out in nature. Some hikes are significantly more difficult than others, and it is not worth it to hurt yourself just to say you did it.  

 

 

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