Avoiding Misinterpretation

Following the concerns of people who love me and who I love, regarding my paper on eco-extremism and decolonial violence being misinterpreted and the response I have received because of the piece, I have deleted it from this blog.

The piece was never intended as a justification for political terrorism and/or acts of murder. Rather it was intended as a suggestion as to why terrorism might occur within the context of decolonial and radical-environmentalist projects – as a frustrated reaction to the structural racism within Leftism as a political machine. 

I have long found political terrorism to be something that optimises one of the ugliest aspects of civilisation – the need to dominate and eradicate anything that brings conscious awareness to the primordial real of our individual basic mortality, through dogmatism pushing repressive ideology. I dedicated a chapter to this in my first book and have only been interested in discussing political terrorism as to critique it as a phenomenon. With regards to the terrorist movement I’ve commented on the most, eco-extremism, in two of my articles for Gods and Radicals I have argued against their approach and have only been interested in them as an anarchist exploration as to why someone might turn away from the world of anarchist or post-anarchist praxis. 

I understand that discussing the ugliest aspects of civilisation is something that is very uncomfortable for a lot of people and I can understand why people are not fond of me doing so. I believe that if we are to respond in any way to the uglinesses we are confronted by, we first need to acknowledge them, discuss them and not disregard or try to ignore. This seems to me to be true regardless of whether or not we are talking about the terrorism of ISIS, eco-extremism, the capitalist military-industrial complex, totalitarian agriculture or any other context. By doing this in the way I have done my actions have led to fear in those who love me – something I have never intended to do.

My interest in the practice of artistic terrorism, as in poetry, art, music, film or whatever other medium, as a means of bringing conscious awareness to the existential horrors of ecological and systemic collapse – like my interest in critiquing political terrorism – is equally born out of disgust for the uglinesses of this culture and a fierce love for the wild beauty of the living world and all that manifests from it. I believe it is a means of fuelling psychological energies that can effect the world, or at least the corruption of the world that is this culture. I believe political terrorism (which is really just politics) is ugliness, but artistic terrorism can be a way of contrasting what is ugly with what is beautiful, so desire can be found in what is beautiful.

One of the points I have sought to put forward most in my writings, and accommodated for least, is how poor language is as a means of conveying meaning. I believe it is because of this that I have been misinterpreted and misunderstood by many who love me the most. This was manifested out of reckless enthusiasm for my personal desire to challenge the violences of this culture and I ask that anyone who knows of me either online or offline reading this consider that before judging me and hating me. 

My sympathies and desires are entirely directed towards Life and I am disgusted by terrorism’s moral sanctification of death.