This week, we spent a considerable amount of time defining activism. Each individual has a bar, where they determine what classifies as activism. There is also a fine line between positive and negative activism even if it is for a good cause. This is clear from Edward Abbey’s novel The Monkey Wrench Gang.
Joining a movement seems like a form of activism. However, can we consider a gang to be a movement? The title of Abbey’s novel which calls this group a “gang” is where the controversy begins to unravel. Many people join gangs for protection, status, cooperative efforts, or even to commit crimes. When it comes to the Monkey Wrench Gang, a group that defies the law, commits arson, burns down forests for logging, vandalizes machinery, and burns billboards, it becomes hard for me to see a gang as a movement promoting environmental activism.
Though it’s important to contextualize the formation of the gang during a time when environmental issues were not a primary societal concern and even those that cared did not take action. When civil disobedience proved to be a failure, the Monkey Wrench Gang decided they needed to take a strong course of action that would draw attention and make change. As a group, they instilled fear in the polluting industries, the government, and the general public making them a powerful entity. They also demanded instant, large-scale action in a time when people were frustrated that their concerns were not being heard.
This kind of awareness, public attention, and tangible effort made the gang and Abbey’s novel attractive to environmentalist of the time. When peaceful protest failed to make change, using fear and extreme force may have appealed to many people. This kind of forcefulness could have attracted many and made them feel like they were part of a large active effort.
Abbey’s writing style most likely captured the attention of many environmentalists as well. For one, he uses enraging language and cuts his sentences short when describing the different environmental hazards of certain industries. This is juxtaposed with the beautiful and descriptive language employed to capture the pristine state of nature and the characters love for their environment. This makes readers realize how precious their surroundings are and find reason to protect it against those who make economic profit by harming it. Abbey also creates very distinct characters with obvious personalities from different religions, races, and viewpoints to appeal to any kind of person. The characters show care for one another and are held together by a secretive, strong bond making it appealing to join the organization.
While I myself cannot imagine joining this group, it grew quickly and established an important phase in the history of environmental activism.
