In this post, I want to get a few things out. Recently I was asked by my sister, an educator, to remove the quote that is on the front page, the quote by Hayduke from The Monkeywrench Gang, to be more appropriate for her class. I don't normally curse; I often find it vulgar and a poor choice of words. However, in this case, the curse word is appropriate and the curse word will stay, if for no other reason than I am completely against censorship. Really, though, it is the idea of altering the quote that I can't, in all good conscience, do. The passion with which Hayduke speaks is that strong that he can do nothing but swear. When the book was originally written, to say the f-word was a sign of rebellion and intensity. Hayduke was that incensed and that emotional about protecting the wilderness that he did swear. And yet it's more than that: it's the simplicity of his goal, of saving the wilderness, that requires such a colorful adjective. His job, he says, is to save "the fucking wilderness." The wilderness, this thing that used to surround us but has been degraded and disappeared, this thing that keeps us all alive and which sustains us, is really such a simple, self-regulated organism. Yet, it is developers that turn wilderness into an "idea" that is so complex and fraught with debate that it requires the unbridled, unrestrained passion of the lead Monkeywrencher to wake us up with his simple statement of saving the fucking wilderness as his job- the only, only, thing worth doing in this world. (Here's a brief synopsis of the book: a group of concerned individuals gets together to wreak havoc on the machines that are destroying nature and natural areas- they put a wrench in the plans of venture capitalists who destroy natural areas. They come from different backgrounds and each have different motives and means. But they are all moved by what they see as being detrimental to the future planet.)
It's a sentiment that I identify with.
And really, if you think about it, wilderness is the only thing worth saving or preserving or fighting for. Sure, there are plenty of causes in the world that need our attention. But if you look at the root of them all, they go back to the land and its resources. Even cultural and social ills of the world return to what the wilderness gives us and what we take from it. We need wilderness (which I'm equating with nature) to keep our planet alive to keep us humans alive and our food sources alive. See where I'm going with this? All struggles ultimately come from what we do with nature and wilderness and how it is utilized today. Struggles come from the wild wilderness and the tamed, cultivated wilderness.
So if you're offended by Hayduke's quote, I challenge you to read the book and to think critically about why he was compelled to say what he said. How does his comment affect you personally? Does it move you or anger you or bore you or inspire you? Does it even have any meaning anymore? Is "fucking wilderness" necessary? Does it fit in with Hayduke's character? Do you find anything worth saving as strongly as Hayduke find the wilderness worth saving? Are there times and places where curse words are inappropriate? Is saving the wilderness a noble job? Is it simple? What do you think Hayduke refers to when he says, "That's simple, right?"
