Yesterday we talked about coming out anarchist. But that isn’t the only secret we are keeping. All of us, every last anarchist on the planet, does something they know they shouldn’t. Be it network TV, McDonalds, or simply finding comfort in monogamy, we all take part in things which we know to be at the very least unnatural, and often harmful to our very being.
What do I mean? How about I use myself as an example. Regular readers know me as the unreliable, yet prolific, voice of Propaganda of the Seed. I am a committed pacifist, anarchist, and environmentalist. I oppose aggressive violence in all forms, be it against people, property (whatever that means), or that which we share in common. I believe that the only power over our destinies is the power we exercise over it. I believe that as long as we ignore the fact that we are but one part in the vast system of our planet, we are ignoring that which is swiftly becoming our soon to be dead Earth.
I have been active in numerous causes and groups. SDS, Emancipating Education for All, the march on the Pentagon to mark our fifth, sixth, and soon seventh anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. I write for a radical blog, and am a frequent contributor to InfoShop news.
But I have a dirty secret. I love cars. Everything from classics to muscle to exotics. If it runs an internal combustion engine, and is designed to be driven, rode, or survived on public streets, closed tracks, or mountain trails, I love it. Ferraris, 4×4s, and Falcons. I love them. Such is my mania that I have to force myself to stay on topic rather than go on a tangent about how excited I am about the new 4Runner and the fact that the Fiat 500 may finally be coming to these shores.
I am sure some of you have turned up your noses at that statement. Cars are crass symbols of our decadent society. Additionally the internal combustion engine, while far from the largest contributor to global warming (despite what mainstream politics say), is a destructive and harmful way to get your jollies. I know this. Every time I go to a car show, a small part of me in the background is constantly thinking “you know this is all wrong, why do you take part?”
The reason I do is because it is my culture. My dad is a car guy, my brother is a car guy. As I grew up I never surrounded myself with car guys intentionally, yet I still found myself constantly in the company of people who share my disease. And you know what, I bet you do to.
It may not be cars, it may not even be so big, but I bet there is something we all do that we know we shouldn’t. I don’t know what it is, maybe people know you as an outspoken vegan, yet you still sneak some cheese and crackers when no one is looking. Maybe you see the injustice in our class system as you drive to work for J.P. Morgan. Maybe you openly mock friends who don’t recycle, yet can’t bear to live without air conditioning. Whatever it is, you know you do it and you know it is wrong.
