Uncivilization, the byword of the Dark Mountain Project, is a great “Dumbwaiter Speech,” that pared down “Elevator Speech” distilled to a single word. Scaled up to a sentence we have, “What do we do when we stop pretending?” This hits the point precisely. We face this question as individuals and within the various affiliations we inhabit as a society. Of the two, Uncivilization seems prescriptive and negative; while “What do we do when we stop pretending?” is an open-ended challenge, a clarion-call.
Uncivilization is apparently negative – in a time when we are constantly exhorted to be “Positive!” It seems to desire a return to some previous state, evocative of some previous alternative. The problem lies – as with any call for a return – with the univalent dimension of time. We can’t go back to any previous point even if we could “see” another time with enough clarity and specificity to be able to use it as a direct model. I don’t think that is what is meant by Uncivilization, though that will have to wait for another post to clarify. To confuse people into assuming you wish for any such thing appears counterproductive. The longer question is a corrective, its juxtaposition with the shorter term, while laudably jarring, doesn’t seem to make up for the introduction of so much confusion. read on…
Horizons of Significance 