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Peter Haan
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Nov 29, 2014 - 04:53pm PT
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Actually Pilgrims, the somewhat silly or at least frisky prof can't be as ripe for a beating as all that and you know it.
Jon Christensen, being a spry and maybe even puckish associate professor down in LA, has issued an apology in his I, Jackass even presumably spoofing a bit here with humorous pseudo-veiled reference to I, Claudius, the 12-episode BBC series of the Seventies.
here: from: http://www.laobserved.com/intell/2014/11/i_jackass.php
Anyway, in this new article of response to the more than 150 Letters to the LA Times editor, he steps back from troublesome youthful vigor and scary water's edge to flatly state less exploitatively, or should I say, only states the nearly platitudinous, the following:
As an historian, I did not in any way mean to suggest that we should not teach our kids about John Muir, understand his great accomplishments, as well as his human flaws, and the great work he has inspired among generations of environmentalists. What I meant to argue has to do with the difference between history and legacy. I value the history of John Muir. But I also think that Muir's legacy -- what he means today -- is no longer very useful and in some ways stands in the way of what needs to be done today. His vision of a California divided in three -- between cities where people live and work, the economically productive landscapes of farms, ranches and mines, and the wilderness cathedrals of nature -- is no longer a useful way to think about people and nature in the 21st century. We need to value people and nature everywhere. And along with many others, including the environmentalist who told me it is my job to make Muir relevant, I worry that Muir's message "does not resonate with so many people" anymore. Not only does it not resonate, it also excludes many people who will have to be engaged if we want the love for nature that so many of us share to continue to thrive in California.
and goes on to further state:
I have what I hope is a constructive reason for rethinking John Muir. That reason is this: John Muir was a terrific hero for the 19th and 20th centuries. And he accomplished amazing things in his own life and in the work he has inspired. But while we might take inspiration from Muir as a founder of the environmental movement, we can't count on him for guidance now, any more than we can turn back to George Washington as a guide to politics today. We need new conservation and environmental heroes. And those modern heroes will likely look very different from John Muir. They might be Latina, female, love cities, worry about social justice, and want a cabin in which to spend a night in a state park. They might be black, love car
So basically his straw man goes away, he has gotten loads of (bad) attention, and he looks a lot better to the department for promulgating the hope for urban nature theory such that would be accessible to all races and income levels. Namely, the University being responsive to the society. Something they like to do more and more since FSM 1963. How could he go wrong?
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 29, 2014 - 05:09pm PT
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How could he go wrong?
He sinned. Torquemada is not amused by his feeble justifications.
He will be summoned.
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the czar
climber
meyers, ca.
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Nov 29, 2014 - 05:42pm PT
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http://alj.am/1qUD1EP
Why is it so hard to believe Latinos are worried and care about the environment?
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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Nov 29, 2014 - 06:42pm PT
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Jon Christensen's critique of Muir's legacy has opened a conversation about Muir. It is good to question the status quo, and not fall into a mindless hero worship. With this conversation about Muir I can only come away with Muir's significance more firmly cemented in history, thank you Mr. Christensen.
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gunsmoke
Mountain climber
Clackamas, Oregon
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Nov 29, 2014 - 07:26pm PT
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And those modern heroes will likely look very different from John Muir. They might be Latina, female ...
Looks like the biggest strike against Muir, in Christensen's opinion, is that he's a white male, a problem made all the worse by the fact that whites are no longer the largest ethnic group in Muir's home state.
Why is it so hard to believe Latinos are worried and care about the environment?
Answer, personal experiences I've had in the outdoors that don't correlate with view that Hispanics have a heightened sense of care for the environment.
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Nov 30, 2014 - 10:19am PT
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Those thoughts are dangerous. Dangerously moronic! :-)
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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Nov 30, 2014 - 10:32am PT
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Tempest in a tea cup.
Muir's legacy is solid and may last for thousands of years. His time here marked a turning point from conquering the natural world to seeking the wildest of places as a spiritual therapy.
His work is comparable to that of any of the religious prophets.
Modern media brought his work to my attention as well as to others. I see his following growing.
It is surprisingly not-political if you get right down to it. His work bridges religious differences as well as political boundries.
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MikeL
Social climber
Seattle, WA
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Nov 30, 2014 - 11:10am PT
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“Relevant," appears to mean "important to the matter at hand."
Which “matter at hand?” As I read these posts, there appear to be many matters.
In every event, matter changes all the time. (Try not to get too excited about it when you make the discovery.)
It is somewhat surprising to me that ST’s readership takes umbrage at someone diss’ing an avowed mystic—being as agnostic and atheist as they generally seem to be. Just goes to show, I suppose, that requiring consistency in views is not very important rationally, or that any mythical hero blinds his or her followers to their senses.
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Captain...or Skully
climber
in the oil patch...Fricken Bakken, that's where
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Nov 30, 2014 - 03:33pm PT
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Here's the difference. Muir was one of Us. He was a rock monkey.
So there, Mister Man.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Sport climber
moving thru
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Nov 30, 2014 - 04:18pm PT
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How very typical of some in the elitist intellectual university system. Make an error........cover it up by changing the topic, shuffling the pea in the 3 pods, smoke and mirrors. Get the debate topic onto something else, like Latinos, females, big cities and the out doors.
JL did a good job in his reply. But when I read this sentence No posing and no spin. No glib presentation. No bullsh#t. I did have a very small chuckle. :)
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Sounds to me like these blokes from UCLA are wolves in sheep's clothing.
Setting aside specific areas to be pristine for all time, compared to "just be happy to have a park in your neighborhood. Don't worry that your public lands will be sold to multinationals who will own the mineral rights and will do with it whatever they will. You don't have to worry, because that land was really just set aside for folks who have the money to drive there and enjoy it--and that's not you."
My goodness, if Muir's legacy were ever important, it's most important now, as we move towards screwing up every corner of the Earth.
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Ken M
Mountain climber
Los Angeles, Ca
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The National Parks: America's Best Idea
http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/about/
The National Parks: America's Best Idea is the story of an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical: that the most special places in the nation should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone.
And the FIRST picture on the page----John Muir.
I also think that all the preservation efforts since then have stemmed from Muir. So the recent designation in the San Gabriels would seem to be a direct extension, and an ongoing impact of his legacy.
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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The National Parks will be some of the first to go when our currency collaspes here. Lots of liquid assets tied up there readily available for harvest.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Muir, who said,
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks,"
appears to have hit a universal nail-head of truth with this observation. It is relevant for all time.
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Scoop
Mountain climber
Truckee, CA
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I work in conservation. Jon Christensen loves being at the center of a
maelstrom and creating one if need be. He is what we'd call on this site a "poser."
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AE
climber
Boulder, CO
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I must agree - his ilk is too common, in many walks of life, but shows in this manner particularly among frustrated academics whose narcissism is only rewarded by meager bouts of attention from naive freshmen who swoon to their beguiling language and hipster cool.
We can't underestimate the value of exposing kids from all backgrounds, ethnic or economic, to the magnificent areas of the world. Telling kids that the entire park system and the history of conservation is another form of white privilege and exploitation is reprehensible, and an insidiously subtle form of moral relativism. Without intellectual debate, it's intuitively obvious to kids that Yosemite and the Grand Canyon have some fantastic extraordinary quality, which is the whole point of preservation for all. Denying them this, or creating a mindset which claims a neighborhood park as an acceptable equivalent, is another form of cultural discrimination as much as segregated schools or job opportunities.
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Flip Flop
climber
salad bowl, california
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Be afraid. He was a Shepherd, a nut farmer, a tramp, a mystic and a recalcitrant Scot. His view of god is clearly atheist.
"Rocks and waters, etc., are words of God and so are men. We all flow from one fountain Soul. All are expressions of one Love. God does not appear, and flow out, only from narrow chinks and round bored wells here and there in favored races and places, but He flows in grand undivided currents, shoreless and boundless over creeds and forms and all kinds of civilizations and peoples and beasts, saturating all and fountainizing all."
~John Muir, "Letter to Catharine Merrill, Yosemite" (1872) - See more at: http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/John-Muir-Was-a-Pagan.html#sthash.dH1X0Hcp.dpuf
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