Environmental Activism or the Release of Inner Rage? The concept of activism is rarely understood by any normal citizen. The donation of ones time towards a certain cause or belief has always been envied by the working class citizen who feels it is important to give back, but is pushed away when those good intentions go bad such as when non-violent protests or speeches turn reckless. With an intuition of activists having to be heard through harsh acts, for example the demolition of bridges, billboards or aqueducts, their cause is usually overlooked; their actions are looked down upon as people with internal rage. We must ask ourselves if they are using activism as an excuse to vent out their personal anger. Rather than activists causes being the center of the attention they receive, the ill-mannered way they go about trying to solve problems have become the subjects focus. Environmental justice is considered a sensitive issue to some citizens, and not even thought of by most. The rise of destruction of our mother earth by tree cutters, home builders and the use of factories in forests have set off a spark of rage in liberal citizens. They feel it is their duty to save the earth not only for themselves, but for future generations. Though the extent to which they feel they need to express their feelings or hard work is an arguable issue. The characters in Edward Abbeys The Monkey Wrench Gang, feel the destruction of potential land marks is a step towards what is thought of as environmental justice. Though their unstable personal lives are thought to lead them to their rage against popular culture, they have formed their gang to go beyond the traditional paths of groups with a cause. During the demolition of a Caterpillar 330 HP, two of the four characters George Hayduke and Seldom Seen Smith show their extensive aggression when they Unscrewed the oil-filter, took chisel and hammer and punched a hole through the oil strainer and poured...
