James Howard Kunstler: THE TRAGEDY OF SUBURBIA

[PukeGreen]

Kunstler is a crank, but it's amazing how many of his predictations are looking a lot more valid today than they did only a year or two ago. He makes some great observations but often gets too carried away and brings things to extremes. I believe we're in for some tough times and a painful transition to less dependence on cars and air travel; but I don't think society will collapse back to the dark ages. I think the desirability of suburbia will dimish, and the appeal of urban living will increase. We're seeing that trend strongly in Toronto; not so much in the US, though.

I do read his weekly "Clusterfuck Nation" on kunstler.com. It is worth noting, however, that Kunstler was also a huge doomsayer about Y2K in the late 90s. After that came to nothing, all his online writings on that topic were quietly erased and he moved on to peak oil. Second time's the charm?

 

[LowPolygon]

Kunstler is a crank, but it's amazing how many of his predictations are looking a lot more valid today than they did only a year or two ago. He makes some great observations but often gets too carried away and brings things to extremes...

I do read his weekly "Clusterfuck Nation" on kunstler.com. It is worth noting, however, that Kunstler was also a huge doomsayer about Y2K in the late 90s. After that came to nothing, all his online writings on that topic were quietly erased and he moved on to peak oil. Second time's the charm?

agreed. there is a little bit of a performance art vibe in his apocalyptic prognostications, but even with the indignant showiness of his manner, his points are well founded and prescient.

but i suppose its a somewhat cautionary note that he was also one of the foremost voices in the "looming tech meltdown" years of 1998-1999...

 

[Hipster Duck]

Well, the guy was a theatre major which probably explains his partiality for melodrama.

 

[Team Me]

He also has a tone that really will probably only resonate with the "choir" while alienating the people whose behaviour he wants to change. I live downtown with no car and walk to work, so I can see his point even though I disagree with how he makes his case. But my family in the suburbs would probably be infuriated and find him nothing more than a condescending jerk. I prefer a motivational approach over his more humialiting one.

 

[Archivist]

I regularly read Kunstler and though I don't agree with him about everything (his aversion to modern architecture in particular) I do appreciate his bombastic style. He's a witty, if repetitive write, and calls it like he sees it. There is much there to appreciate.

I believe the impact of Peak Oil will be unpredictable. In the longer term, it will affect the suburbs, but to my mind his emphasis on that is driven by distaste for them more than by a reasoned analysis. The "tourist industry" will fall long before Markham will, and I believe it has entered into a phase from which it will never be the same. But he doesn't talk much about that, only tangentially. But I do agree with his central thesis, which is that Peak Oil is a reality for which we are ill-prepared, that most people think "something will happen" to make things better, but that in fact it will be an impoverishing experience for all of us.