Ecotopia

Callenbach's 1981 prequel, Ecotopia Emerging, tells how secessionist revolution occurred. One may not find this plausible. The point is that this utopia doesn't exist in a vacuum. It has a historical background. Under the right circumstances, it could become a reality. It feels solid. There are a few weaknesses. 1st, it uses a Visitor to Utopia plot as old as More & fairly predictable. 2nd, Callenbach is guilty of loading dice in his society's favor. They're healthier. Crime is almost nonexistent. Sex is better. 3rd, much of what goes on depends on isolation. Hunting, woodcraft & carpentry are core curricula. This makes sense if the purpose is to impart practical skills needed by the society. But shouldn't education cover content areas going beyond the boundaries of one's own country? Otherwise, there are definite strengths. The narrator, a journalist named Wm Weston, is intelligent, observant & engaging. His observations, told in a series of journal & notebook entries from May 3 thru June 25, are clear, concrete & relaxed in style. The novel is easy to read. 1st, technology has been selectively used to develop elaborate recycling systems, from sophisticated sewers to recycling trucks & centers to the reuse of biodegradable plastics. Gas cars are outlawed in favor of electric cars, magnetic monorails & public bicycles. Some electronics (can openers, hair curlers, skillets) are absent, but others (tv, videophones, refrigerators) are present. If this seems low tech, remember it's the utopian author's task to construct a society employing current technology. Utopias based on fantastic, futuristic devices aren't believable. 2nd, Ecotopia has become more rural. There are still cities like San Francisco, but there's less urban sprawl, more green space & less smog. Many live in small communities. Population has gradually diminished thru birth control. Woods & farmlands have spread. Many are forest rangers or cowboys. Dams have been demolished, returning rivers to the natural state. Power comes from solar plants, sea power & a few fusion plants. Animals have returned in great numbers. Controlled hunting is encouraged. 3rd, there's been rejection of Protestant work ethics & large group activities. There's a 20-hour work week. Factories are run informally, not as assembly-lines. Work crews & volunteers do tasks in an unhurried, gamelike manner. Citizens are encouraged to spend time doing arts & crafts or in individual sports such as hiking or camping. Spectator sports, like baseball or football, are virtually nonexistent. Sports pages are dull, but more citizens are physically fit. There are the dark, controversial aspects of Ecotopia. Citizens are direct, emotional & loudly argumentative. They frequently engage in lover's quarrels, family disputes & take sides in discussions over politics or restaurant quality. There's a Survivalist element. Many engage in aggressive war games--tho druidic tree-huggers, they aren't sentimental & weak. The nuclear family is giving way to communal families. Many blacks have chosen to live in voluntary city-states in the Oakland area, a de facto cultural separation. Opposition leaders wanting closer relations with the USA are quickly squashed by the government. One wonders how much freedom of speech is allowed. Our current government is so corrupt, so incompetent, so cowardly & so little concerned with public welfare that Ecotopia seems wonderful. This is how utopian satire works. If this imaginary world, with all its faults, looks good then what does this say about our world?--Paul Camp (edited)