James Howard Kunstler Spares No One in New "KunstlerCast"
by Jesse Fox, Tel Aviv, Israel on 03.29.08
James Howard Kunstler tells it like it is. (Image courtesy of Dean Terry via Flickr.)
Never short on biting critique, James Howard Kunstler is one of the more outrageous commentators on the American built environment. Since authoring the seminal book The Geography of Nowhere, an exploration of the vapidity of American urbanism, Kunstler has spread his message through a variety of media, including his blog, occasional speeches, and now a weekly podcast. Billed as "a weekly conversation about the tragic comedy of suburban sprawl," the KunstlerCast delivers the goods, with inspired rants on a variety of subjects related to American places (and non-places) and the coming peak oil reality.
Be prepared for a heavy dose of sarcasm and the occasional curse word or two. Kunstler loves to let 'em have it, sparing no one his sharp tongue. Here are a few choice passages:
On "big box" architecture:
Now, because of the sort of throwaway culture we live in, it’s more convenient for these big chains to just tear down what is ever there and put up their own special purpose built box with all of the things in the right place so that the building is sort of pre-programmed. It is a machine for dispensing goods. It’s not even a building, it just happens to come in a form that resembles a building.
On adaptive re-use of buildings:
Actually, there was a case in Albany, N.Y., where a drugstore was purchasing an old school building, and next to the school building was a vacant lot. Rather than rehab the school building and use the vacant lot as a parking lot, they wanted to knock down the school building for their parking lot, build their building in the vacant lot. This is what they do.
On the future of the American city:
I think that the big cities are going to be contracting substantially, and in probably a pretty disorderly way. They’re going to enter insolvency, bankruptcy, difficulty in maintaining services. It’s going to be pretty gnarly in the big metroplexes of America. Personally I think that the small cities and the small towns are going to tend to be the more successful areas. And that young people ought to be very careful about choosing the places that they go.
This month, urban planning website Planetizen is collaborating with KunstlerCast, inviting readers to send their questions for James Howard Kunstler to berg@planetizen.com.
Via:: Planetizen
See also: Interview with James Howard Kunstler, The Long Emergency: A Long Review
Honestly, I think people need to stop listening to Kunstler, he may have his opinions but the fact that he simply curses out anyone who disagrees with him---and more to the point wishes them great suffering in the future.
The fact that he holds so much ill-will towards his fellow man strikes me as man who will, and should not, have any role in determining the future of man's course.
Mike, GROW UP.
When did the US culture suddenly become so infantilized that calling someone who is being stupid "stupid", suddenly became a sin? Are you being an asshole? If so, it is everyone's duty to call you an "asshole". No, not some pansy delicate PC version, like "uninformed", or "misguided". "Asshole" is the only adjective appropriate.
Stop deflecting by accusing those who would call you an "asshole" of being abusive or whatever. Stop and examine your actions which caused others to call you an "asshole" in the first place. Its called "personal responsibility" and being an "adult".
What wisdom Kunstler has to impart has its credibility evaporate every time that he resorts to adolescent name calling. It seems to be a common problem.
Sitting in the peanut gallery of life bitching about everyone else in society is not something I aspire to spend my time doing when I ‘grow up’
The sad part isn’t what Kunstler says, it’s what he wants: which is these ‘assholes’ to suffer. He wants to see people suffer, to starve, to riot. He wants to see these ‘assholes’ die--and judging by his writing, he will have a smirk on his face when they do.
I’m sorry but I would much rather spend me time with more childish activities like actually wanting to make the human race a little bit better—and do it by example, not just bitch and moan why others don’t see things my way.
Kunstler is more right than wrong but he doesn't recognize allies when he sees them. He is currently inveighing against the idea that organizing or technology will save us but all he really has to offer in response is rebuilding the railroads which will require organization in order to save and expand that technology.
I can understand the bitterness of his comments as he's been in the trenches for a long time fighting the power people and their adamant refusal to recognize what is obvious to a five-year-old child. I have some of that same bitterness myself.
Is he counter-productive? Perhaps. Is unvarnished honesty counter-productive? Perhaps. However, you can't argue with the honesty part.
Hey Mike,
Care to link to some quotes? Come on, do it, back your hyperbolic statements up. I'm betting you can't.
As for peanut gallery, you're sitting in it. He's out there doing his best to warn people. That's called trying to give the human race a chance. If it means calling them assholes because they are ignoring the obvious, then that is a perfectly legitimate use of the term "asshole".
Vinod, waaaaaaa! Mommy, the bad man called me stupid! But Johnny, you are being stupid. But mommy, that doesn't matter, what matters is he called me stupid. Oh dear, Johnny, you truely are stupid.
Infants, the lot of you.
Telling it like it is cuts both ways:
http://bicycleuniverse.info/newsletters/addenda/kunstler.html
Vinod, I won you over that easily? Awesome! That post is a perfect example of my "waaaa, mommy!" analogy.
Always remember, when you don't like the message, attack the presentation. Works like a charm.
Infants.
Willy, what remarkable is that at no point in your series of tirades have you even referred to what this all important message is. Complaining about the strictures of PC society without once addressing the real issues puts you firmly in Rush's camp, and is the reason that we won't be listening to you either. I wish you (him) luck.
Kunstler = Putz
That is all ye know on earth
And all ye need to know.
JHK has some interesting thoughts and some good points but he is not the most scholarly of people and at times gets his facts a little mixed up. He gets really tiring when he bashes mankind and America and it makes you want to tune it out.
And sometimes I really wonder if he is trying to warn us or just predict stuff to be a Cassandra and enjoy when everyone else is suffering. He really seems to have a thing against people in my (younger) generation. Good luck Kunstler with your "new media" thing but I think I will sit this one out. It's kinda ironic that for a man with no faith in technology that it is only thanks to new technology that so many people can hear his rants.
kunstler kind of reminds me of Howard Hughes, well without the money, power or Hollywood starlets.
Did anyone here read his "Maggie Darling"? It was fiction and I really did not enjoy it. he should stick to non-fiction.
Read Robert Venturie's "Learning From Las Vegas".....It explains it all, from an achitect's view point. The vernacular. The human landscape. Profound diatribe.