Polemic

Sidney Rogers 3^rd

Polemic: Industrial Tourism and the National Parks, By: Edward Abbey

                The general point made by Edward Abbey in his work Polemic: Industrial Tourism and the National Parks, is that the people now bring all of their technology and electronics along with them to a place where the whole point is to get away from all of that. More specifically, Abbey suggests that wildlife has become less of a value to people because it has been changed to fit the needs of the tourist. He writes, “The little campgrounds where I used to putter around reading three day old newspapers full of lies and watermelon seeds have not been consolidated into one master campground that looks, during the busy seasons, like a suburban village.” (Page 387) This shows how he is use to the old fashion way of camping where people just do as they please and play things by ear, and where now everyone brings their entire home with them. In this passage, Abbey is suggesting that we need to preserve the national parks and make it so people can’t bring all of their auto mobiles and everything, because not only does it take away from their experience, but it also disturbs the peace the of the other campers.  In conclusion, it is Abbey’s belief that people need to get away from all of their gadgets and do things the right way, because that’s the only way you can get away from your hectic life.

                In my view, Abbey is right because I love to go camping and like the convenience of campgrounds, but can’t stand those people that completely depend on it. For example, my mom is not exactly a nature person. And would much rather sit in a camper and look out the window, than to actually go out into the woods and get a little dirty. You can look at the window of your house and see a tree, but it’s not until you go outside and explore what you have never seen before that it becomes a vacation. Although Abbey might object that people can still have the same amount of fun with all of their automobiles, I maintain that they are fun to a point, and that there is a time where you need to leave all of that behind and go just a day, or a week without all of that unnecessary equipment. Therefore I conclude that  people need to make a big effort to get in touch with nature and for once walk somewhere, or seep on the ground, or catch your own food, and make your own fire. That national parks are there for us to enjoy, but they are not a place for you to use other amusement devices. It is the wild itself that makes a beautiful picture, and I can't imagine you could see it very well when driving thirty miles an hour past on a four wheeler.

Yes, this is an RV. I probably wouldn't want to leave it either.