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Harambe, Zoos, and the Cruel Economy of Civilization with Layla AbdelRahim
Interviewed by Ron Lester Whyte for Deep Green Philly, 7th June 2016
Description:
Many people were outraged after Harambe, a critically endangered silverback gorilla, was shot to death after a toddler fell into his enclosure. Layla AbdelRahim brings her unique perspective to this tragedy, encouraging us to examine the social forces and historical processes that led to the gorilla’s death and the subsequent demonization of the boy’s mother. Along with John Zerzan, Layla AbdelRahim is one of today’s most intriguing anti-civ theorists.
Excerpt:
“Even those who are arguing for ?#?Harambe? are looking in the wrong direction; they are blaming the Black mother because it’s easy to blame the Black mother. They are not blaming the whole institution that has put all of us on display, but worst of all people like Harambe… What do we do with animals that we cannot force to work or keep as pets? We kill them or we put them in zoos….
Until very recently, Black people were categorized along with Harambe as not worthy of anything; they were resources for sexual pleasure and for work… If apes could have been domesticated into hard labor they would have been, and yet even today we have brothels where orangutans are exploited.”
Part 1/2:
For parts 1 and 2 of the interview click HERE
Filed in: Uncategorized.
Hello Layla. Good to hear from you again. I have listened to a lot of your perspectives. Do you think that humans have a range of habitat and climate conditions in which they should not stray from, so to speak? For example, should humans live where plant food is abundant, where the climate is warm enough with plenty of rain? This would, it seems to me, to be in keeping with who we are as animals? Have you any new books due for release or in the pipeline? Also, John Zerzan/Kevin Tucker have a new periodical out now called Black and Green Review. Now at issue 3, so perhaps you could submit a piece to it? I don’t Facebook. I would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks David