Making of an activist David Orton (deep ecology)

1 making of activist

1.1 life , education
1.2 military service
1.3 emigration canada
1.4 graduate studies
1.5 politics , teaching
1.6 communist organizing
1.7 refocus on environment

making of activist
early life , education

david orton born in 1934 in industrial city of portsmouth, england. 1 of 4 boys growing in working-class family. in online autobiography published 6 weeks before death, orton wrote of interest in nature. in portsmouth, near lived, had mudflats of langston harbour , not far away farlington marshes, many ducks , geese. opposite our house baffin’s pond – large pond willow trees, swans, ducks, geese, carp , eels.

after failing exams streamed students academic or technical programs, orton ended @ technical school disliked because prepared students industrial work. redeeming feature him field club undertook expeditions english countryside.

in 1949 @ age 15, orton began five-year apprenticeship shipwright @ portsmouth dockyard. training included building 14-foot sailing dinghies, working on variety of naval vessels , stint in drawing office. although graduated 10th out of 44 shipwright apprentices , worked additional year in dockyard, orton writes never felt competent in trade. in meantime, studied evenings @ portsmouth college of technology, searching, in words, way out of industrial life.

to apparent surprise, orton passed ordinary level english in 1954-- unusual educational background @ time. attributes unexpected success reading of authors such d. h. lawrence , interest in poetry. qualifications had earned @ portsmouth college of technology gained him admission then, newcastle upon tyne campus of durham university in 1955-56 studied bachelor of science degree in naval architecture. however, found scientific study uninteresting , failed in subjects in examinations of june 1956. did manage pass chemistry on second try in september, once again, failed mathematics , physics. studies @ durham over.

military service

during 1950s, young men medically fit required serve 2 years in british military. however, qualified earn pay , choose assignments if signed year. orton writes stupidly signed on three-year stint royal army educational corps. army considered him qualified instruct other conscripts based on education. after 269 days, army decided did not have skills succeed instructor. orton writes failed because lacked necessary education, disliked army discipline , way military lessons conducted. commanding officer s letter of reference, however, paints picture of serious , responsible young man:

he intelligent , has sound academic background. although quiet , reserved has sound principles , convictions. appearance neat , manner good. can trusted apply himself @ times.

orton told after release educational corps, recalled complete 2 years of military service. did not want this, knew meant leaving country, writes.

emigration canada

at age 23, david orton sailed canada arriving in montreal in november 1957. skills shipwright qualified him permanent residency in canada landed immigrant. (he became canadian citizen on january 7, 1963.) orton worked railway clerk , brewery tank cleaner until enrolled, in 1959, bachelor of arts student @ montreal s sir george williams university, known concordia. in meantime, met , began living gunilla larsson, woman worked @ swedish consulate in montreal.

orton received b.a. degree in 1963 along congratulatory letter university s vice-principal. said although orton had not won medal awarded highest-ranking b.a. student, came close it, , achievement fine felt ought write , congratulate upon fine work have done here student, , tell how proud of you.

graduate studies

in fall of 1963, orton, age 29, moved new york city attend new school social research, known new school. studied in graduate faculty of political , social science earning master of arts degree in 1965 , winning prize outstanding student in sociology . passed qualifying examination ph.d studies and, in 1966, passed ph.d oral exam, did not submit required thesis. in meantime, taught @ then, new york city community college , served teaching assistant sociology professor, carl mayer.

gunilla larsson joined orton in new york , married. son karl (named after karl marx) born in new york. daughter, named johanna, born later in montreal.

politics , teaching

during studies in new york, david orton became engaged in political struggles continue rest of life. writes influenced movement against vietnam war , left-wing politics in general. off campus, worked in offices of science & society, describes longest continuously published journal of marxist scholarship, in language, in world. on campus, orton joined other students in demanding professors give them more of in content of courses being taught. uphill battle, orton writes.

after graduate school, orton returned montreal taught lecturer in sociology @ sir george williams 1967-1969. @ first, university seemed eager hire local boy had done academically. orton s brand of socialism , immersion in hippie culture of new york s greenwich village did not endear him colleagues in sociology department. had beard, writes , hippy beads around neck, casual clothes match.

differences in outlook led series of clashes. orton advocated blending socialist theory , practice, termed academic marxists, wanted him stop trying organize , learn german read marx in original language. orton s proposed reading lists classes , tentative ideas allowing students influence course content led full meeting of department rebuked not sharing consensus of discipline of sociology. involvement movement socialist liberation displeased university officials when group actively opposed on-campus recruitment of students war-related industries.

che guevara in 1959. david orton admired che s practise of revolutionary principles

after death of revolutionary communist che guevara in 1967, orton wrote article student newspaper says, landed him in considerable trouble:

“che guevara no coffee-house revolutionary. not classified academic marxist. many of these gentlemen—who may spotted on university campuses in america , canada, salaried, fed , clothed—make absolute distinctions between revolutionary theory , revolutionary action...che had interest in revolutionary theory believed in praxis. message brutally simple, yet profound: revolution made act, not endlessly talk , contribute left-wing journals, regarding strategy, tactics, objective versus subjective conditions, etc, etc.

in 1969, university did not renew teaching contract partly because orton had not completed phd thesis, also, writes, because of general hostility toward him other faculty members. example, english professor david sheps wrote article magazine canadian dimension attacked orton s scholarly credentials:

self-proclaimed marxist leninist who, far can tell, has read practically no marx or lenin. since refuses on principle read ‘bourgeois sociology’ (which seems interpret broadly enough include left-wing sociologists), many have wondered if has read @ all. sociology department had chosen not renew contract, decision every left-wing faculty member regarded eminently sensible.

orton writes article helped create material conditions such never again obtain full-time teaching position in canada.

communist organizing

sometime during academic career @ sir george williams, david orton became active in internationalists, maoist student group declared political party in 1970 under banner of communist party of canada (marxist-leninist). both orton , wife gunilla served on party s central committee , orton himself became vice-chairman. ran marxist-leninist political candidate in montreal in 2 federal elections.

orton s party organizing work in montreal, regina , toronto led clashes law. after helped organize protest against visiting american military band in regina, orton arrested, charges against him dropped. in 1972, however, chose spend 40 days in toronto jail rather pay $400 fine after participating in demonstration against meeting of white supremacist group called western guard.

although didn t know @ time, royal canadian mounted police sought evidence charge orton sedition on incidents occurred in november 1969 during seminar @ regina campus of university of saskatchewan. 1978 book, unauthorized history of rcmp lorne , caroline brown, reports during panel discussion on revolt vs. status quo , orton stated marxist-leninist position armed revolution way change political system. book adds during later session, orton denounced harry magdoff, visiting american marxist liberal reformist , attempted unsuccessfully take on microphone. fifteen months later after invocation of canada s war measures act, mounties tried gather evidence against orton, university authorities refused release tape recording of panel discussion or co-operate in other way.

orton , gunilla resigned marxist-leninists in 1975 because felt party organization undemocratic.

refocus on environment

map showing queen charlotte islands

after couple of years working shipwright carpenter on montreal waterfront, orton moved family in 1977 queen charlotte islands or haida gwaii, islands of people, off northern coast of british columbia. move proved turning point in evolution of orton s ideas. job fish-packing outfit brought him contact fishing community. became interested in haida people s environmental ideas pursued land claims. decided refocus organizing work on environmental issues , not social justice politics, orton writes in autobiography.

orton made contact b.c. federation of naturalists , wrote 30-page report them on controversial issue—a proposal lead protected, national park reserve status part of south moresby island. report, entitled case against southern moresby wilderness proposal, pointed number of contradictions in naturalists position. in book outline written in 2005, orton suggests during time in b.c. started understand inherent conservatism of naturalists organizations , limiting assumptions of mainstream environmentalism. realized logging industry promoted management of forests production of timber , saw fallacies of multiple use or integrated resource management. orton felt these approaches devalued wilderness set of resources exploited benefit of human beings. later called resourcism or world view non-human world exists raw material human purpose.

orton writes , gunilla larsson decided separate shortly after arriving in queen charlotte islands. difficult, although friendly, parting, adds. (she took our children, karl , johanna, sweden.) orton decided move in helga hoffmann, woman knew days marxist-leninist. hoffmann, whom later marry, lived in victoria, b.c.

helga brought two-person kayak charlottes , took southern moresby wilderness proposal area. lived off edible plants , fish caught kayak. pretty unplanned trip, no life jackets or signalling gear, compass , map. forced confront , adjust extreme weather, plus natural rhythms of oceans. believe trip important in developing environmental consciousness.

in fall of 1977, orton moved victoria live helga. while there, joined local naturalists club , worked on number of environmental issues including defence of tsitika watershed on northern vancouver island. orton went meetings clashed loggers , logging company representatives in attempts defend watershed s ecological integrity. wrote long article issue b.c. federation of naturalists newsletter. had come oppose land tenure system, exploited logging companies in british columbia, used forest land crown leases demand millions of dollars in compensation when park or protected area proposed, writes. orton sent letters local newspapers on wildlife , forestry issues , became regional vice-president of federation. found naturalists quite conservative on environmental issues, writes. liked observing nature, did not want fight in defence.