Fanaticaland

Published in Il Manifesto
(Italy) on 13 February 2013
by Luca Celada (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Micaela Bester. Edited by Rachel Smith.
We all know about the apolitical and paranoid streaks of the American imagination. Another widespread national characteristic is utopianism, which is perhaps all too predictable for a nation born to break with the past and focus on the future, and which is evident in its "intentional communities.” Perhaps there is a direct line joining the villages of the Puritan colonies with the agricultural communities of the counterculture. There is certainly a long and rich history between the two. The impulse to find oneself in a local community with people of similar character and converging convictions originates perhaps from the homesteading impulse, or perhaps it is about the famous search for happiness which is constitutionally guaranteed. The fact remains that settlements based on a political, religious or philosophical utopia have never been lacking there.

From the Quakers to Arcosanti, the desire to gather together to make a better America within the imperfect America has produced the most varied experiments. They range from Icarians — nineteenth-century proto-socialist followers of Etienne Cabet, arrived from France to found a "communist" city in Texas and in Illinois (in Nauvoo, a small town recently vacated by another group of utopians: the Mormons) — to the eccentric New Age pioneers of Oneida, a community founded in upstate New York in 1848, devoted to free love, eugenics and the manufacture of silverware. Beyond that is an assortment of experimental communities, from creative ones like the utopian city of Paolo Soleri to disturbing religious sects; from Jonestown to Scientology; from the playful, like Burning Man, to the "scientific," like Biosphere 2 in Arizona and the Mars Research Station in the red desert of Utah.

It is a varied collection of start-up prophets and priests of the future — including Disney, the "visionary" designer in Florida of the futuristic city of Epcot and the nearby Celebration, a suburban ideal of sound patriotic values. This last place is one in which utopianism combines with slightly leftist diffidence and homogeneity. The latter also pertains to Independence, the perfect city planned by Glenn Beck, columnist for Fox News, from which he was separated when his apocalyptic invectives on Obama's socialist conspiracies became excessive even for Murdoch's reactionary station. Now on his webcast he continues the paranoid drifting and launches his very own apotheosis. It is a plan for the umpteenth perfect city conceived for a select number of virtuous Americans who could build themselves a life based on “the values of freedom, responsibility and truth" on which the world turns — plus, naturally, a theme park, a church in the form of the Alamo and the archives of Beck's TV sermons, preserved for posterity. In sum, a Disney with an abundant splash of Dr. Strangelove. Who knows, maybe this time it will finally be the right utopia.


Fanaticolandia 2

Della striatura apocalittica e paranoica dell’immaginario americano abbiamo gia’ parlato. Un altra diffusa caratteristca nazionale e’ l’utopismo, vocazione sin troppo scontata forse di un nazione nata per rompere col passato e votata al futuro, che si concretizza per esempio nelle “comunita’ intenzionali”. Idealmente c’e’ una linea diretta che congiunge i villaggi dei coloni puritani con le comuni agricole della controcultura – e una storia lunga e ricca fra le due. La pulsione di ritrovarsi in comunita’ autoctone con gente di carattere affine e convinzioni convergenti scaturisce forse dall’impulso colonico o forse si tratta della famosa ricerca di felicita’ il cui esercizio e’ costituzionalmente garantito, fatto sta che gli insediamenti a sfondo utopico – politico, religoso, filosofco – qui non sono mai mancati. Dai Quaccheri ad Arcosanti, la voglia di radunarsi per fare una propria America migliore all;interno dell’America imperfetta ha prodotto i piu’ svariati esprimenti dagli icariani, protosocialisti ottocenteschi seguaci di Etienne Cabet, giunti dalla Francia per fondare citta’ “comuniste” in Texas e in Illinois (a Nauvoo, cittadina da poco sgomberta da un altro gruppo di utopisti: i mormoni) agli eccentrici precursori New Age di Oneida comune fondata in upstate New York nel 1848, votata all’amore libero, l’eugenica e la manifattura di argenteria. Piu’ un assortimento di comunita’ sperimentali dalle creative come la citta’ utopica di Paolo Soleri alle inquietanti, tipo sette religiose, da Jonestown a Scientology, le giocose come Burning Man alle “scientifiche” tipo la Biosphere 2 in Arizona e la Mars Research Station nel deserto rosso dello Utah. E’ un campionario variegato di profeti start-up e sacerdoti del radioso futuro – c’e dentro anche Disney, “visionario” progettatore in Florida della citta’ futuribile di Epcot e la vicina Celebration – ideale suburbia di sani principi patriotici. Luogo quest’ultimo in cui l’utopismo si ricongiunge con la diffidenza e l’omogeneita’ lievemente sinstra. Una categoria a cui appartiene anche l’ultima entry della serie: Independence la citta’ perfetta progettata da Glenn Beck, gia’ editorialista della Fox News da cui e’ stato allontanato quando le sue filippiche apocalittiche sui complotti socialisti di Obama sono diventati eccessivi perfino per l’emittent reazionaria di Murdoch. Ora sul suo webcast completa la deriva paranoide e lancia la propria apoteosi. E’ il progetto di ennesima citta’ perfetta pensata per un numero selezionato di Americani virtuosi che potranno “costrurisi una vita sui valori fondamentali di liberta;’ responsabilita’ e verita’” cui il mondo sta voltando le spalle – piu’ naturalmente il parco divertimenti, la chiesa a forma di Alamo e l’archivio di prediche TV dello stesso Beck, preservate per i posteri. Un Disney insomma con una spruzzata abbondante di Dr. Strangelove – chissa’, forse stavolta infine l’utopia giusta.
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