
A 'Walden' for the YouTube Age - prostoalex
https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2018/02/06/walden-youtube-age/?utm_source=Weekly+Daily+20180209&utm_medium=Weekly+Daily+20180209&utm_campaign=Weekly+Daily+20180209&utm_term=Weekly+Daily+20180209&utm_content=Weekly+Daily+20180209&bt_ee=uAcVBJO46GjsTNXlvrcFQhBwsSxJYwSAfzUsbA7IsBd1ArJjC7BvSu3v6IZkJHdO&bt_ts=1518201601268
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tomcooks
"The channel does not focus on historically accurate building techniques. It
does not offer explanatory tutorials."

As far as i can see from his blog[0] and YouTube channel[1] he does extensive
research on the matter, logs and explains everything down the the centimeter.

I see that the author comes from an Literature background, but in my opinion
the author of this article should have done better research on Primitive
Technology's author (and other great examples, Dick Proenneke[2] comes to mind
first) and his methods, and not just stop at the FAQ in the About section of
his channel.

I would also have liked a quick mention about how this extremely popular
YouTube channel doesn't have advertisement.

[0]([https://primitivetechnology.wordpress.com/](https://primitivetechnology.wordpress.com/))

[1]([https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAL3JXZSzSm8AlZyD3nQdBA](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAL3JXZSzSm8AlZyD3nQdBA))

[2]([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke))

~~~
samirillian
I couldn't get past the first couple of sentences without a real eyebrow-
raise:

"Primitive Technology: an oxymoron, perhaps a logical impossibility"

How exactly is this an oxymoron?

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jerf
"Technology" implies some sort of advancement, whereas primitive denies it.
It's fair to point out it has more than a whiff of oxymoron about it in the
natural reading.

But you might prefer "paradox"; an apparent contradiction. Like many other
paradoxes, this paradox resolves itself once you learn more. But certainly at
first there seems to be a contradiction in play, again, with the natural
reading of the terms.

~~~
hervature
I think most definition of technology don't have "advancement" in it. It
literally means the "science of craftmanship". So primitive technology is
neither an oxymoron nor a paradox. Certainly, not a logical impossibility.

~~~
jerf
I was and am referring to the common understanding of the term, not a
particular dictionary definition. If I say "envision an example of technology"
and the _first thing_ that leaps to your mind is a stone wheel, a club, or a
campfire, rather than a syringe, computer, space ship, robot, car, or similar,
fair enough, for _you_ it's not oxymoronic/paradoxical, but I'd say that puts
you in the minority.

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lakechfoma
A lot of things about this piece irk me but probably the two biggest ones are
1) the author kind of doxes the PT guy. Yeah he revealed his name on FB but he
clearly preferred to keep it anonymous so I think it's wrong to be throwing
his name around. 2) a lot of this is grasping for literary connection and some
kind of academic prowess. Primitive Technology as a name is not an oxymoron.
He's creating technology...that is primitive. Why complicate things.

Kind of ruining a great channel here.

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spc476
Turn on the closed captions, which contain more details about what is going on
in the videos.

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spodek
Walden has stood the test of time. We'll have to wait decades or centuries to
see what works of today stand that test.

> _So why have the videos attracted millions of viewers?_

People seek meaningful and purposeful activities and have mostly given up on
them for themselves. In the realm of protecting the environment, they think
things like "If I do X by the rest of the world doesn't, it won't make a
difference," so they give up. They give up similarly with values, hopes, and
dreams around work, family, fitness, politics, and so on.

They don't realize they've abandoned their values. Watching others live by
theirs reminds them that you can live by your values. They dream they might
follow as they passively watch, their muscles atrophying and waistlines
growing.

Maybe some will get off their couches, stop looking for "out there" by
airplane, and instead looking inside to realize they could do what the guy in
the videos does. Or at least try.

~~~
hux_
I wouldn't blame the people. I would blame what passes for a modern
"educator". Putting a student in 'contact with beauty' of a subject is easy.
Getting them on a disciplined track to mastery is another matter entirely.

For those who want to do the latter, it's not enough to be passionate and
skilled in your subject. You have to deeply understand how discipline can be
produced in a student.

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drewblaisdell
Primitive Technology:
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAL3JXZSzSm8AlZyD3nQdBA](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAL3JXZSzSm8AlZyD3nQdBA)

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JKCalhoun
When I was young it was the book "Roughing It Easy"
([http://a.co/0pRgu6V](http://a.co/0pRgu6V)) that had a similar appeal to me.
Perhaps it was a more innocent time — I felt it spoke more to "Huckleberry
Finn" than to "Doomsday Preppers".

I'm happy this guy's YouTube channel is popular.

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dugditches
I just find he runs out of things to do, and that the videos have become
repetitive. There's only so much you can do.

I think the appeal is the lack of spoken narrative.

The author digs at Thoreau a bit for 'duping' readers. To be honest the
presence of society/others were some of the best parts of the book(the French
Lumberjack)

~~~
kiba
If you saw him building new shelters again, it's because he started over from
scratch on a new property he brought.

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lovemenot
The appeal is clear. He's a one-man minecraft crafting table.

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forgottenpass
I get that it's all setting the stage for the comparison to Walden, but in
attempting to place Primitive Technology in the context of modern day the
author fails in a way that practically screams "I have never built anything
with my own two hands."

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HenryBemis
I like the concept, getting close to nature is good (sometimes) and 'we' (city
dwellers) seem to have lost this touch.

I also liked the geometry used, on the last photo [1]. I believe that he
started building by first putting the stone on the ground, then he used the
stick (on the ground) to establish fixed radius from the center (stone) and
ensure that he puts the "pillars" in equal distance from the center. It would
have been easier if he was to use 6 (distance between two consecutive
"pillars" = the radius) instead of 8, but I believe that would improve
structural stability and slightly increase "building" surface.

[1]: [https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2018/...](https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2018/02/primitive-technology-build-a-grass-hut-1.jpg)

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ahdroit
Art out of Nature [https://youtu.be/q262DGh6QeM](https://youtu.be/q262DGh6QeM)

Michael Reynolds - El Guerrero de la Basura
[https://youtu.be/xbAShCCwENM](https://youtu.be/xbAShCCwENM)

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xkarga00
I happen to read Walden these days (almost done) and I am questioning the
critic of Thoreau in this article. For one, Thoreau admits that he is not pure
(also questionable is his definition of 'pure' and whether it matches the
authors definition) and also mentions throughout the book that he sometimes
would dine as a guest somewhere but it's unclear whether he rooted for those
occasions from an eating standpoint or merely a social one (maybe a
combination of both? maybe he tricks us to believe the later? Or he really
didn't care about his food as long as he wasn't starving?).

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randcraw
I haven't seen "Primitive Technology" but the oft aired PBS-hosted series
"Alone in the Wilderness" sounds like it did comparable things for me. The
impact of watching a man build a cabin with only hand tools and using no
electricity alone in the Alaskan interior, here narrated in the gentle voice
of Dick Proenneke, left me with an appreciation for the self-reliance and
craft of a day long gone.

[http://www.aloneinthewilderness.com/](http://www.aloneinthewilderness.com/)

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Steltek
Thoreau wasn't just living on borrowed land. The contemporary railroad ran
through his backyard. It's a close enough walk from his cabin that in any
other circumstance, the property value might be affected.

Somewhat similar to PT having his cellphone on him, maybe?

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peterwwillis
tl;dr Walden is kind of like this youtube series because both are artificial
looks at a rustic way of life and we like them anyway

