A
      Dissenting
      Desire
      for
      the
      Death
      of
      Dumpster
      Diving
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      You
      know
      I...
      found
      a
      good
      cake
      last
     
     
      Wednesday.
      I
      think
      it
      used
      to
      say
     
     
      something
      on
      the
      top,
      probably
      con-
     
     
      gratulations
      or
      happy
      cake
      day
      or
      .
     
     
      nice
      clitoris
      or
      something
      like
      that,
     
     
      but
      by
      the
      time
      I
      got
      to
      it
      and
      sal-
     
     
      vaged
      the
      poor
      thing,
      the
      icing
      let-
     
     
      ters
      on
      top
      had
      become
      somewhat
     
     
      unintelligible.
     
    

    
     
      However,
      the
      cake
      was
      still
     
     
      quite
      edible.
      Very
      quite
      edible,
      yes
     
     
      indeed
      -
      and
     
     
      so
      hand
      to
      mouth
      chomp
      chew
      swal-
     
     
      low.
      Digest,
      and
      shit
      -
      these
      are
      the
     
     
      rules
      we
      all
      have
      to
      follow.
      But
      you
     
     
      can
      eat
      corn
      more
      than
      once
      you
      see,
     
     
      that's
      a
      fact.
      But!
      How
      many
      times
     
     
      can
      you
      eat
      it
      before
      your
      digestive
     
     
      system
      actually
      breaks
      it
      down?
      Or
     
     
      for
      how
      long
      would
      one
      have
      to
      eat
     
     
      nothing
      but
      corn
      in
      order
      to
      have
      a
     
     
      purely
      re-edible
      bowel
      movement?
     
     
      These
      are
      the
      important
      questions
     
     
      here,
      don't
      deny
      it
      -
      but
      another
      arti-
     
     
      cle
      perhaps?
      Well...
      sure!
      Est
      je
      suis
     
     
      vulgar
      mon
      friendster?
     
    

    
     
      But
      after
      meeting,
      greeting
     
     
      and
      eating
      this
      cake
      I
      wonder
      if
      it's
     
     
      possible?
      The
      human
      race
      started
      off
     
     
      as
      foragers,
      and
      some
      of
      us
      have
      had
     
     
      the
      misfortune
      of
      devolving
      into
     
     
      silly
      capitalists
      and
      do
      you
      know
     
     
      what
      silly
      capitalists
      do?
      They
      throw
     
     
      perfectly
      good
      cakes
      in
      the
      trash
      and
     
     
      that's
      trash.
      We
      can
      afford
      to
      do
      this,
     
     
      apparently.
      Do
      you
      believe
      this?
     
     
      What?!
      Of
      course.
      Well,
      we're
      all
      »
     
     
      going
      to
      die.
     
    

    
     
      Here
      in
      the
      west
      our
      eco-
     
     
      nomic
      mode
      of
      production
      is
      super-
     
     
      advanced
      modern
      industrial
      fucking
     
     
      capitalism,
      in
      which
      goods
      are
      pro-
     
     
      duced
      for
      the
      market
      in
      order
      to
      gen-
     
     
      erate
      money.
      This
      money
      is
      then
     
     
      used
      to
      pay
      for
      other
      necessities
      -
     
     
      often
      quite
      unnecessary
      necessities,
     
     
      and
      our
      work
      load
      is
      lifted
      ever
     
     
      higher
      as
      our
      consumption
      patterns
     
     
      rise.
      With
      all
      of
      this
      comes
      environ-
     
     
      mental
      exploitation
      in
      a
      non-renew-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      able
      fashion,
      and
      severe
      environ-
     
     
      mental
      degradation.
      Thus
      we
      are
     
     
      lead
      to
      the
      conclusion
      that
      capitalism
     
     
      is
      non-sustainable.
      But
      are
      you
     
     
      sure!?!
      Dear
      me.
     
    

    
     
      Neither
      is
      it
      possible
      that
      the
     
     
      amount
      of
      waste
      produced
      through
     
     
      this
      high
      level
      of
      consumption
      is
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Staton
      Island,
      NY.
     
    

    
     
      But
      what
      happens
      when
      the
     
     
      west
      runs
      out
      of
      our
      own
      raw
      mate-
     
     
      rials?
      Well,
      we
      exploit
      some
      other
     
     
      country's
      land
      and
      ah...
      -
      No!
      war
     
     
      may
      even
      be
      involved?
      Who'd
      have
     
     
      thunk
      it?
      Certainly
      this
      couldn't
      be
     
     
      relevant
      to
      something
      that
      just
      so
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      good
      for
      our
     
     
      environment
      -
      we
     
     
      are
      destroying
     
     
      the
      very
      organ-
     
     
      ism
      with
      which
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Can
      one
      forage
      for
     
     
      materials
      here
      in
      the
     
     
      west?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      recently
      hap-
     
     
      pened?
      Even
     
     
      Hitler
      rode
      a
     
     
      bicycle,
      ass-
     
     
      hole.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      we
      extract
      these
     
     
      ah...
      important,
      materials
      from.
     
     
      Interestingly
      enough,
      one
      of
      the
     
    

    
     
      biggest
      monuments
      here
      in
      the
      west
     
     
      is
      a
      big
      fucking
      heap
      of
      garbage,
      and
     
    

    
     
      it's
      growing
      at
      an
      alarming
      rate
      on
     
     
      eee.
      |
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      On
      the
      other
     
     
      hand,
      foraging
      was
      the
      first
      human
     
     
      mode
      of
      production,
      in
      which
      the
     
     
      goods
      produced
      simply
      remain
      as
     
     
      part
      of
      the
      groups
      sustenance,
      and
      is
     
    
   
   
    
     
      surplus.
      This
      consisted
      of
      fishing,
     
     
      hunting,
      and
      gathering
      all
      necessary
     
    
   
   
    
     
      '
      materials
      over
      a
      large
      expanse
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      land.
      So
      is
      it
      possible?
      Can
      one
      for-
     
     
      age
      for
      materials
      here
      in
      the
      west?
     
     
      We
      must
      simply
      look
      to
      dumpster
     
     
      diving.
      The
      connection
      is
      there
      -
      but
     
     
      perhaps
      not
      all
      of
      what
      can
      be
      found
     
     
      these
      days
      will
      be
      quite
      as
      necessary
     
     
      in
      order
      to
      survive.
     
    

    
     
      Brand
      new
      black
      bicycle
     
     
      frame.
      Forks
      with
      shocks.
      A
      new
     
     
      tire,
      rim
      and
      rubber
      tube
      -
      fill
      it
      up
     
     
      and
      go.
      A
      nice
      blue
      collar-shirt,
     
     
      striped,
      and
      a
      sweater.
      A
      bonker
     
     
      horn.
      A
      whole
      cake,
      double-layer
     
     
      chocolate
      with
      vanilla
      icing,
      see.
     
     
      Lettuce,
      green
      and
      red
      peppers,
     
     
      onions,
      and
      bags
      and
      bags
      of
      sage.
     
     
      Celery
      and
      a
      pile
      of
      non-fuzzy
      fuzzy
     
     
      peaches.
      A
      massive
      box
      of
      bread
      and
     
     
      a
      pair
      of
      sneakers.
      Tires
      for
      a
      car.
     
     
      Twenty-some
      squares
      of
      packaged
     
     
      fudge.
      Loads
      of
      wretched
      heart-
     
     
      wrenching
      doughnuts.
      This
      is
      just
     
     
      some
      of
      what
      I've
      collected
      this
     
     
      summer
      through
      simple
      dumpster
     
     
      diving
      in
      the
      streets
      form
      here,
      to
     
     
      Moncton,
      to
      Montreal.
     
    

    
     
      So
      don't
      you
      just
      love
      con-
     
     
      sumer
      capitalism?
      We
      waste
      a
      glori-
     
     
      ous
      amount
      of
      food
      and
      materials
     
     
      while
      we
      watch
      people
      on
      the
     
     
      world's
      other
      side
      die
      of
      starvation
     
     
      and
      malnutrition,
      and
      a
      million
      other
     
     
      things.
      Dumpster
      diving
      is
      a
      radical
     
     
      refusal
      to
      accept
      this
      pattern
      of
      over-
     
     
      consumption
      as
      our
      only
      choice.
      But
     
     
      surely
      there
      is
      a
      paradox
      in
      all
      of
     
     
      this:
      dumpster
      diving
      remains
     
     
      dependent
      upon
      this
      extreme
      waste
     
     
      of
      capitalism.
      Neither
      can
      diving
      do
     
     
      anything
      to
      actually
      stop
      the
      waste.
     
     
      And
      to
      ask
      an
      interesting
      question
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘surrounding
      the
      anti-capitalist
      mind-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      set
      sometimes
      involved
      with
      dump-
     
     
      ster
      diving...
      well,
      one
      might
      be
      anti-
     
     
      capitalist
      in
      thought
      and
      action,
      but
     
     
      can
      anyone
      continuing
      to
      live
      in
      the
     
     
      west
      be
      non-capitalist
      in
      action,
      as
     
     
      well
      as
      thought?