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Crash 1992 05
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CRASH Your guide to travel thru the underground May 1992
ALTERNATIVE TRAVEL METHODS ISSUE
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GREETINGS
from the Crash Crew
When I was 18, and planning my first solo cross-country driving trip,
I went to a travel agent and said, "I'm driving from San Francisco to
Washington, DC. Can you give me some maps?" She asked, "Do you want to
go the southern way, the central way, or the northern way?" "Uh...
southern, I guess," I replied; I had always wanted to explore the
American deep south. When she returned, she carried a tiny flip-book
map she called a "Trip-Tik." It showed Interstate 40 (one of the main
freeways traversing the United States), and the towns and side roads
on 10 miles of each side of the freeway. I knew better then to trust
my travels to this Reader's Digest caricature of a map, and chose to
avoid as best I could all freeways on that trip.
All too commonly, we are provided with only enough information to
choose between the "accepted" forms of travel --Êmajor freeways,
rushed plane flights, and crowded and confining buses and trains. Not
only are these forms of travel expensive (both financially and
ecologically), they are often dull and alienating.
In this issue we give you a start on finding other modes of travel
that are usually cheaper, often more socially stimulating, and a whole
lot more fun.
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LETTERS * LETTRES * TA GA MI * POSTE * CARTA
Dear Crash Network,
Thanks for the fanzine. Sorry about the length of time in replying.
We've been kind of busy organizing travel. Splinter stopped in
February -- as 2 of us have decided to see some of the world. I've
passed your 'zine onto another good fanzine in New Plymouth. New
Zealand is a really good deal for Americans travelling now, because
our exchange rate is bad, i.e. US 54 cents for NZ $1. The South Island
is for the type of traveller into the outdoors, and its beautiful
scenery. Auckland is the largest city -- 1 million approx. It has
heaps of hostels ranging in price from NZ$12-19. There are 6 in the
central city -- all of which are clean and well run. Entertainment
only really starts Thur-Sat. --Êbut there is a variety. There are also
2 hostels in Ponsonby (inner suburb) which is where I live --Êthey are
pretty good too. Anyhow thanx again. Good luck.
Splinter (New Zealand)
hello there, my name is max & i'm about to escape from the suburban
existentialist prison, sell all my worldly belongings and go high-
plains driftin' over the dark fields of Amerika w/ nothing but a dawg
and a spare pare of socks. no car, no home, no credit cards. it's kind
of scary to be out there w/o a pot to piss in, so when i saw yr. ad in
neil cunningham's Flower chapbook i thought you might be able to help
me out. yes, i would like to meet fellow travellers, find alternative
destinations, and experience different cultures. i'm bound for
california one way or the other, but maybe you can make it easier for
me. thanks a bundle.
tex max (USA)
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DEBRIS
Networking and information
* LIVE WILD OR DIE! A newspaper for the anarchist that's fun to read.
Edutainment at its best. Issue #3 had "McThief the Crime Cat" showing
us successful shoplifting, articles on "eco-terrorists," "Anarchist
Olympics," and lots of other wild creativity. Great. Send a donation
to: L.W.O.D., PO Box 329, Santa Cruz, CA 95061, USA.
* ECO-VACATIONS: ENJOY YOURSELF AND SAVE THE EARTH by Evelyn Kaye.
Hundreds of exciting environmental trips in Africa, Australia, India,
Alaska and more. $25 postpaid from Blue Penguin, 3031 Fifth St.,
Boulder, CO 80304, USA. FREE LEAFLET (800) 800-8147.
* BICYCLE AFRICA programs provide the opportunity for Westerners to
see, learn about and enjoy this large continent (3 times the size of
the U.S.). We journey through cultures, history, landscapes, cuisines
and life-styles, close enough to touch them. Whether your interests
are politics or architecture, religion or music, botany or world
cuisine, community health or economic development, there are rich
rewards. For more information write to: International Bicycle Fund,
4887 Columbia Drive South, Seattle, WA 98108-1919, USA.
* INTERNATIONAL BIKE TOUR 1992. European Youth Forest Action (EYFA)
will be having their third Bike Tour starting June 12th in Freiburg,
Germany (departing right after the Freiburg Youth Festival), and
ending 53 days and 40 cities later in Bulgaria on August 2nd. At the
end of this tour, which is done to bring attention to ecological and
social problems of Eastern Europe, EYFA will be holding their annual
Ecotopia gathering. This event is a great chance to learn about living
in harmony with the environment and with each other. For more
information on the bike tour contact the international coordinator:
Katarina Matejcikova, STROM ZIVOTA (Tree of Life), Prazska 11, 811 04
Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. For more info about EYFA and Ecotopia,
contact: Green Tree News, Postbus 566, 6130 AN Sittard, Netherlands.
* TRANSPORTATION CHOICES FOR A GREENER PLANET. Kokopelli Notes will
tell you the advantages of bicycles, hiking, canoeing and other
methods of self-propelled travel. The issue we received had an article
on 3 people who biked from Canada to Chile! Packed with info and very
inspiring. Send $3 for sample to: Kokopelli Notes, PO Box 8186,
Asheville, NC 28814, USA.
* PORTABLE DWELLING INFO. LETTER, POB 190, Philomath, OR, 97370, USA.
Information on living in portable dwellings. Articles on prevention of
bear attacks, stories on teepee, yurt and treehouse living, wild
edible foraging, solar showers and much more! Sample $1.
* HOSTELING NORTH AMERICA 1992: A Guide to Hostels in Canada and the
U.S. Free with membership in The American Youth Hostels or $5. AYH,
724 9th St. N.W., POB 37613, Washington D.C. 20013-7613, USA.
* NUDE PACIFIC TRAVEL GUIDE. EIDOS Magazine says: "The best grassroots
international travel & info. zine for alternative nudist/nakist/
naturist lifestyles...While concentrating on nudity and the
restrictions of such...N.P.T.G. also reports sexual customs and
attitudes in many countries; plus general travel tips, etc." There
will also soon be zines for East and West Asia and Caribia and Latin
America from these guys. For a leaflet of more info. send a SASE to:
Nudist Travel, POB 8714, La Jolla, CA 92038, USA.
* EUROPE THROUGH THE BACKDOOR NEWSLETTER: Serves as an enticement to
join ETBD tours or to buy their books, videos, etc. They organize some
great tours but the short articles here will appeal to you even if you
only travel to Europe by reading about it in the bathroom. #31
includes a Venetion Pub Crawl diary, Vespa scooters on Greek islands,
Gypsy thieves, European toilet trauma, up-to-date train fares, and
more. Send a buck or two to Europe Through the Backdoor, Inc., 109 4th
Avenue, North Edmonds, WA 98020.
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GREEN TORTOISE...LEISURELY ADVENTURE TRAVEL
by Miles Poindexter
I haven't traveled on the Green Tortoise bus lines yet. But I've heard
so many good things about them that I called the company and asked for
some literature. They sent me no less than 14 articles praising this
unique service. So I sat down and started reading and you would just
not believe the stuff that goes on in these buses, right now no less
in this new age of Puritanicalism!
I read confessions of skeptical travelers who became converted
adventurers almost over night. Here was a typical description of a
Green Tortoise Journey: Initially the writer would get on the bus and
wonder at the complete absence of seats. Instead there are platforms
covered by foam padding. At night even more platforms are unfolded and
the bus becomes a giant bed for everyone. Pretty outrageous so far,
eh? Sleeping right next to someone you never even saw before! Jesse
Helms would shit. Then there's the curious sign on the bus that says
"No Smoking Tobacco." Sounds strangely substance-specific to me. Does
that mean smoking other things is...well...? Who knows. Try it.
Anyway, gradually everyone on the bus gets to know each other. What
with all the stops making it such a long trip. There's plenty of time
for friendships to form. This is usually the point in all these
articles where the beauty of Green Tortoise begins to seep in. It's a
Leisurely trip, because half of the fun is the journey itself! There's
all kinds of stops for swimming (clothes optional) in natural hot
springs, getting food and alcohol, going to the bathroom (there are no
bathrooms on board), and of course preparing and eating meals. Did I
say preparing? You see, part of your fare goes towards food that is
stored on the bus. For most of the trip, the driver will stop for
breakfast and dinner. Usually the sight will be a park, Indian
Reservation, beach, anything but a but depot! All the passengers pile
out and help in the preparation of the meal. These are usually
vegetarian since meat goes bad easily and many passengers don't eat
it. After the meal and clean-up, there's some sort of outdoor
adventures at hand, such as hiking, bathing, rafting, etc. Some nights
the bus stays put and everyone rolls out their sleeping bag and falls
into slumber under the stars.
After a few nights like this the travelers start to get to know each
other. Many are from Europe and Australia, many are young and during
the summer there are many students from all over the world. There is
always a generous exchange of addresses, information and opinions
towards the middle of these trips. And great musical educations since
many passenger bring their tapes for the bus's stereo system as well
as instruments. That's a slim outline of your typical Green Tortoise
experience. I was hooked so I inquired how this company had started.
So to finish this article I'll leave you with a brief history of GT
and their address in case you got guts to try it.
Green Tortoise was founded in 1974 in San Francisco by Gardner Kent.
His buses offered something you couldn't get on a plane, hands-on
interaction with the scenery. Today GT has 10 buses and offers trips
everywhere from Alaska to New Orleans as well as Canada and Mexico.
Their San Francisco to Boston is still their most popular route. This
bus company has been going strong right through the decline of
Greyhound and the demise of Trailways. To me that means they're on to
something. Contact: Green Tortoise Adventure Travel, PO Box 24459,
1667 Jerrold St., San Francisco, CA 94124, USA.
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AIRHITCH: MYTH OR FACT?
by Miles Poindexter
OK, the first time I saw an Airhitch ad in some paper in New York
City, I figured it was a total scam. I mean, c'mon, New York to Europe
for $160? They must put them in the luggage compartment or something.
Unfortunately for me, I never even called to get more information
about them, it was too unbelievable. Don't let this happen to you!
Airhitch is a great opportunity if you're a flexible traveler. First
of all, you don't travel in the luggage compartment. In fact, you are
allowed the same amount of baggage of any other passenger on the
plane. Once you are on the airplane you are treated like any other
passenger, the only difference is your method of access to the
aircraft.
You must be flexible on 3 things in order to fly Airhitch; your date
and time of departure, your destination and departure city, and your
return flight.
The reason for this lies in how Airhitch works. It is NOT an airline,
a travel agency, a tour operator, or a charter operator. It is NOT a
means of flying directly between point A and point B. The way it works
is that you register any time you want and tell them what US cities
you could depart from, your first 3 choices of destination cities in
Europe, and a period of 5 or more days in a row that you are available
for departure. A deposit is also necessary when you register. The
farther away your chosen departure days are from your registration,
the better chance you have of getting your first choice of
destination, but this is not guaranteed. Airhitch will then tell you
what flights are likely to be available during your "date range." At
this point you must pick one of your flight opportunities and then
Airhitch will give you all the information you need about how to get
on it. Over 95% of people manage to fly to Europe during their date
range; pretty successful for something this cheap. And you're entitled
to a full refund if Airhitch was unable to find at least one flight
for you.
Now some bad news. There is no such thing as a round trip with these
guys. They can book a another flight back to the US but these two
flights are completely unrelated. Problems with one will not affect
the other. Some people arrange both flights at the same time, others
wait until they are in Europe before going thru the Airhitch process
again in the other direction. It's up to you. The other negative point
is that it is not wise to reject a flight Airhitch finds for you, even
if it is not to one of the cities in Europe you chose. This will cause
you to lose your deposit and your name will be put to the back of the
waiting list, making it more difficult to get another flight. On the
other hand 80% of the flights they choose go within a 300 mile radius
of Brussels, Belgium, so you'll get pretty close to your destination
in any case.
As you can see the key is to be flexible. The system is ideal for
students and in fact it was started by students. But anyone can use
it. It is comparable to hitching a ride on the side of the highway
(only a lot safer!), If you want to get to Boston from Miami and
someone offers to take you with them to New York, you're not going to
turn it down are you?
Anyway, it's a good idea and I hope some other similar operations
start up soon for other parts of the world. For info. write to
Airhitch, 2790 Broadway, Suite 100, New York, NY 10025, USA. Happy
hitching!
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WHEN I HEAR THAT OLE TRAIN WHISTLE A BLOWIN'
by Lee
You know, it's a funny thing most usually when the subject of hoboing
comes up which is a hobby of mine and I generally like to spread the
word around, someone invariably says, "Gawd, didn't that go out in the
'30's and whammo, aren't there big suckers out there that wanna take
your head off?" Well, I might say "hmmmm..." to the first part and I
know where they got that second stereotype: from Yul Brunner or some
such as the Bull in "King of the North" with Paul Newman as the King
Hobo and all that..."Wheesh" is what I say. Don't make a mistake, the
Bulls (railroad police) were bad then -- I've read of attempted murder
on the rails and I know a fellow who spent some time on a chain gang
in Georgia in the '40's for hopping freights...but ridin' the rails in
the '90's is the coolest thing, I highly recommend it! Now just watch,
the first time you hop you'll get killed and you'll think what idiot
advice is this but here's whatz up with this boy: I've never gone to
jail or received a ticket in 20 or 30 encounters with bulls and in
thirty-five thousand miles have had the gas of a lifetime. Ridin' the
rails is one of the more consistently adventurous things one can do,
it's one of those truly American things like having sex in cars or
Jazz, etc. and it's scenic and free, free, free!
Hey, here's something Jack Kerouac says about thumbing: "...one of the
biggest troubles hitch-hiking is having to talk to innumerable people,
making them feel that they didn't make a mistake picking you up, even
entertaining them almost, all of which is a great strain when you're
going all the way and don't plan to sleep in hotels." So, I can see
you're convinced about the wisdom of the rails, O.K., here's whatz up,
how to do it:
First, try and get some maps of how the freight lines work and what
companies (Southern Pacific, Burlington Northern, Santa Fe, etc.) go
where but if you can't don't worry about it, it's pretty obvious --
freights go through all the cities and gobs of smaller towns and gobs
of wilderness areas.
Second: go down to the nearest freight yard and ask the workers about
it. Say, "Hey, where's the best place to catch a northbound,
eastbound, southbound, or westbound to so and so and when's the next
one?" Inquire about "hot shots" and catch them if you can cuz they're
the fastest. The secret is ask, ask, and ask around and don't be blown
if you get bum info and miss a train or whatever.
There's a thousand little things you pick up with experience that
helpz a lot and after stomping around some yards you'll get the hang
of it. Night time is best for avoiding the Bull, day time is alright,
stay low and if the Bull stops you -- be straight and friendly, show
your ID. Often as not she or he will be friendly, maybe even helpful.
In any case they will usually say something vague like, "Did you know
riding trains is illegal? And I'd like to not see you again."
Translation: hang low and hide a bit better.
About getting on: it's preferable to get on before the train moves out
but as often as not you'll have to catch it "on the fly," which is
pretty difficult if you're carrying a pack. Boxcars are darn difficult
and dangerous to catch on the move. Grain cars, piggybacks, gondolas
are much easier cuz of ladders that are just a big step from the
ground. Look way ahead, make sure you won't stumble on anything while
running alongside, concentrate, match your speed, focus on that moment
-- this is part of the zen of hopping -- and boom, you're on. There's
a technique to it, be careful -- safety first! As they say.
Well...there's a lot to know I guess but it's also just an intuitive
fun activity that gets you around, know what I mean jellybean? So,
here's some safety shit to know: When you move around always hang on
and don't hang out too close to the doors of boxcars -- trains jerk a
lot. For that same reason always jam a spike or a piece of wood in the
sliding track so the door won't slam shut. Never ever stand in between
the cars, one can become moosh real quick. Always look both ways
before crossing tracks, in yards especially as single cars can be
moving around sometimes very silently. When possible sleep sideways
near a front wall or with your feet towards the front of the train in
case of a derailment (they're fairly rare) which causes the whole
fucking thing to come screeching to a halt in which case you're still
going 50 mph...eek! Keep your head and have a gas and a half and I
don't want to hear it if you get smooshed cuz I'm not advising you to
go out and do illegal dangerous things, blah, blah, blah...
Fun stuff: At railroad crossings be sure and wave to all the people
going by (actually you're going by, they're sitting still). Hang-out
and talk with hobos and farm laborers; there's some good people there,
also a few bad eggs I suppose. When there's nasty weather or going to
be, try and catch a ride in a locomotive or caboose -- ask the
engineer or caboose people first -- I swear your first ride on "the
power" (locomotives) will be a ride to remember! Freights can be fast
but often slow too. Patience is the name of the game -- more than
likely on any given trip you'll do a day or two of just waiting around
in yards so bring some good books and relax -- there's one comin'
around the bend with your name on it. Women might want to take an old
pee can; peeing ain't easy on a jiggling train. Make sure you've got
some peanut butter and banana sandwiches and plenty of water and a
warm sleeping bag and Gawd damn leave the driving up to them!
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AN AFTERNOON IN MONACO
by Ann Rusnak
How small is Monaco? I walked from the train station to the palace,
the farmer's market and the harbor. If it hadn't been to tropically
hot I would have walked to the casino as well.
I knew it would be hot. I was attending adult classes in French at
Ecole Actilangue in Nice during July. This school cost half what I had
paid two years earlier to study French in Quebec, Canada. I liked this
school.
Saturday morning I took a plastic bottle of ice from the freezer and
packed it in my purse along with sunglasses and a wad of French
francs. I was a lot more carefree than the teenagers over whom I
stepped to enter the train station at Nice. These kids, probable
Germans and Americans, were dozing or playing cards in sleeping bags
laid edge to edge on the sidewalk surrounding the station.
The railroad runs high above the gentle Mediterranean waves. Many
tunnels cut thru ridges to the sea. It seemed I spent a third of the
half-hour voyage in the dark. Train stations along the route were all
overrun with teenagers in shorts or other casual attire. Everyone
glowed in the heat.
No customs, no immigration, no money changing at the crowded Monaco
train station. However, the mailbox that I passed, heading seaward,
noted that all mail deposited therein must bear stamps of Monaco!
The royal palace crowns a plateau licked by small ocean waves. An
earlier Grimaldi once ordered the citadel's base scraped of loose rock
to discourage armed assault. Now, in the reign of Prince Rainier,
signs and arcades lead tourists up stairways to the castle and
souvenir shops. A palace guard in white shirt, white cotton pants and
topee paces a 30-foot path, back and forth. A linen marquee guides
visitors to a ticket office for the palace tour in French or English.
I liked the tour. It went thru a dozen rooms filled to suffocation
with wealth, antiques, and red plush wallpaper. Amid many ancient
family portraits were two modern compositions with Grace Kelly, former
actress, former wife to Rainier. I thought both pictures were
commercial-looking, more like magazine art, compared to the older
folks in perukes and lace. On the other hand, "Napoleon meets the
Pope" manifested plainly an artist's trick. He painted the upstart on
a higher footing than the Pope in order to imply that he was winning
an argument.
In an open-air passage, a grotto of stalactites had been screened and
filled with turquoise and chartreuse parakeets. They flitted and
squawked. One budgie had somehow escaped thru the wire. Now he
wandered the screens as lost and lonely as Jack Kerouac, trying to
find his way back into the cage.
Formal gardens and the aquarium were nearby; but I needed to sit. I
chose a bench from which I could sketch an outdated guardhouse of
stone. Six classmates from Ecole Actilangue happened by. They sat down
and sweated beside me for a while. We all got out our bottles of ice,
now melting nicely, and sipped. We agreed that Monaco -- spread
against a mountain before us -- looked just like scenic views of Hong
Kong. It is a dense patch of high-rise buildings climbing a steep
mountain. Monaco has no beaches, just a rocky cove filled with
gleaming white yachts.
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CODE OF RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL
excerpted from *IBF News* (see "Debris")
Tourism can promote national and international understanding and
economic development, or it can destroy cultures and environments. The
challenge is to create an activity that benefits both the host and
guest and hurts neither, that respects and protects the natural and
human environment, and that leaves decision making about development
to the indigenous people who are most directly affected.
TRAVEL TO MEET NOT CONQUER -- Understand your reasons for traveling.
Pick destinations that you care about. Travel to meet the world and
for the experience that brings, not to "conquer it." Travel in a
spirit of humility and with a genuine desire to meet and share with
local people, and appreciate their dignity. Rather than: counting
rolls of film shot, calculating miles traveled, blasting through
villages to reach mountains, racing along the coast to "discover" a
beach paradise, rushing to collect entries in your passport or
accumulating other items of travel materialism -- take the time to
discover the enrichment that comes from seeing another way of life in
its fullness. Be sensitive that what enriches you may rob or violate
others. Select activities that celebrate and preserve the diversity of
the world. Reflect daily on your experiences: seek to deepen your
understanding.
* BE CULTURALLY SENSITIVE -- Be aware of the feelings, values, customs
and beliefs of other people, thus preventing what might be offensive
behavior. Remember this especially concerning dress, photography and
religion. Realize that people in the area you visit often have time
concepts and thought patterns different from your own. Not inferior,
just different. Don't wear sacred items or buy unique artifacts
central to the culture. Don't patronize tourism projects or activities
that undermine the local culture, value system, or ecology.
* UNDERSTAND CULTURES IN THEIR OWN CONTEXT -- Don't just compare the
superficial aspects of places you've been. Ask how the community is
getting along within itself. How are the people interacting with their
family and friends and their environment? Learn to observe, think,
speak and write in a language that is non-ethnocentric, non-racist,
non-pejorative and non-sensationalizing. Cultivate the habit of
listening and observing, rather than merely hearing and seeing. Make a
habit of asking questions instead of knowing all of the answers.
* DON'T CREATE BARRIERS -- Travel in a manner that doesn't create
barriers between you and the place you came to experience. Take
advantage of opportunities to walk, bicycle and use other available
forms of non-motorized transport. Consider using these as your primary
means of travel. Only bring necessary technological gadgetry. Don't
let gadgets get between you and the natural ways of your destination.
* BE ECONOMICALLY BENEFICIAL -- Spend money so that it stays in the
community's economy: use services and stay in lodgings that are owned
by a member of the community, and that use and serve locally produced
goods. If food and beverages are sufficiently available, purchase your
needs from locally produced items. If food is scarce don't compete!
Travel someplace else or be self-sufficient in your dietary needs.
When buying, remember that the bargains you obtain are only possible
because of low wages paid to the producer. Recognize that in most
areas, spending on motorized transportation only minimally benefits
the local economy because the equipment and energy is imported. Be
satisfied with the comforts that the local economy can provide. If you
need all the comfort of home, why travel?
For more info on responsible travel and economic development contact:
Ecumenical Coalition On Third World Tourism, Box 24, Chorakhebua,
Bangkok 10230, THAILAND, or Center for Responsible Tourism, 2
Kensington Road, San Antonio, CA 94960 USA.
-----------
MILES TO GO
The Myth of Settling Down
by Miles Poindexter
A girlfriend of mine said "I like to travel and stuff but deep down
I'm looking for that special guy who will say 'Stacy -- it's time for
us to hitch up and settle down.'" Why is there a feeling inside so
many of us that eventually we should "settle down?" Do we really
understand what the term means?
Most likely the term came from the western expansion days of early
North America. People would head into the wilderness in those days
until they found a spot they liked, then they would create a
settlement.
Nowadays it's come to mean much more. Settling down can involve
falling in love and getting married, having children, joining the
community you've settled in as a neighbor, and in the U.S.A. it can
mean changing to become more acceptable to your neighbors, becoming
less "crazy," more responsible, sensible, etc.
If we look at the flipside of this term, then a person who has not
settled down is an outcast. We are looked upon as "young-uns" sowing
our wild oats, running around the world having fun and being carefree.
Even people who travel in order to help people in other countries with
environmental or social problems are commonly considered to be just
going through some idealistic phase of youth. The smug assumption
seems to be that when we finally grow up, we'll forget these silly
world issues and worry about real problems like buying a house, car,
having kids, and picking a nice church to join.
But let us go back to the idea of where the term "settling down" came
from, and how it has changed today. People formed settlements long ago
because strength lay in numbers. The wilderness was dangerous and we
needed the protection of our neighbors and a well fortified
settlement. No one thought that they were living on land that other
people had been living on for hundreds of years. They didn't think
that if they had just asked these natives to share the land, maybe
they wouldn't need a fortified settlement because there would be no
need for fighting. They just took it. So the history of the phrase
"settling down" is a bloody one filled with prejudice.
And today, have things changed so much? If you are just a bit weird,
it is very hard to just move into a "settlement" or town as they're
called now. They'll be gossip, strange looks, talk behind your back,
and sometimes violence. These are all forms of modern prejudice.
You'll have to prove that you fit in, believe the same things, even
personal things that are none of your neighbor's business, before
they'll welcome your presence.
Well, so what draws us to want to live in these places? Deep down, we
get a sense of security, that the town will protect us, especially
when we get older and less able to fend for ourselves, just like
settlements protected our forefathers on the North American plains.
This is just no longer true, because there's nothing to be protected
from, unless you're in some town with mainly white people, and your
community works together to keep out minorities, with subtle, indirect
means of course. But this is practicing racism (prejudice plus power),
and do we want to be part of that?
Another reason we think we want to live in a town is so we can have a
house. Why a house? So we can put all our stuff in it of course. And
if we decide we want to buy a house, we have to settle down just so we
can get a steady job and pay the mortgage. This just keeps getting
more complex until we feel caught in an endless money loop. We start
to feel strapped down against our will. So a lot of us start watching
TV. The TV is this little box usually in the main room of the house.
When it's off, it's just another piece of furniture collecting dust.
But when it's on it takes us out of our house, to places all over the
world, it lets us escape, it lets us...well...travel! So today
settling down means getting stuck in a job so you can stay in a house
where you can watch a TV and pretend you're traveling.
The final reason many of us will use as an excuse to settle down will
be the one my friend Stacy used -- to spend all your time together
with a lover and to have kids. This reason has the right intention but
it's believers are misinformed. Why do we have to settle down in order
to share our love? Let's just say for example that in my travels I
meet the girl of my dreams and I love her so much that I just want to
forget the outside world completely and spend every waking minute in
love. In that case maybe shacking up with her for a while would be a
great idea. There wouldn't be a TV around because I wouldn't want to
know about the outside world, much less be misinformed about it by a
fascist media. There would also be no need for a long term commitment
either because I believe that true love gets restless after a couple
of years. Pretty soon one of us is going to be ready for new
adventures. If the other isn't, it's time to become just friends and
look for someone who is. Settling down just makes this rather natural
process much more difficult (selling house, etc.) if not impossible.
The needs for settling down are disappearing faster than North
American virgin forestland. The world is getting smaller and much more
accessible. The only reason to settle down these days is because the
government wants you to. Notice the new urgency in the president's
voice when he talks about "family values" or when he warns about the
dangers of travel (from terrorists). He knows that people who stay
home and watch the TV news and remain isolated from real contact with
the outside world are very easy to control.
We never have to settle down if we don't want to. People who really
love you will always stay in touch, no matter where you go. Home is
where the heart is. Of course, you can't store much in there, so
you'll have to get rid of unnecessary things that tie you down -- the
first two being fear and insecurity.
----------------------
JOIN THE CRASH NETWORK!
Crasher: person who is traveling, guest.
Crashee: person who is allowing Crasher to sleep at residence,
host/hostess.
Joining is free! Send email to johnl@netcom.com for a questionnaire
(or send us an SASE to our mailing address, listed at the end of this
file). Filling it out and returning it gets you listed in our Crash
Directory, which is available only to members. Anytime you're planning
to travel, send $5 for an up-to-the-minute directory and follow the
guidelines below.
*************
HOW TO USE IT
You can use the Crash Directory to contact other members that you would
like to meet. Or if you have a destination or journey in mind, you can
use the directory to find potential crash sites along your planned route
(flexibility helps). Before your departure, contact your potential
crashee by mail, phone, or email and inquire about a visit. When all
your crashes are confirmed, you're ready to hit the proverbial road.
**************
THE CRASH CODE
1. Any Crashee can turn away a Crasher if they do not agree to the
Crash by prior consent.
2. No charge for stay unless agreed upon by both parties beforehand.
3. Toilet and shower facilities should be made available to Crasher
if possible.
4. Don't eat Crashee's food unless offered.
5. Don't use the Crashee's phone, stereo, TV or any other property
without their consent.
6. No stealing.
7. Don't bring friends over without the prior consent of the Crashee.
8. Treat each other with respect.
9. Help each other in every way possible during Crashes.
10. Crasher must obey rules of Crash Pad unless they contradict
above rules.
-----------------
CRASH INFORMATION
Editors: Miles Poindexter, John Labovitz.
Crash is published in January, March, May, July, September, and
November of each year.
Subscriptions are $5 for six issues. A sample issue is $1 or three
US 29c stamps. Back issues (text only) are available via anonymous FTP
at netcom.com in directory /pub/johnl/zines/crash. The printed issues
also contain illustrations and advertising; for the full Crash experience,
send for a printed sample.
Crash is happy to hear from you. Send artwork, articles, and aardvarks
to us at:
Crash
519 Castro Street #7
San Francisco, CA 94114 USA
email: johnl@netcom.com
If you are interested in advertising in the print or electronic
version of Crash, please contact us for rates and sizes.
Copyright (C) 1992 Crash. We encourage other zine editors to reprint
or excerpt parts of any articles written by us (Miles Poindexter or
John Labovitz). All we ask is that information about this magazine and
the network be included with it. If you wish to reprint something by
an outside contributor, please contact them beforehand (either by
their contact information listed after the article, or c/o Crash).
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END OF CRASH MAY92
