PRIMA DONNA BUTTERFLY

After Posting my review of Julia Hill's "We The Planet" tour, entitled "The Julia Butterfly Show," I came into contact with others who shared my opinion of her superficial activism. These were people who had not only seen her speak but some who had even worked with her in the past (when she first went up) and some others from within organizations that she currently works with now.
Some were simply disappointed with her but at least one felt personally wronged. Another expressed disgust with the media attention her tree-sit garnered while other tree-sits were ignored. That attention probably has to do with the non-threatening nature of her "green consumerist" message. It can be dished out to the masses as the quaint harmless fad that it is without doing any serious harm to the status quo.
One person pointed out the way she dismisses any criticism with nary a response (comparing that debate tactic to Governor Shwarzenegger). Despite the supposed "discussion format" of her tour, this is something that I, too, experience firsthand. Not only didn't she respond to many of my points, but then I was expected to walk away from the mic while she refuted me with misinformation. Most of the other comments from the audience consisted of rhetorical questions, doting praise, a poem, or the promotion of some "shallow-ecology" campus club. The cult of personality was clearly present as she bedazzled her adoring admirers with a huge sparkling crystal butterfly pendant.
And then those poor saps could make a donation to her foundation - or maybe they could purchase a book (or two), some posters, videos, clothing, plastic water bottles, metallic coffee cups, some "Aware Show Tapes," or god knows what else. I'm surprised she doesn't sell used tour buses since they can be so ecologically friendly! Oh but wait, I guess they can't be. I'm reminded of her tactic of buying and selling land - which obviously isn't very ecologically friendly either as someone else pointed out.
One emailer drew my attention to her EF! ground crew (which originally she was completely ignorant of - as if treesitting was the hard part). This was related to the complaint about other treesits and groundcrews being generally overlooked by the media (probably because they take a more hard-line and necessary position). The media would rather focus on a pretty face with a shallow and simplistic message.
Unsurprisingly, I did also receive some negative (and even nasty) feedback from the hordes of her fanatical admirers. Their main comments suggested that I, or anybody else for that matter, was in no position to criticize the irreproachable Julia Butterfly at all, ever, period. Her ill-fated protest was defended as a complete success and her message as the last word. Who was I, an infamous nobody, to question a superstar like Julia? As one fan put it, "What was the name of the last tree YOU saved?"
Well, although I don't desire the spotlight like I did when I was a child and though I don't want to replace her, I will say that I've done my fair share of raging against the machine. I've supported tree-sitters, helped blockade logging roads, and I've seen my fair share of tear gas at various protests. That said... I just want Ms. Hill to be the best she can be. The problem is that she is moderating her already tame message now that she has the spotlight - which is the exact opposite of what she should be doing. Her fleeting fame will be gone before before she knows it and she'll have asked for so little. More importantly, the biocide will continue to quicken and the human soul will become evermore enslaved to the technocracy. She needs to check out the writings of
WARD CHURCHILL for some real insight.
Finally, some sincere debate might add some spice to her tour so she ought to be more receptive to honest criticism. For the sake of argument I'll get the ball rolling by suggesting that her two years in "Luna" would have been better spent tree-spiking. Such an action could be effective if it ever became widespread. Of course one couldn't gain celebrity status for their actions and then tour the nation hawking trinkets, but it might save what's left of the old-growth. And BTW, it would be a non-violent action if the spiked forests were well posted and publicized. But what would Ms. Hill say?