Destroy All Cars by Blake Nelson Page A

English
    Mr. Cogweiller
    EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT: four-page paper on topic of your choice
POSSIBILITIES OF HOPE
    Many people come up to me—well, no one has actually, but theoretically if someone came up to me—and asked, “James, what can I do to help stop the destruction of the planet and everything on it?” To these individuals I would say, “Fear not. There is hope.”
    I can’t believe Sadie called me.
    First of all, consider Native Americans. They are a model of sustainability. They lived with nature. Not on top of it. Not beating it with a baseball bat. They integrated themselves into the natural order of things, and did so with respect for other species and humility toward the earth.
    I wonder what Sadie wants. Don’t think about it. She called. So call her back.
    Other native cultures—the tribes of New Guinea, for instance—managed to thrive without any technological advancement. Did they somehow sense the suicidal nature of continuous development? Oddly enough, we think of these peoples’ lack of ambition as a sign of their inferior culture. They aren’t “driven.”They don’t “work hard/play hard” like we do. But the truth is, they are happy and healthy. They have established a harmonious existence on the earth.
    I should have gotten some sun. And I have a new zit starting on my nose, which I can feel. I’ve gotta stop touching it.
    Other cultures—the Greeks, for instance—were able to downshift from their dominant place as a center of trade and commerce. They were able to stop growing, stop conquering, and simply exist, content within themselves, not suffering from low self-esteem.
    What could she want to talk about? What if it’s something about Will? What if she wants to meet somewhere, to talk, and I end up alone with her. I’ll kiss her. I totally will. No, I won’t. That would totally freak her out.
    In other places, like Oslo, there is a sense of planning. There is an overriding intelligence to everything people do. People in Oslo would never buy a vehicle that gets ten miles to the gallon. It doesn’t make sense. Oslonians don’t allow lumber companies to destroy their forests. Or car companies to sit on their asses and not develop more efficient vehicles. They think about the consequences of things before they do them. Our government is mainly concerned with keeping us buying stuff, the crappier the better. But our government is also somewhat fluid. Which means there is a chance for change.
    The End
[Not handed in]
A HOFF FAMILY VACATION (continued)
    When we get home from Sun River, I bolt for the house and run straight for the phone. But then my dad yells at me and says I have to help unpack, so I run back out and empty the crap out of the car and drop it on Libby, who refuses to catch it. Most of it crashes on the pavement, and a few things roll down the driveway. Libby stands there with her arms crossed. She says, “Why don’t you go call Sadie instead of trashing our stuff?”
    She knows Sadie called because my stupid mom announced it to the car after I listened to the message. My mom was like: “So are you and Sadie friends now?” No, Mom. We’re not friends. But we’re still in love with each other and we never had sex. Not to mention that she believes in positivity and the goodness of the human spirit while I believe in nothingness and the conflicted nature of the soul. So the “getting back together” thing isn’t going so great. But I’m trying.
    Anyway, so I pick up the crap off the driveway and run inside, but now it’s like 10:15 at night and I’m not sure I should call this late. On the other hand, if I don’t call her, there’s the danger that I’ll see her at school and she might come up to me in the crowded hallway and say whatever she wants to say and then I won’t get a chance to talk to her privately. So I bound up the