This week we are breaking from our usual format somewhat. For class we read Dr. Suess' book The Lorax, both a classic children's tale and critical examination of our society's environmental practices. We were assigned to write a new ending for the book, utilizing what we have learned about the global environment. Each "blog group" will be writing their own ending, which will soon be consolidated into a single work on our class blog, and can be found here. Here is our group's submission to this lofty endeavor:
The boy runs home and yells "Dad! Dad!
I know why the Onceler is sad!
The trees are all gone and they aren't coming back
Unless we call the for the big guys to act."
"But, son, son, don't make a fuss;
this problem is much bigger than either of us."
"So let's call all our neighbors, friends, and even our aunts
Let's come together and all take a stance
to bring back the animals, fresh air, and plants
Let's march down and talk to the guys in suits
and have them bring back all the cute Barbaloots
Let's have our congressman pass some bills
to clean up the water that gums the Hummingfish gills.
And once we do this, we can't stop there,
problems will just get worse, it will be too much to bear.
Let's implement policies before its to late,
Let's take control and decide a better fate
"That's wonderful, son, now go out and act
for there is only one true unmistakable fact
that this planet we live on is all that we've got
for the others are too rocky or gaseous or hot
and those big guys in suits don't quite understand
that more than their term in office is at hand
for the water and air are rocks are one sum
the only difference is hydrocarbons, silicates and aluminum
and if they disappear then we will too
and the big guys in suits will have nothing to do
for if not for the hummingfish and barbaloot breeds
then what is the point of a bright colored thneed?
this is something that must be addressed by the guys on top
for alone this destruction of the planet we can't stop
And the boy nodded as his father patted him on the head
"maybe I'll start tomorrow since it's time for bed"
his father agreed and quietly said
"that's right my green son, now go and sleep
and while you slumber I'll put in a call to Greenpeace"
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WEEK 10 COMMENTS: TRINITY OF DESPAIR
ReplyDeleteWhat do you make of Prof. Maniates' "trinity of despair?" Has it helped you think in new or different ways about how to be an effective environmental change agent? Or are elements of it bogus? Can you point to any examples of social change or social action that seem to support or that run counter to Prof. Maniates' contentions?
Our readings and discussions over the past couple of weeks have alluded to the fact that what we're currently doing to combat environmental change isn't hacking it. That made sense to me but Prof. Maniate's Trinity of Despair really adjusted the lens and gave me a clearer understanding of out current route of execution. As a human I'm a little shocked at how easily I accepted the status quo without realizing that it was assuming I was selfish or unable to make a harder drastic change. I believe I am not and I could in response to those assumptions. If we take a delve into some of the major social changes of the past century we'll see that a) the people involved were SELFLESS (even giving their lives), made drastic alterations to their lifestyle, and only involved a small portion of the population. The civil rights movement instantly comes to mind. We could also look to Gandhi's Ahimsa movement in India, or anti-apartied in South Africa. So why did these causes mobilize to make change while the environmental crisis just trickles along? Arguably, the E-crisis has a greater impact on the entire human population whereas the movements mentioned above were brought on from the grievances of tiny world minorities. But perhaps that's the problem; this doesn’t noticeably disadvantage one group. Sure, the global South will feel the impact of climate change more intimately than the North. But the key word is WILL it hasn't been so glaringly apparent, and it's also difficult for them the pinpoint the aggressor, when it's weather we're talking about. I can't say for sure but I wouldn't be surprised by a lack of education concerning climate change throughout the South. I think if preventative policy is to be enacted it will, by necessity, come from the North. So, let's get off our fannies and make some real change. Sock it to me Obama.
thanks for taking the initiative to post this week's blog assignment mary! I don't know what's going on with our group's blog. We're losing it! haha
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that Professor Maniates made excellent points. In his discussion about human nature, I like how he made the distinction between being selfish and self-interested. I think this is an important point to make. People may be most concerned with cost-benefit analysis as it applies to themselves, but this does not mean that they ONLY care about themselves. However, discourse that bolsters the idea that all humans are by nature inherently selfish causes policymakers to set the bar too low I think. This perception of humans as selfish and shortsighted almost justifies policymakers having low expectations about environmental strategy. As Professor Maniates and Professor Nicholson have discussed, all of this leads to the perception that if everyone makes small individual changes, then this will translate into big change. But in order for this to happen, everyone must be onboard. I believe it is this thinking that allows regular people and policymakers to drag their feet; "Well we can't really implement Policy X effectively until country X and Joe Shmo hop on the bandwagon." This causes procrastination to implement environmental policy changes or weakens good policy to be more conducive to those who care and those who don't care about environmental degradation. I think Professor Maniates' Trinity of Despair has been implicated throughout history- the Civil Rights Movement, Women's Rights Movement, and the Abolition Movement in America. In fact, I can't think of one social movement where EVERYONE WAS ONBOARD. We had a civil war over abolishing slavery in the U.S. for crying out loud! We don't need everyone onboard; we're just procrastinating.