Comments reneerose has made
The Myth of Apathy
"Unfortunately, given all the apathy, indifference, and antagonism to taking real action, nature has now relegated that earlier vision to the rear-view mirror."
I am growing frustrated with a pervasive misconception within environmental sectors: this is the concept of apathy and indifference. I am not clear why there remains a lack of appreciation for the profound psychological dimensions of facing this sort of information and news. What we know from people working in clinical psychology for - how long? A hundred years? - that when faced with anxiety producing information or news, people often go into denial and other defenses. Further, when there is a sense of powerlessness, what appears on the surface as apathy is actually a highly complicated situation involving clear political engagement, despair, and hopelessness. I wish that those working on the front lines of these issues can begin to incorporate some sort of more nuanced understanding around how people respond to serious ecological threats. Until we do, I suspect we will indeed be spinning our wheels.
Apathy means an absence of feeling: a pathos. Without conviction or emotion. This is not an accurate portrait of how many in the American public response to environmental threats and the concept of peak oil. People do care; we have children, we feel the despair so eloquently expressed in this piece. But looking for 'actions' as signs of this caring is misguided. Most people, as I'm starting to find in my research, feel powerless and instead do nothing or small acts. A big issue. But it is not about indifference. let's try to work for more sophisticated understandings of how humans cope and respond to stressful information. On It's too late to stop climate change, argues Ross Gelbspan -- so what do we do now? posted 1 year, 11 months ago 45 Responses
dilemmas of eco-consciousness
I agree that we should not beat ourselves up for what we know to be trespasses; the eco-confession depends entirely on the spirit in which it's done. To share our 'sins' with the full knowledge that for the most part, we are all implicated and networked into a larger, wasteful and ecologically disastrous system, is important and liberating. To do so in a sort of guilt-ridden, "I suck" flagellating mode is not very helpful. Let's face it: it is painful, often very painful if we let ourselves really feel it, to be ecologically aware in our present day. I think it's really good to come out and 'confess' because it's the sort of thing that we harbor and probably stress about privately!
So, that said: Yes, I LOVE long, hot showers! And I own a car even though I drive it maybe once a week to get out of the city. I also end up throwing lots of packaging away, in part due to the choices available where I live and the local market's reliance on plastics. On We've all got planks in our eyes posted 2 years, 7 months ago 60 Responses
rubbish
Since moving to Wales, I've had to put things in the bin (trash) that I never would have done. Namely, when items in my refrigerator get to a critical point, such as half-used containers that are beyond any recognition, I do toss them sometimes without washing and recycling. Also they do not recycle glass bottles used for oil (e.g. olive oil bottles) which means we have to put the bottles in the bin!!
Also sometimes I buy those potted herbs in Tesco which are meant to use and discard - since I don't have a garden I can't plant them and they usually don't survive long on the window-sill...
On So tell us ... what's your dirty little environmental secret? posted 4 years, 7 months ago 84 Responses
rubbish
Since moving to Wales, I've had to put things in the bin (trash) that I never would have done. Namely, when items in my refrigerator get to a critical point, such as half-used containers that are beyond any recognition, I do toss them sometimes without washing and recycling. Also they do not recycle glass bottles used for oil (e.g. olive oil bottles) which means we have to put the bottles in the bin!!
Also sometimes I buy those potted herbs in Tesco which are meant to use and discard - since I don't have a garden I can't plant them and they usually don't survive long on the window-sill...
On What's your secret eco-sin? posted 4 years, 7 months ago 84 Responses