A great party to kick off 2006: hanging with friends NOT in a bar, triviia pursuit, wrestling and good conversation.
And lots of cars. And lots of crap - processed meat packages and KFC and boxes of twinkies and ho hos.
My friends - the ultra progressive, liberal movers and shakers of the Cincy art scene - ccontribute thoughtlessly to the very concepts that enrage us. Disturbing that if not even these amazing people spend their non-woriking hours being more conscientious consumers, how can we ever expect the more apathetic individuals of the planet to live more responsibly?
Lengthy rant penned (alright, typed) last night follows:
There’s been a lot of talk. And thank God for the talkers loudly speaking out, while so many others sit, perplexed, in silence, and others still can’t even see that there is something wrong. But very few are talking about consumerism. We all shout with certainty that “oil controls the world” when in fact, it’s money that controls the world. We as a society, are simply spending our money on oil.
“Kyoto talks continue without US participation.” (BBC News 12-5-05)
“834 American deaths this year in Iraq, down by three from last year. Casualties up.” (New York Times, 1-1-06)
“Blood flows for oil in Nigeria” (New York Times, 1-1-06)
“Global warming ____”
And the world rightfully points fingers at the US government. And many of us more conscientious liberal citizens do the same: point fingers at our own government. We cry “no blood for oil” at protests, then hop back in our cars and drive home. We bemoan the deplorable air quality and it’s potential impact on the abundance of natural disasters in 2005, then we drive to the store to buy meat from cows that grazed the vegetation off half of Nebraska’s open spaces, owned by major corporations that sprayed poisons over their fields near school children and who hold stock in Wal*Mart and Shell.
Yeah, I’m angry. And as one of my favorite slogans / bumper stickers/ protest chants states: “If you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention.” And if you’re not analyzing your own purchase power and decisions – you should probably turn some of that anger inward.
I am quite confident that the dollars I spend annually count far more heavily than my ’04 absentee ballot.
Too often folks write off certain lifestyles – such as commuting by bicycle or eating organics – as physically self-serving. “Why spend a few extra bucks at the grocery store? I don’t care what I put in my own body!” That’s great. But consider the environmental and socio-economic and political implications of the food you eat. Consider the FDAs involvement in supporting pharmaceutical companies and pesticides as opposed to natural remedies and how the big names sold in big box stores have big bucks that they are investing in big corporations that you ideologically oppose. You think Amy’s Organic Kitchen or any of its employees hold stock in >>>?
Put a photo on your steering wheel: of an Iraqi war zone; the small village being pillaged for its oil in Nigeria; of the ice caps this summer next to the far larger ice caps of a mere two decades ago; the rubble of New Orleans; the fumes emitting from oil tankers. And next time you get in the car consider if driving is REALLY necessary. Could you walk, bike, take the bus, carpool?
The government will not substitute renewable energies for oil because it makes sense. Car companies will not make hybrids more reasonable in price and design & parts more accessible simply because it’s ecological. The city of Cincinnati will not create bike lanes, maps or racks because intelligent, progressive cities do such things. Governments and organizations only respond to consumer demand. Already, Cincinnati has taken a huge step in replacing Metro’s diesel consumption with a 30% bio-diesel blend, turning heads across the nation more so than the inhabitants of this city. And even with the fountain fiasco and its impact on parking availability, ridership is only up a mere ___%. So until we as a culture stop being so lazy, put our dollar where are words are and start creating the change we long to see…we’re all just talking.
We refuse to sacrifice certain comforts like our cars and the ease of stopping by the major chain grocery store and purchasing the slightly cheaper mass market product instead of hunting out its ten cents pricier, healthier organic equivalent sold at a locally owned market….
Think of what you ask of your government, of your community. Are you working towards those ideals yourself, or are you fiscally supportive of the very ideals you verbally protest?
So you wanna see the state of the world change in 2006, eh?
The government may or may not listen to our cries and bend to what is increasingly being proven in polls as majority opinion. They will, however, listen to consumerist trends. This a government, if not a world, run by the dollar. Spend yours with great caution.
And lots of cars. And lots of crap - processed meat packages and KFC and boxes of twinkies and ho hos.
My friends - the ultra progressive, liberal movers and shakers of the Cincy art scene - ccontribute thoughtlessly to the very concepts that enrage us. Disturbing that if not even these amazing people spend their non-woriking hours being more conscientious consumers, how can we ever expect the more apathetic individuals of the planet to live more responsibly?
Lengthy rant penned (alright, typed) last night follows:
There’s been a lot of talk. And thank God for the talkers loudly speaking out, while so many others sit, perplexed, in silence, and others still can’t even see that there is something wrong. But very few are talking about consumerism. We all shout with certainty that “oil controls the world” when in fact, it’s money that controls the world. We as a society, are simply spending our money on oil.
“Kyoto talks continue without US participation.” (BBC News 12-5-05)
“834 American deaths this year in Iraq, down by three from last year. Casualties up.” (New York Times, 1-1-06)
“Blood flows for oil in Nigeria” (New York Times, 1-1-06)
“Global warming ____”
And the world rightfully points fingers at the US government. And many of us more conscientious liberal citizens do the same: point fingers at our own government. We cry “no blood for oil” at protests, then hop back in our cars and drive home. We bemoan the deplorable air quality and it’s potential impact on the abundance of natural disasters in 2005, then we drive to the store to buy meat from cows that grazed the vegetation off half of Nebraska’s open spaces, owned by major corporations that sprayed poisons over their fields near school children and who hold stock in Wal*Mart and Shell.
Yeah, I’m angry. And as one of my favorite slogans / bumper stickers/ protest chants states: “If you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention.” And if you’re not analyzing your own purchase power and decisions – you should probably turn some of that anger inward.
I am quite confident that the dollars I spend annually count far more heavily than my ’04 absentee ballot.
Too often folks write off certain lifestyles – such as commuting by bicycle or eating organics – as physically self-serving. “Why spend a few extra bucks at the grocery store? I don’t care what I put in my own body!” That’s great. But consider the environmental and socio-economic and political implications of the food you eat. Consider the FDAs involvement in supporting pharmaceutical companies and pesticides as opposed to natural remedies and how the big names sold in big box stores have big bucks that they are investing in big corporations that you ideologically oppose. You think Amy’s Organic Kitchen or any of its employees hold stock in >>>?
Put a photo on your steering wheel: of an Iraqi war zone; the small village being pillaged for its oil in Nigeria; of the ice caps this summer next to the far larger ice caps of a mere two decades ago; the rubble of New Orleans; the fumes emitting from oil tankers. And next time you get in the car consider if driving is REALLY necessary. Could you walk, bike, take the bus, carpool?
The government will not substitute renewable energies for oil because it makes sense. Car companies will not make hybrids more reasonable in price and design & parts more accessible simply because it’s ecological. The city of Cincinnati will not create bike lanes, maps or racks because intelligent, progressive cities do such things. Governments and organizations only respond to consumer demand. Already, Cincinnati has taken a huge step in replacing Metro’s diesel consumption with a 30% bio-diesel blend, turning heads across the nation more so than the inhabitants of this city. And even with the fountain fiasco and its impact on parking availability, ridership is only up a mere ___%. So until we as a culture stop being so lazy, put our dollar where are words are and start creating the change we long to see…we’re all just talking.
We refuse to sacrifice certain comforts like our cars and the ease of stopping by the major chain grocery store and purchasing the slightly cheaper mass market product instead of hunting out its ten cents pricier, healthier organic equivalent sold at a locally owned market….
Think of what you ask of your government, of your community. Are you working towards those ideals yourself, or are you fiscally supportive of the very ideals you verbally protest?
So you wanna see the state of the world change in 2006, eh?
The government may or may not listen to our cries and bend to what is increasingly being proven in polls as majority opinion. They will, however, listen to consumerist trends. This a government, if not a world, run by the dollar. Spend yours with great caution.
posted by Lindsay at 12:02 PM
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