When reading Amitav Ghosh's article about the lack of climate change in literary fiction, I at first felt skeptical. Including the examples that Ghosh provided in the article, I was also able to name a few other short stories and novels that I had read dealing with subject. However after taking a closer look, I realized that all of these works were framed and constructed as disaster pieces. All of these works dealt with climate change at its worst. Most of these included subjects like: tsunamis taking over entire cities, tornados destroying small towns, or even earthquakes breaking off an entire state from our country. All of these scenarios were extreme, we as humans have pushed "Mother Nature" too far and now we must pay the consequences. Which brings me to my question, why do we treat climate change as if it is something that is entirely out of our control?
What's great about literary fiction is that writers are able to discuss and question social norms and problems that we abide to. In the past year I have read multiple readings dealing with police brutality, the struggles of sexuality and identity in Western civilization, and immigration. I am not saying that climate change is heavier than these other topics, I do believe that latter carry more weight. However, climate change is still a pressing issue. But why we have ignored climate change? I understand that it is easier to focus on the individual, compared to trying to hone in on an entire civilization, but why have we completely turned our backs on the subject?
Why do we treat climate change as if it's something that's already set and done?
Straying away from literary fiction, I think it is also important to discuss how climate change is portrayed in the media. While I believe that it's important that people acknowledge climate change. I feel as if the media has twisted the narrative on climate change. We have placed the weight of climate change on the shoulders of the consumers, instead of targeting the producers, instead of targeting the beasts functioning and thriving under capitalism. I believe that this has also had an effect on the discussion of climate change in literature, because of instead of seeing this as a growing societal problem, we see this as a problem that we must face as individuals.
Hello!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your comments on this topic. I was with you on the skepticism at first, I could think of a number of fictions stories/movies that were about climate change (some were even mentioned in the article).
I think part of me understands why there is little to no media on climate change. I know I enjoy consuming media because it is a great distraction for the current state of the world. I don't know that I could sit and enjoy a book that just described further the horrors of climate change. Maybe some kind of Hunger Games-esque book about taking down corporate 'beasts' would be a great motivator to help stop climate change?
Some fiction I would be interested in reading, possibly writing, would be the world changed by humans. What would be left after us? Do any survive?
One line you wrote really hit me, "We have placed the weight of climate change on the shoulders of the consumers, instead of targeting the producers, instead of targeting the beasts functioning and thriving under capitalism." I'm going to think on this some more. Happy blogging :)
I have been sitting at my desk for a while. I could not stop thinking about the line, "We have placed the weight of climate change on the shoulders of the consumers." After some time, I realized, we did do that.
ReplyDeleteOn Earth Day, 1971, the non-profit Keep America Beautiful released their program "People Start Pollution. People Can Stop It." The program is famous for its Crying Indian commercial. That commercial was created to do what Green Wellington claimed, "place the weight of climate change on the shoulders of the consumers." If you would like more details explaining the Crying Indian video, you can watch this video clip from the TruTV series Adam Ruins Everything https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqNm_TgOZk
I share this information to say, I agree. Also, I share this to bring up a question. Even if we know that the blame has been shifted, is it possible to fix the problem of climate change? Or, have we harmed Mother Nature for so long, all efforts against climate change are prolonging the inevitable?
Blog Post #2 - Query
ReplyDeleteI think i'm really on the fence on if there are or aren't literature that deal with climate change besides a few science fiction books. That's really all i can think of. No one really goes in more depth in other subjects on it. That's probable because it seems like something that could never really happen and have such a large impact on us.
It is true that when climate change is written. it is usually in a negative was that has a disaster on the population or the world as a whole. Are these events that we fear unavoidable or can we do nothing to change these outcome?
Climate is a big topic and how we depict climate in our media and literature can effect us subconsciously on how to deal with this very topic. I believe we should look a climate change on a massive scale maybe not negatively or positive but as something that nature is saying that their is something wrong and needs to be fixed. Climate change shouldn't be ignored but taken seriously before its to late.