Music: All of the Things We Think We Need
This post was submitted last week by Stephanie, who you now know is a teacher residing in Columbia Heights. Keep these coming, Steph!
I was hoping to be able to offer a review of the 4/3 Kimya Dawson show; however, I ended up leaving early and it would probably be unfair of me to pass an incomplete judgment. I’ve never been a die-hard fan and the rhythmic monotony of Kimya’s youthful voice was too much for my body, which is still lagging from a sloppy yet fun night at BeBar on Wednesday night. However, one line from the show got me thinking and has been stuck with me since hearing it:
“…While we think that they think they need all of the things we think we need / Like martha stewart shams and sheets and sugar free powdered iced tea / Vanilla coke, lemon pepsi, “Friends” episodes on dvd…”
This particular lyric got big cheers from the audience but I stood silently after its deliverance, not sure whether I could honestly share in the crowd’s disdain of 21st century materialism.
I am a person who genuinely cares about the state of our environment – I have appropriate reusable bags for all the local grocery stores; I am vegan, even though I have a general dislike for animals and all their offensive stenches; and I feel extreme guilt whenever I toss an aluminum or plastic item into a waste basket, particularly when I know it’s mainly because I am too lazy to carry it with me until I can recycle it. In general, I try to live a sustainable lifestyle. However, as I thought about the lyrics above I couldn’t help but check myself and wonder if I really do try hard enough to live sustainably. I thought about all of the things that I think I need and here’s what I came up with: my computer, energy drinks, my “Roseanne” DVD collection, and “Rock Band” for PS3. Surely, Kimya could have written the same lyrics using my must-haves and it would still send the same materialistic and wasteful message.
So now I am asking myself, “Could I possibly eliminate these things from my life?” If I could go 40 days without candy as a young Catholic kid, surely I can go a number of days without these things, but I honestly don’t know if I can seriously commit to giving up any of them for good. I consider my computer a connection to the people I love who are scattered around the world, as well as a 7 lb hub of endless, although not always useful, information; caffeine and taurine simply keep me moving and save the people around me from the wrath of my tired temperament; Roseanne is Roseanne; Rock Band I credit for saving my soul after months of first-year teaching depression and misery and for that I owe it my complete loyalty. Basically, I am not willing to let go of these items no matter how much my support of them helps fuel the raging fire of consumerism that is enveloping our society.
When I acknowledge these selfish thoughts, I feel a guilt similar to the one I feel when tossing my empty energy drink cans into the waste basket. “How,” I think, “can I consider myself any sort of environmentalist when I can’t even give up these seemingly absurd material items?” After several hours of mulling over this, I have finally come to an agreeable resolution for myself: I am going to come up with a list of things I consistently buy, yet know I don’t need; I will give up as many of those things as possible and let myself guiltlessly enjoy the items on my short list.
So, as we all should be thinking about how we can make our lives more sustainable anyway, what are the things you don’t think you could live without? A favorite pomade? Extra plush toilet paper? Seamless underwear? Clinical strength deodorant?
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i think i have an unhealthy fetish-worship relationship with kombucha. and then it’s like, a quality of life question for everything else. could i live without fake mustaches? yes. do i want to? no.
yay be bar wednesdays!
Allow me to preface the following with this: I am deeply committed to leaving this earth in a better and healthier state (environmentally, civilly, et al.) than when I entered it.
That said, I think the very foundation of the Green movement and its surrounding camps of belief are flawed. WHY should we feel guilt for being addicted to our laptop? WHY should we feel guilt for owning the entire box set of Roseanne . . . these entities (while not necessarily a net positive on the environment or world) are not nuclear weapons, or coal fired power plants . . . basically what I’m trying to say is that the only way people will subscribe to a “consume-LESS” society/movement is if they feel GOOD about it. Guilt is not a feeling that people strive for. Indeed, cut down on shit you don’t need (eg: morning StarbuKKKs, plastic bottled water, driving when you could walk, etc, etc, etc), but even cavemen were addicted to things . . . I’m sure there were a few Neanderthal queens out there addicted to fur pelts. Basically, do what you can, where you can, when you can and always challenge yourself to do better . . . but making yourself feel guilty for being addicted to your laptop of crappy DVD’s is not helping anyone.
coach: i had kombucha for the first time earlier today. although i was surpised to find that the bottle cost approximately the same as a miniature diamond ring, it still felt like happiness running throuh my veins.
anon: did you just imply that roseanne is crappy? you must me thinking of grace under fire.
yeah, the sticky fingers kombucha especially i’m like, should i save this bottle for antiques roadshow 2050?
the notion is great and, sadly, the mainstream environmental organizations in the u.s. have ignored it: if we didn’t buy so much “stuff”, we’d have a lot less to throw away. there are some folks at work on this, tho. center for the new american dream is a takoma park, md-based non-profit that challenges the notion that more consumer goods will give us a better quality of life. check out their tips at http://www.newdream.org/. also before you throw any of your useful “stuff” away, ask friends/family if they might need it and/or post on craiglist or your local freecycle listserv (go http://www.freecycle.org/ for more info). both are fantastic vehicles for the “reduce” portion of the urban-based environmentalist mantra: “reduce, reuse, and recycle.”
I don’t believe she was saying to give up *every thing*… I think she was just talking about the sheer number of excesses we have access to. I love the internet, but I am able to live without a car. I think we can all just try to walk down the good path a little harder. be well.
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