Category: Uncategorized

As there was not a lot of direction provided for this assignment I’m going to write on my opinion of the course and how I found value from it. Throughout the course, I found the ways that it would introduce methods such as interviewing and researching through the use of archives very interesting. I believe that they provided. The assignment given was beneficial in me developing my methods of research and improving on areas that I struggled with. I did find though that lack of direction made complete assignments difficult as it was a struggle to start somewhere, similar to this assignment. I enjoyed the group work that was done together but often found that the reading was hard to finish. I enjoyed the teaching methods used and the two professors for this course but found that some of the material was lacking yet other parts were quite interesting. This course was valuable to me in improving my ability to research and devise methods of interviewing for future courses. This will definitely be helpful in future studies as the will be recurring throughout the rest of my university life and future past that. Without this course, I would most likely have a lot of trouble if faced with any scenarios where I would have to interview a person or people. The things I have learnt from this course I will carry on through my life and in future classes. I’d like to thank Sean and Josema for the experience and lessons they provided for me.

Research project on the topic of the changing degrees at Capilano over the years and how students currently view the topic for LBST 200 – Refocusing Knowledge

The Constrictive Lack of Degrees at Capilano University Final Paper

The group that I have chosen to create my care package for is those of the DREAMERS in the United States. They are being prosecuted for reasons that were out of their hands with being brought to the United States illegally when they were young or born there to illegal immigrant parents. With the new state of government in the United States, they are losing their ability to stay within the country even though for many of them they have established lives here with jobs, friends, and families. It is incredibly difficult to abandon their lives as often they have never lived in or have not lived in for a long time and do not speak the language or are much more confident with the English language compared to their native one.

 

I chose this group people as they are recently been prosecuted and come under fire with the removal of the DACA program. They are dealing with a lot of uncertainty with the recent changes in government with their state of possible deportation. They are a group that need comfort and reassurance during this time of uncertainty and fear of drastic change.

 

Book: This Wound is a World by Billy-Ray Belcourt

Belcourt, Billy-Ray. This Wound is a World. Frontenac House Poetry, 2017.

This book is a collection of poetry written from the personal experiences of Belcourt growing up and dealing with judgment and prejudice from other people due to his sexual orientation and the fact that he is indigenous. He writes of his experiences where he’s dealt with judgement which I believe with helping those who are faced with possible deportation as they must feel judged and prosecuted due to factors they can’t control.

Movie: Ratatouille by Disney Pixar

Bird, Brad. Ratatouille. Disney Pixar, 2007.

 

This movie is more of less serious choice as it is only to give a comforting feeling. The basis of the movie is someone who is misunderstood by others and outcasted, but finds his own and shows his ability.

 

Song: Team from Saturation III by Brockhampton, but more specifically the Kevin Abstract and Ameer Vann verses.

Brockhampton. “Team.” Saturation III, Question Everything Inc, 2017

I chose this piece of music as those two verses speak of judgement of due to the colour of their skin, lifestyle and how and how the possible change that was occurring through the election of Barack Obama as president, but with the election of Trump they realized that the bigotry and hatred is still very much alive and well in our world.

Article: CNBC – DACA deportation deadline arrives, but with an easing sense of urgency

CNBC, DACA deportation deadline arrives, but with an easing sense of urgency. CNBC, 2018

 

The article is written on the fact that, even though Trump has ended the DACA program, the courts are still forcing the current administration to continually renewing the program which has taken away from the urgency of its possible demise. I chose this article to show there is still hope for the people being affected by this possible drastic change; it can get better for them.

 

Scholarly Source: A Clean Deal on DACA: Here’s a creative way to fix the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program: sign it into law

Epstein, Richard A. A Clean Deal on DACA: Here’s a creative way to fix the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program: sign it into law. Hoover Digest, 2018.

 

I chose this article as it talks about the benefits of the DACA program and why it should stay as law. The benefits vastly outweigh the negatives and getting rid of it could ruin the lives of thousands of people.

Gift:

The gift I would give them would be the confirmation that this piece of legislation would not be removed as its existence continues their lives in America.  

In David Foster Wallace’s essay “The Depressed Person,” he writes of the thoughts and struggles of someone who is deeply emotionally damaged and struggles to properly interact with people in everyday society. She is so incredibly self-conscious that it inhibits her from getting to know anyone or spending time with people she already knew as her self-doubt makes her believe she is not good enough and is constantly being judged. This feeling of constantly being judged places stresses on the relationships that are meant to relieve her inhibitions. These stresses are acutely aware to her which means she is self-conscious of the fact she is a burden on her “Support System” (Wallace 58) makes it so she interacts with them, not as a normal person complaining about their issues, but someone who is overly apologetic for their flaws. These self-doubting tendencies make it so she is unable to truly recover from the emotional damage and scars she has been given in the past. Due to her parents splitting up and what she looks like it has caused her to be incredibly self-conscious of interacting with other people in public making it harder and harder for her to learn how to deal with her depression. After giving her the help she could and attempting to connect on an emotional level her therapist passes away from something that must be intentional she starts to call her friends more and more often, even during their work hours and in the dead of night, for emotional help even they knew they just viewed it as her whining. She constantly believes that her friends are living flawless amazing lives where nothing goes wrong as she never hears anything like that from them; they are only supportive to her and listen to her so she believes they are perfect, especially compared to her. She slowly follows the therapist’s advice and eventually asks her friend she trusts the most and views as her best friend to give her honest opinion of her. She wishes for her friend to “not pull any punches” (Wallace 64) and tell her the truth. This friend is terminally ill and going to die very soon, yet the Depressed Person still wants this info about herself. She wants to know the opinions of her dying friend on her. She wishes to still talk about herself which shows that she is a heartless, uncaring and self-obsessed person.

 

The title of Wallace’s essay “The Depressed Person” should be re-named to The Self-Obsessed Person. She believes from the beginning that everyones lives are flawless and amazing and that the people apart of them never face any heartache or struggles. Yet the issue is that she is too involved in her own issues and struggles to bother to find out if any of the members in her “Support System” (Wallace 58) are dealing with any tough times or major crisisses. She find out in the end, when asking her closest “friend” what she truly thinks of her, that her friend is going to die soon “The depressed person therefore urged her terminally ill friend to go on, to not hold back, to let her have it.” (Wallace 64) The Self-Obsessed person didn’t care that her friend was going through this unimaginably difficult situation, but even after finding this information out she still only wished to hear what her friend truly thought of her and how she viewed her as a person. This unhinged self-centeredness may come from the “lessons” her therapist taught her, but it is no excuse for how clearly self-indulgent she is as. Even after her therapist killed herself she still continued on with complaining, everyday and night, to her friends without ever thinking once to see what kind of situation these people were experiencing. She is a selfish and energy-stealing and her assumption that everyone else is better off than her, when in reality she never bothered to find out if they are or not, is the reason why she claims to be depressed. She only has perspective on her own issues and views them as the worst possible as she does not listen to others. She is a victim of her own self-pity and sympathy for herself as she has no other view of hardship and that’s why she believes she’s depressed, when in reality she is self-obsessed.

Dear Dreamers

I chose to give you this care package as I feel as though you are a group of people that are being unreasonably prosecuted; you cannot control the fact you were brought into the United States at such a young age. That is your home, you live there and often do not know or remember much different of your previous home country. It’s not fair to be forcibly removed and judged for the reason you’re in the United States as it was out of your control. You are being forced into a country you have not been to since being a child or where you haven’t lived in for years. You have family, friends, jobs and established lives in America, but are being forced from this comfort into places that you have very little or no knowledge of. Sometimes you are being forced into places that some of you can’t even speak the language of. You are the people I chose as I believe you need comfort in this unreliable time. It will help greatly in this time of uncertainty and need reaffirmation that people still believe in you and don’t wish the harm on you that others do. I hope that these multiple different works truly help and bring you comfort in this time of uneasiness. The times that you are encountering are very turbulent and I cannot guarantee that this will all end well and how you’d like, but I hope for the best.

 

The book I would choose to give you is a book of poems by Billy-Ray Belcourt called This Wound is a World. This book is from the personal experiences of Belcourt growing up and dealing with judgment and prejudice from other people due to his sexual orientation and the fact that he is indigenous. He writes of his experiences where he’s dealt with judgement which I believe will help those who are faced with possible deportation it is possible you feel judged and prosecuted due to factors you can’t control. The poetry, I believe, can bring comfort in the fact you are not the only ones being judged for actions that are not your own. It is an unfair circumstance that you’ve been brought into.

The movie that I chose to include in the care package, being Ratatouille, is more of a less serious choice as it is only to give a comforting feeling and does not have a huge connection to the issues being faced by you. The basis of the movie is someone who is misunderstood by others and outcasted, but finds his own and shows his ability. I found that this relates to your predicaments as he is judged by his peers, but knows that he is able to show his best. It is not a perfect connection, but I believe that it is a similar experience he is dealing with.

 

The piece of music I chose is Team by the brand Brockhampton and more specifically the two verses by Kevin Abstract and Ameer Vann. I chose them as those two verses speak of judgment of due to the colour of their skin, lifestyle and how the possible change that was occurring through the election of Barack Obama as president created hope. Vann describes this judgment by others at the beginning of his verse “I got a hard time, I gotta watch myself. The way I move through a room full of suits” (Brockhampton, TEAM). With the election of Trump, they realized that the bigotry and hatred is still very much alive and well in our world. Abstract raps about this in his verse “Little old me, I thought my world was progressive ’cause my president was black, twenty-five lighters on the dresser” (Brockhampton, TEAM). I chose them as they represent struggle being faced by others in this shifting political landscape and that they are not alone. Others understand the struggle that you are facing and are dealing with similar ones themselves.

 

The article is written on the fact that, even though Trump has ended the DACA program, the courts are still forcing the current administration to continue renewing the program which has taken away from the urgency of its possible demise. I chose this article to show there is still hope for you being affected by this possible drastic change; it can get better for you. The author writes about this “court orders have forced the Trump administration to keep issuing renewals, easing the sense of urgency” (CNBC). The Trump organization has threatened to ruin your lives in America, but have just been talking and no action which means you can rest easy knowing that they are yet to truly change anything. It is not as of an immediate of a change as you thought it would be as they are unable to come up with a replacement or another option.

 

I chose this article as it talks about the benefits of the DACA program and why it should stay as law. The benefits vastly outweigh the retractions of the removing the legislation and killing it could ruin the lives of thousands of people. It shows that there still are and always will be people fighting alongside you and that you will never be alone in your struggles. People are still there for you no matter what the upper powers of government are attempting to do. I believe it is an incredibly important article to help with proving the point that you are valuable members of society. You contribute greatly to society and it would be a travesty for you to be taken away.

 

The gift I would give you would be the confirmation that this piece of legislation would not be removed as its existence continues your lives in America. It is essential for you to stay there and without it, so many of your lives could possibly be ruined. Given the importance of you staying in this country, this legislation is dire. This is the most important gift I could possibly include in the care package.

From what you’ve experienced, I believe that these multiple different works will be an incredible aid with helping you deal with the stresses of the uncertainty given the removal of DACA legislation. This may possibly mean deportation for you, but I hope that these pieces will bring you comfort in knowing that people have and will experience the same sort of discrimination due to race or sexual orientation. There are people out there care for you, these people are fighting for you and want the best for you. I hope this care package gives you comfort and reassurance.

References

1. Belcourt, Billy-Ray. This Wound is a World. Frontenac House Poetry, 2017.
2. Bird, Brad. Ratatouille. Disney Pixar, 2007.
3. Brockhampton. “Team.” Saturation III, Question Everything Inc, 2017
4. CNBC, “DACA deportation deadline arrives, but with an easing sense of urgency.” CNBC, 2018, https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/05/daca-deportation-deadline-arrives-but-with-an-easing-sense-of-urgency.html
5. Epstein, Richard A. “A Clean Deal on DACA: Here’s a creative way to fix the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program: sign it into law.” Hoover Digest, no. 1, 2018, pp. 48.

Care can be having any sort of interest in something or sympathy for someone by putting the person or thing before almost anything else, what matters is how much you care. Though people believe that is the basis of care, one of the most important ways you can care is caring for yourself. Making sure you’re healthy, happy and in the best place you can be is the most important part of caring. This doesn’t mean put yourself before others, but that you should be certain that are on a path to being a better you. This can lead to caring and helping others more effectively as you will not be brought down by yourself and will be comfortable and happier with where and how you are in life. What is necessary for an ideal society of caring is with a balance between caring for yourself and caring for others. In a society where people don’t care for each other, it would become hateful and depressing place in which to live. It would not produce a culture of caring as no one would see a point in changing as it would not be reciprocated. These conditions would create an infinite circle of neglect, similarly, people not caring for themselves would make it incredibly difficult for them to care for others as they feel uncared for themselves. Examples of socioeconomic caring is people of higher economic statuses donating to those of lower status to help them with clothing, food or money.

 

Greed is what kills caring, jealousy kills caring, people who value themselves above all else is what stops people from caring for one another. There must be a balance when caring otherwise it will not be sustainable for someone. When someone put themselves before anybody else they do not care for others at all or help others which does not push on the importance of caring for each other. Looking at example of this greed that inhibits someone from caring is “The Depressed Person” by David Foster Wallace. Throughout the piece the main character believes she has it so terribly and just wants comfort and caring from her “friends” yet she fails to realizes that she is not the only person that is suffering. Wallace shows this here “The depressed person therefore urged her terminally ill friend to go on, to not hold back, to let her have it” (Wallace, 64). The Depressed Person is unable to see that her friend is suffering much more than her. Her blindness of other’s suffering comes from her in greed to know what people think of her and to accept compliments.

 

What keeps people from caring for themselves is a lack of self confidence and being susceptible to their inhibitions. People can view themselves as unimportant and lacking meaning which will destroy their ability to care for others, let alone themselves. In “This Wound is a World” by Billy-Ray Belcourt he shows how he looks for caring from others as he struggles to find it in himself for himself. He portrays this through lines like “i only fuck men who know i am beautiful for all the wrong reasons” (Belcourt, 36) in the poem There is No Beautiful Left. He is looking for caring where he knows he cannot do it for himself. He needs this help and awareness of his issues to make it so he is able to love and care for himself. Helping someone love themselves and realize their worth would enable them to care for themselves. Without belief in themselves somebody cannot care for themselves or others as they view it as pointless, therefore aiding with self-acceptance is critical.

 

Work Cited

Wallace, David Foster. The Depressed Person. Harper’s Magazine, 1998.

Belcourt, Billy-Ray. This Wound is a World. Frontenac House Poetry, 2017

The issue I’m focusing on is the is the First Nations/Indigenous response to climate change, more specifically I’ll be looking at lesser known steps they are taking from education to small on-going protests to using the government to voice opinions in and how they compare to more well-known efforts like the protests at Stand Rock over the Dakota Access Pipeline. From universities like the Dechinta Bush University in the Northwest Territories which is using ecological studies and interweaving Indigenous relations to the environment into the course. First Nations have also gained the ability to voice their opinions on climate change and what can be done to combat it because they have been given a seat at the climate change conference. Lesser known protesters are ones like the Klabona Keepers which have stopped many oil company from damaging their land. A well-known protest in Standing Rock is one that failed even with massive support from all around the world. Looking at the article “Coming Full Circle: Indigenous Knowledge, Environment, and Our Future” shows the importance of First Nations knowledge in saving our environment and affecting the ecology of our world. Lesser-known and less used step that are being taken are ones similar to the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council who have created an extended policy of the current provincial one over all mining operations in their traditional land.

 

The first steps that I’m looking at are those that are being taken by First Nations are their methods of education at Universities. I’ll be using Dechinta Bush University as my example as they are a University that focuses on environmental education; their program incorporates a choice of five courses from eleven different courses from boreal ecology to Indigenous law and legal traditions with others focusing on education about the environment like their boreal field study which takes you into the forest. The school has a very strong focus on First Nations relationship to the environment from their history and past to current times and looking forward to how their relationships will change. They combine education of academic studies with traditional knowledge and teach from a land-based ideology, therefore, they incorporate the effect on the land in every facet of their teachings.

 

One of the other big development for First Nation’s relations with environmental change is that the Assembly of First Nations have been given a seat at the table at the international climate change conference.This will mean First Nations of Canada will have a vote and be able to speak out for their opinion on issues around the world and voice their concerns for different steps being taken by other countries and Canada. One of their goals is to take government strategies on climate change and to connect it with Indigenous knowledge. Due to First Nations reliance on the environment through having access to traditional medicine, foods, and territories the issue of climate change is incredibly important to them as they want to avoid it getting any worse than it already is.

 

One of the lesser known protesting groups are the Klabona Keepers which are protesters from an area of Northern British Columbia known as the Klappan Area. They have been incredibly successful in their efforts to combat big oil companies putting different methods of obtaining gas and oil in their sacred headwaters which will directly affect their inter-generational teaching, food sustenance, and traditions. They have blocked companies like Shell from fracking in their area which has saved their water sources. The methods they are using are extremely successful as they constantly are dealing with attempts of companies to invade their sacred land to rob it of the natural resources from open-pit coal mines to government approval of the LNG pipeline.

 

The documentary “Awake, a Dream from Standing Rock looks at the events that took place in Standing Rock, North Dakota with the development of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Their huge efforts and protests were widely spread online and on TV within the news gaining huge support all around the world, having people show up to partake in the protests. Police and army were sent to keep them at bay yet their protests were mostly peaceful; they would be pepper sprayed for no apparent reason other than to attempt to make them leave. Even after their protesting and blocking of the pipeline it eventually went through to their disappointment and a recent development has occurred where there has been a leak in the pipe, thus causing a minor spill affecting part of South Dakota which is the exact problem they wished to avoid.

 

Another method of showcasing Aboriginal knowledge of the environment is the Traditional Ecological Knowledge which is an ever-growing movement of using the developed sustainable environment methods and knowledge which can be used to address current global environmental issues and crises. It has been recognized around the world that Indigenous ecological knowledge and development are essential to solving our possible disasters from people like David Suzuki “My experience with Aboriginal people convinced me … of the power and relevance of their knowledge and worldview in a time of imminent global eco-catastrophe.” to the UN’s Conference on Environment and Development’s Convention on Biodiversity which enforced their importance in saving our environment. Traditional Ecological Knowledge is beginning to be being used here in Canada with environmental management, yet these methods have always been used in First Nation communities. Due to these developments Indigenous people have been given an incredibly important role in the development in a sustainable world to attempt to save our damaged environment.

 

A different method of approaching the issue of environmental sustainability is the method that has been taken by a group of First Nations in Williams Lake, B.C. called the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council. The council have detailed a very deep mining policy due to the affect the tailing ponds of Mount Polley has had on  their community with the spill of mining water shutting down multiple mines and ruining the surrounding environment. The goal of the new policy is to make sure that the steps being taken by the mining operations are safe for the environment and sustainable not to shut them down. The policy on affects the area of their traditional territory and will require the companies to deal with clean-up processes properly and ensure the utmost safety in the first place.

 

Looking at the methods used at Standing Rock show that even though you might get coverage from the media and international recognition and support it does not necessarily mean it is the most effective use energy. People have put their efforts into different ways to protect their lands or spread awareness of what they are fighting for. It is all dependent on what scenario they are facing to see how their efforts will fair, what they are fighting against and who they are fighting against can drastically affect the outcome of the protest. If you do not have the support of the government it can make efforts to cease whatever project nearly impossible. Therefore the most vocal, emotionally driven methods of environmental sustainability are not necessarily the most effective as they tend not to be rules that companies most abide to. The most effective method for environmental protection that has been taken by First Nation groups are those that are preemptive and attempt to prevent anything from happening in the first place; they look forward as to what can be done to ensure nothing will happen, not at the present to see how to fix the issues that have arisen.

Work Cited

1. Dechinta University, Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning, dechinta.ca/programs/semester-course/. Accessed 1 Dec. 2017.
2. Morin, Brandi. “Assembly of First Nations to have seat at international climate change conference for first time.” CBC News, 4 Nov. 2017, www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/afn-climate-change-germany-1.4387206. Accessed 1 Dec. 2017.
3. Schreader, Cheryl, and Houglum, Brook. “Indigenous Knowledge.” Vancouver Accessed 2 Dec. 2017.
4. Dewey, Myron, and Josh Fox, Director. Awake, a Dream from Standing Rock. Josh Fox and Floris Ptesan Hunka, Writers.  Performance by Autumn DePoe-Hughes 2017. Netflix. Accessed 1 Dec 2017.
5. McGregor, Deborah. “Coming Full Circle: Indigenous Knowledge, Environment, and Our Future.” The American Indian Quarterly, vol. 28, 2004, pp. 385-410. Google Scholar. Accessed 1 Dec. 2017.
6. Meissner, Dirk. “Aboriginal Group Sets Rules for Mining.” The Globe and Mail Dec 02 2014. ProQuest. Web. 4 Dec. 2017 .

The focus that I am taking is of the Indigenous/First Nations response to climate change. I hope to bring light to the steps that are being taken by First Nations that are not as well known compared to other methods. I’m hoping to use documentaries, interviews, and articles devoted to documenting the movements that aren’t as well known. Some of the examples I’m planning on citing are things from the Native Education College and their processes of teaching and curriculum to the Klabona Keepers and their mission to protect their native land. I will also attempt to use Awake: a Dream from Standing Rock as one of my pieces for more evidence. One of the sources that I will use is of the recent development that the Assembly of First Nations will have a seat at the table when discussing climate change issue which is a huge development and improvement for the Indigenous community as they now get to voice their opinion on world issues to do with climate change.

Throughout Marina Zurkow “Petroleum Manga” there is the focus on the theme of humanity’s dependence on plastics. The question is if that our dependency is based off the constant consumerist mindset that our society has developed and grown to become accustomed to or is it due to the capitalistic society that our world is based in and grown up in, constantly pushing business in the present day over the possible effects it will have on our environment in the future and what we will do once we cannot use petroleum anymore. The piece shows that we have an incredible dependency for plastics and are not given many realistic options as a replacement for plastics and petroleum. Especially if people need a cheap option due a limited budget it is very difficult to find as items not using petroleum as they tend to be harder to make and therefore more expensive with limited quantities. This inability to find more easily accessible products, not made of petroleum, is due to the development of, what is referred to Andreas Malm, as the capitalocene. The priority of money over the wellbeing of our environment has created the mindset of consumerism and disposability.

 

In “Petroleum Manga” the piece “IV Bags” by Nicole Walker, throughout the work she demonstrates that it is incredibly difficult for us to survive without the plastics we use everyday as they are involved in everything, even IV bags and the tubes attached to you while in the hospital, “Your whole life has been attended by plastic,”(122) it is unavoidable to use petroleum products. Even if someone is able to afford not to use petroleum products in daily life when it is out of their control and they do not have the option plastics while be used. Capitalism has pushed this agenda with the disregard for our environment, petroleum products are easily mass produced and extremely cheap. Therefore they can sell mass amounts of plastics to everybody no matter what their price point. Our lives are controlled by plastics whether we like it or not and even if we try our very best it is inevitable for us to use some sort of petroleum products throughout our life.

 

Because of the great development of Capitalism our society has because infatuated with plastics and petroleum. This is well displayed in Ruth Ozeki’s “Immortal” as the piece is about a girl who eats everything plastic so long as she considers them perfect. These items that she views as perfect and immortal are what she loves. She cannot stand the idea of eating something imperfect or recently killed. “Big living things are gross because they go rotten.”(118) This represents our society quite perfectly, we view plastics as the be all, end all and whenever something is imperfect or damaged we immediately do not want it. We are attracted to perfection and symmetry which is pushed by capitalism and the pushing of perfect petroleum products.

 

In the piece “What Does Calm Say” by Melissa Kwasny, it displays a more simple society without the need for plastics and petroleum. People are without a need for it as they are a society not at focused on capitalistic ideas. They are not forced into having petroleum products and have to use ones without. They live in a society without the focus on power and money that comes without capitalism.

 

In “Plexiglass Chair” by Timothy Morton the piece is asking people to stop using plastic chairs “Take a stand! A stand against the chair!”(56) This is referring to taking a stand against capitalism, there’s no need for the chairs so why should we still be using them. It likens owning a chair to being a citizen and that because you own a chair you are therefore apart of modern society whereas you should be able to not own a chair and fight this requirement as if to fight capitalism.

 

“Watering Can, High Density-Polyethylene” by K.A Hays shows that before capitalism humans had no need for items such as watering cans. With the ever-expanding reach of capitalism, people are given ease of access, making life easier and easier people take the opportunities as they are easier and cheaper than the options without using petroleum.

 

In “Pacifier” by Lydia Millet, she speaks about her love for her pacifier as a child, which used petroleum, it develops into an addiction at a young age and is quickly taken away, but as an adult, she finds it and “popped it in my mouth.”(38) She is immediately soothed by it and calmed. It is a representation that at no matter what age with the use petroleum, people are addicted to it and it is brought on by its constant use in capitalistic society.  

 

Our society is forced into our use of petroleum by the control of capitalism. Its love of money has completely ignored and has no interest in saving our environment and therefore human civilization itself. “The Petroleum Manga” shows that society is under control of capitalism and is being forced into this unending cycle of petroleum. It is a mindset that is focused on the present and never looking forward. Without looking at our future capitalism will drive us into the ground and there will be nothing left for it to damage. Continuing on this path will leave the earth without petroleum for our plastics very soon and kill the basis of capitalism, their ability to make money.

Works Cited

1. Walker. Nicole. “IV Bags.” The Petroleum Manga Edited by Marina Zurkow and Valerie Vorgain, Peanut Books, 2014, 122
2. Ozeki. Ruth. “Immortal.” The Petroleum Manga Edited by Marina Zurkow and Valerie Vorgain, Peanut Books, 2014, 118
3. Hays. K.A. “Watering Can, High-Density Polyethylene.” Petroleum Manga Edited by Marina Zurkow and Valerie Vorgain, Peanut Books, 2014, 56
4. Millet. Lydia. “Pacifier.” Petroleum Manga Edited by Marina Zurkow and Valerie Vorgain, Peanut Books, 2014, 38

In “The Anthropocene Myth” by Andreas Malm, he states that the worsening state of our environment is due to the capitalist mindsets of the people in power all over our world. He begins his argument by pointing to the fact that the earth is becoming hotter and hotter yet our number one method of producing energy has not changed for the better and is still coal. He is shocked that even though we know so much more about the changing environment our effect on it has actually still worsened. Malm doesn’t believe that the term “Anthropocene” is the proper term for what is happening as it is making mankind out to be a force that is making huge effects on our climate and geography. His point is that it is not all of mankind, but certain people.

 

He attempts to convey the message that it is not the fault of all humanity that this issue is persevering yet that is the fault of a select few very powerful people that control how our energy is created. The people are Malm puts to blame are wealthy and powerful capitalists; now there is bias in his argument as he is blaming these people with a completely different political and economic ideology that are wholeheartedly against his own as he is a writing for the Jacobin, which is a magazine that speaks from a very far left leaning standpoint. They are the self-proclaimed voice of the left in America and even consider themselves socialist. Given this the people that Malm is blaming for these issues the exact people that he is fighting, therefore it would be logical that he would blame this group.

 

Malm uses the word Anthropocene continuously throughout his piece which makes sense as the article addresses Malm’s opinion on the term. Anthropocene is a term that was created to describe the huge effect that we have on our environment and that humankind is now a noticeable mark on the geological calendar. The author makes reference to Naomi Klein in “This Changes Everything.” She makes the point capitalism and neo-liberalism is the cause of such a great decline in our environment and that it is not getting better. Malm notes that the beginning of capitalism was the creation of the steam engine. He also writes about when England discovered the coal deposits in India during their Imperialism and how they had a myriad of uses for in England. This was the true beginning of coal burning capitalism. Malm also quotes Rex Tillerson as saying “My philosophy is to make money. If I can drill and make money, then that’s what I want to do.” Tillerson’s opinion shows that a capitalistic mentality finds money for a short period of time more valuable than the endurance of our environment. One other point that Malm makes is that the more developed and Capitalistic a country becomes the more wasteful it becomes for example “The 19 million inhabitants of New York State alone consume more energy than the 900 million inhabitants of sub-Saharan Africa.” Because of capitalism we pollute more,  we use more and we destroy more. With our society becoming more and more developed we damage more and more.

 

Malm’s point is that it is not the fault of all of humanity that the state of our environment is declining, but it is the fault of capitalism and the leaders of it. He believes that because of the people of power in places that are economically capitalistic, they are doing damage to our environment and they are the ones to blame for our unchanging downfall.