As we face climate change, I can understand an increase in anxiety among the younger generation. Reading The Worm at its Core connected struggling with anxiety to self-esteem in a way I had previously not viewed it, with the authors explaining how a lack of self-esteem contributes to a higher amount of anxiety. With the increased use of social media, people are inundated with a skewed view of what life looks like due to the way the algorithm elevates certain content while also advertising what your life should be like which is a sure fire way to make most people question their self-worth.
When this happens, I believe most people find stability the way they always have, by finding like-minded individuals to be in community with. Currently with impending climate catastrophe I think that means people who are willing to alter their way of life to do what they can to minimize their impact gravitate towards each other. While this can be seen as a positive the story Karen told about her vegan friends no longer talking to her after she started to eat animal protein again was to me unsurprising but shows a serious problem with the way people view community. Individuals absolutely have a role to play in stewardship of the planet but far too many people identify against each other as opposed to with each other. You see it in the lack of class-consciousness and with situations like the professor alluded to and I believe it is to the detriment of any ability to combat or slow climate change. The only way I see to make a change is solidarity among people and a strong stance against the continued extraction of resources and exploitation that the people of the global south bear the brunt of.
One has to look no further than the COP26 conference to see how unserious the wealthy elite are about changing our extraction and exploitation economy with the number of private jets flown in so they can ensure nothing will fundamentally change. The sooner people stop listening and supporting the plutocrats the better.
The lies that they feed to me, are as edible as Mercury-Tom Marshall, Ernest Giuseppe Anastasio III
The lack of class consciousness is so apparent, and yet during the Occupy movement most folks understood the 1% v 99%. And from class discussion classmates hold capitalist greed responsible for how unserious the elite are to mitigate and adapt to the problems of climate change. Yes, the mass of people need to seize control and throw the rascals out. Yes, we’re speaking here of the question of power – as is appropriate for a Poli Sci class.