That Thing We Don't Talk About (Here I Go Again)...

(I am realizing that this blog is, on some level, a repository for daily hand-wringing over the trappings of capitalism and how not to self-destruct as an individual in its wake. See here for an earlier post on "that thing we don't talk about.")

77 degrees today. Disturbing. Clipped an article yesterday from the NY Times about CRAG - Carbon Rationing Action Group - in England. Folks coming together as a cooperative to mind their carbon footprints, calculating auto emissions and heat usage, etc. The focus is lifestyle adjustment, as opposed to fancy new technology or carbon credits. Use less, plain and simple. A few pages later, however, Thomas Friedman used his column to tell us that what you do as an individual in your own daily life makes little difference; you have to get involved in policy. He cited NYC's en masse shift from Crown Victoria taxis to hybrids - and Mayor Bloomberg's requirement that all taxis be hybrids or other low-emission vehicles, minimum 30 mpgs, within five years. This is how real change happens, Friedman argues. Elect the right folk who will lead the charge and push for standards.

Of course, we know that we need both/and.

One thing for certain about city living is that the density and diversity of the population creates so many layers of complexity, so many moving parts and concealed corners, that getting involved - in anything - becomes a very serious research project. The world is globalized, and everything is interconnected, yes, no matter where you live, city or country; but those webs become so much more tangled, tendrils exponentially multiplied, in the day-to-day of urban life. The bigger the city, the more complex, and the harder to tease out the "facts" you need to act responsibly. The simple reality of hyper-pluralism in the media - information overload - is a great challenge in itself.

This is starting to sound like an excuse, I know - for doing nothing. I'm just saying that I empathize with any city-dwellers who struggle with paralysis in the face of the world-on-fire. And can see how the CRAG movement and others like it are catching on, how people would be attracted to the micro-level of social change; because it is comprehensible, there is a reasonable linearity to the cause and effect of the action. There is a longing for a recovery of that direct relationship - the tangible impact of one's actions on the world in which one lives and, beyond that, a return to some semblance of a two-way relationship with the natural world. (Tomorrow I'll post about Into the Wild, which I saw last night - speaking of the trappings of capitalism.)

When I lived in a smaller city, I felt the difference palpably. There were two major newspapers, and two culture weeklies, which everyone read; people knew the names of all the city council members and what areas they focused on. Friends who worked in city government actually did make a difference, i.e. what they did from 9 to 5 on a daily basis moved forward progressive changes in city policies, and they felt very good about their work. The flow chart from citizen to politician to policy change to policy implementation was comprehensible to the average person. Here in NYC, you must be a municipal government expert to understand the inner workings; for instance, it is customary (and pretty much necessary) for a nonprofit to engage a city lobbyist in order to successfuly navigate the labrynthine grants process and receive city funding (and the little guys who can't afford such assistance lose out).

If you are someone who thinks and cares about such things - and I think most people do - it is not an easy time to live in the world and do no harm. When I go to the polls, Iraq and causes for war around the globe will certainly be on my mind. But in the day to day, having been born an American and (so far) maintaining that identity, it does seem to me that, like it or not, our primary role in the global community (if we are not, say Nobel Laureates or UN Assemblymembers), or at least the role with the largest ripple effects, is as consumers. We are what we buy (which of course includes what we eat). Insofar as wars are related to oil, other natural resources, the hegemony of American media & entertainment values; and insofar as we are in the position to choose what/how much we use, which corporations we keep in business, which economic and cultural values we actively or passively propagate... we are responsible.

And so, contrary to Mr. Friedman, I think that there is nothing more directly linear in cause & effect, no more powerful act... than to mind our consumer footprints. The good news about this is that it's not complicated, meaning it's daily and it's right in front of our noses. The bad news is that it's effortful and often inconvenient (but is that really bad news?). You can vote for whomever you like, but then proceed to work against the values that individual represents by continuing to support the economic interests which drive the ugliness. I think many liberals do this. Let's, um, quit that. Let's at least try.

Go CRAGs!

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The Reading List: There are so many these days. The ones that come to mind are Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (Barbara Kingsolver) and The Omnivore's Dilemma (Michael Pollan). If anyone can recall the article/blog that was in the NY Times maybe a year ago by a guy who put his NYC family on a radically green program for a year, let me know.

Also, I've been subscribing to this e-list but don't know a whole lot about it: www.smallplanetinstitute.org. What intrigues me is one of their values - "Evolve capitalism to support the social good" - and their notion of "Thin Democracy -- the dangerous idea that elections plus a market economy are enough."