Durning and Williams both addressed the topic of our consumption as a culture, but I can't say that I enjoyed reading Williams. I felt like I was 12 again and getting lectured by my mom for leaving the light on overnight. Yes, people do need to be educated on the facts that these authors presented, but no one is going to take kindly to it if they feel they're being yelled at, no matter how true it is. Anyways, I digress.
To be honest the first thing I thought about when I read this was my electric bill (which was less than last month, but still rather high). How many resources am I using keeping myself warm and watching my tv? Am I really being that wasteful? I do eat where I want and as much as I want, without much regard for where it came from. I drive the short and easily walkable distance to pick up my girlfriend, which is using gasoline that is spent for convenience only. I own nice clothes, and I'll admit that I don't recycle as much as I should.
But how wrong is it that I indulge myself in these things? I'm in college, which makes life stressful with all the pressures that it has. What is so wrong with making my life a little easier? It isn't like I'm trying to consume anything and everything. I'm not trying to hurt the environment. I'm sorry I enjoy shrimp, or a good steak. Or that I like my room heated at night in the winter. I mean I'm not alone in all of this. The majority if America is like this. We live in a materialistic culture. Nowadays this country is all about the quality of the stuff that you own over the type of person you are. No matter how shocking the statistics that Durning and Williams present, people are too concerned with their own well being to worry about the environment. Yes there are those out there trying to make a difference, but that's part of the problem. there are so many of us who think that if it's just me changing, it's not going to change anything, one person can't make a difference. Which is sad because if those 202 billionaires and three million + millionaires contributed just 1% of what they had, they could make a huge impact.
Yes, these writing have made me feel guilty about my consumption habits. Yes, I'm going to try and recycle more. I'll not only make sure all my stuff is off, but encourage the other guys in my house to do the same. But along with the majority of my fellow Americans, I'm not going to give up my lifestyle. I'll do my best to make a few changes, but I'm sorry, I enjoy some of my comforts a little too much.
I agree that Williams came across as accusatory and that it made me as a reader defensive. Yes, I like my products, as Williams says, but so does the rest of American society... It is hard to want to change when you feel that your difference is really no difference at all, and that if no one else cares, why should you?
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement about enjoying some comforts too much to change. I think you are approaching the situation from a realist's perspective and honestly it makes the most sense to me too.
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