(un)sustainable clickbait

I haven’t written in a while, and what better time to update my blog about my spiritual connection with the earth than Earth Day. But unfortunately, this is not the happiest post.

I keep reading everywhere that this pandemic that is wreaking havoc on our world is great for the environment.

That Finally Mother Nature can heal! From us! WOo!

That Elephants are being “set free”!

And I hear all of this through my instagram page. A form of social media that I have come to strongly dislike more than I enjoy.

Today I saw an article online that read: Elephants who were forced to carry people on their backs in Thailand are now being set free because the parks are shutting down because of the virus! And under the article the comments were all: “this is something I can get onboard with” and “finally! They deserve to be free” etc.

My first and foremost issue with this article is that the picture of the elephant grazing freely in a field on the article was literally an African elephant. (Yes, writers, I know its terribly hard to believe that African elephants and Asian elephants are different, and that for your click bait article you probably shouldn’t just google “elephant” and take the first picture that comes up that is visually pleasing). My next issue with this article is that there is this huge stigma around riding elephants and paying money to see elephants perform in shows. And yes, I get it, I also agree that paying money to see animals in captivity is!not!good! BUT, releasing these animals after years in captivity to a wild that has been so fragmented by human beings that there is not enough food or SPACE for them is absolutely not a great wonderful fantastic humane solution. Yes, Some of these parks have elephant rides, but they also provide the elephants with food and care that IS NOT AVAILABLE IN THE WILD BECAUSE OF HUMANS. So no, I am not advocating for elephant rides, instead I am advocating against all of the people and the articles that are ignorant enough to think that letting these animals free in the “wild” is great wonderful brilliant amazing spiritual without even having an inch of knowledge about what will happen if they get into the wild.

I get it, elephant rides are bad; I love elephants and think they are adorable and want to help them just as much as the next guy. But the solution is NOT bashing the owners and workers at these camps for taking elephants into captivity. The issue is NOT these camps. The issue is that we have fragmented the land so far beyond what is necessary that releasing these huge animals that need miles of food and roaming area is impossible… AND that we are so selfish and obsessed with propaganda that we read these clickbait articles, share them on our instagram page, think we are such wonderful samaritans without understanding what the roots and implications of this issue are AND without even knowing the difference between African and Asian elephants. But because we read a completely one sided article in our house in the middle of the US that makes humans at the camp to blame and puts the person reading it in the group of “animal lovers”, we are Wonderful Stewards Of The Earth! Right?!?!?!?!?!

My other internal struggle with this whole situation regarding the “let the Earth Heal” instagram caption is that it is completely anthropocentric. Environmentalists have been working for years now to try to get the word out about being environmental stewards and practice sustainable lifestyles. And the reason that that fight is so exhausting is because it is not convenient for most of the Earth. Bringing a reusable cup around, NOT shopping on fast fashion sites, eating only local and organic. All of those things come second, third, fourth, twentieth on the list of importance for most people and for some it doesn’t even make the cut. Often concerns like these are met by the general public with: “oh but those organic veggies are just so much more expensive! Next time ill splurge” “I really wanted a coffee every morning but I have no where to wash my cup at work so I just don’t bring it! Next time I will try to remember” “I NEEDED a new dress but only could afford Forever21, next time I will shop more sustainably!” But NOW, suddenly, while we are all at home not able to practice our usual lives, we are all being SUCH wonderful stewards because we are LETTING THE EARTH HEAL”. Im sorry… WHAT??? We absolutely do NOT deserve a pat on the back and a standing ovation because we have been just SUCH wonderful environmentalists these past few weeks by giving Mother Nature some grace.

We are forced to stay inside, forced to not be able to go to Starbucks everyday and get a coffee in a plastic cup, forced to not bring a 30 pack to the beach and “accidentally” leave a few cans in the sand, forced to not have extra money to buy a bunch of forever 21 clothes, forced to not be able to throw huge parties with mounds of plastic red cups. This disease, that WE have caused, that has forced us inside and away from “comforts” of everyday life is ABSOLUTELY NOT a reason to give the human race a nice big high five for loving the planet so much that we are “ALLOWING” it to heal. HEAL…from US in the First Place. How does that make any sense whatsoever.

The phrase “we are finally letting the Earth heal” is anthropocentric because human beings have decided that since it is Not Allowed for us to pollute the Earth with trash and greenhouse gasses, that We have performed this wonderful heroic deed onto the Planet. Y’all. Im confused.

So, this has been a sad post. It has been negative. I am frustrated.

I also know I am not perfect by ANY means. I am not a beacon of perfect sustainability here, and I still have a whole lot to learn. But, I am trying to educate myself. Trying to know the whole story before I see it just on an unscholarly article and believe it to be true. I am TRYING. And it is not hard to try. We can all try, now and after.

And if we keep believing that we are letting the Earth heal and that this is wonderful for the planet, that we are going to also think that that is giving us more room to pollute, because the Earth got better from when we were all locked inside.

This can be a window for change. It can drive change. Even if that change means not believing everything we see online. Stop saying “next time” when it comes to being sustainable. Stop thinking that we are helping, by doing nothing. We have done so much damage, it is going to take a whole lot of something from us to bring any semblance of harmony back.

Note: I understand that this seems like me calling out a bunch of people for saying these things and that I think I am above all those people. That is not the intention. My intention here is to be truthful with MY feelings with the environmental propaganda that has surfaced over the past few weeks.

 

BUT, that being said, instagram today has been filled with mostly wonderful images of people showing their appreciation for the Earth. And that has been beautiful to see.