Quote:
When future generations mine our landfills for our cast-aside cell phone parts and discarded blenders will they view our wastefullness as an indicator of economic success or of unparalleled systemic greed?
That is a quote I read on this website which was given in reaction to this artist's work.
posted by Adam at 1:56 PM
3 Comments:
But, is it really "wasteful" to throw away a broken blender? If something does not work any more, why would you keep it? It would make for a serious white trash backyard and house and cause resentment among the neighbors. Besides, most women are happy to have modern appliances as we used to spend hours winnowing and grinding seeds and acorns in holes in rocks with stone pestles, while you guys got to go off and hunt, which was much more fun. Damn that was a run on sentence, sorry.
One of the things I'm begining to realize more and more (as always, thanks to Alex) is that our use and discard culture is what helps to perpetuate the problem and create all the waste. For example, how much of the "trash" we throw away really doesn't work and how much of it is simply thrown away when we "upgrade"? Look at the waste generated from cell phones. Both in the amount of raw material neccessary to build all the cell phones we buy and when we throw them out when they still work because, god forbid they get scratched or the new thinner model with video/mp3/photo/rear-your-first-child technology suddenly seems neccessary.
As for the photo I posted, I chose tired for a reason. Particularly because our car culture is not an accident. It is documented that GM bought the means of mass transit, which were working perfectly fine, and then lobbied for roads to be built, thus neccessitating the use of vehicles...which then generate the vast amounts of waste shown in this photo. (my spelling is horrendous in this reply, but I'm tired...oh so tired)
Well, I am right wing, but I don't drive, have never driven and never will. I cook by hand and live in a 420 sq ft cottage. So I think that we can live simply. But it is about choice and most people love their gadgets and gizmos and of course, their big cars! We are selected against, in that regard Adam. We are in the monority.
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