I'd like to second pretty muich everything Kylie said... but I'm still
confused by a few things. Maybe someone would care to clarify them.
Anyway, I'd like to invoke patriarchal-demon-mode here for just a sec
and ask about a couple of them.
Kylie wrote:
> The individual and society and governments and business and ALL Humans have
> a responsibility to maintain the environment.
1) Why do they have this responsibility? I mean, what is the source
of this responsibility and how do we determine what it is?
2) Do they have equal responsibilities? And how do we get them to
accept these responsibilities once we work out what they are?
thanks.
--
mce peterson, philosophy "Hey, this isn't coffee
university of wisconsin centers -- it's samadhi!"
>From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tue Mar 7 09:08:33 MST 1995
via Charon-4.0A-VROOM with IPX id 100.950307155915.1536;
From: J M Brough <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 1995 16:01:15 GMT
Subject: Individual's responsibility to the environment
Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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I would like to comment on Mark Peterson's letter -
1. Why do they have this responsibility? -
Surely this goes with living? The source of the responsibility is
our own awareness of it. Thus a lion is not "responsible" for
the zebra she kills for food but a human being has knowledge and
awareness of the consequences of an action and therefore must be
responsible for those consequences.
2. Are responsibilities equal? - I don't think they can be. My own
belief is that responsibility should be proportional to power and
control. The more power you have to affect the environment the
greater the degree of responsibility you have to protect it.
It follows that people living in the 'developed' world, who use much
more energy per capita than those in 'undeveloped' countries, have a
greater responsibility to conserve the environment and its resources.
How do we get people (and governments and businesses etc.) to accept
their responsibility? I wish I knew. As individuals we can make our
views known to those in government, and in business, and we can vote
with our money by only doing business with those of whose ethics we
approve. On a personal level most of us know what we ought to do,
whether we do it or not is a different matter. The attractions of an
energy-using existence are seductive. The satellites and other technology
that allow this message to zip around the globe didn't get there for
free. Are we to go back to sending messages via a runner with a
cleft stick?
Sincerely, June Brough.
J M Brough
Senior Secretary
School of Mathematics and Statistics
The University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham B15 2TT
>From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tue Mar 7 14:57:29 MST 1995
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 1995 16:57:18 -0500 (EST)
From: Bertina Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Kylie Matthews <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: individuals' relationship to the environment
In-Reply-To: <v01510101630b617039d3@[203.8.222.24]>
What exactly are womyn? I thought I was a woman - a word I connect with
human. Are you suggesting womyn are not human?
Just Curious
Bertina Miller
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tue Mar 7 16:59:06 MST 1995
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 1995 18:54:29 -0500 (EST)
From: "Jamie A. Carboy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: individuals' relationship to the environment (fwd)
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Dear Kylie:
Just wanted to let you know that I thought your sentiments regarding the
environment were wonderful....if only your ideas could really be
implemented. While I am in complete agreement with you, I don't think
that the ever expanding global-capitalist system will allow for the
implementation of the systemic environmental conservation/preservation
needed to maintain our world. Every individual needs to realize her/his
responsibilities, but under a patriarchal system that fundamentally
uses all 'resources' (including women), I see little chance of
getting past institutionalized male hegemony. The only way for true
change to occur is through empowering pedagogy, and alas, I feel this
responsibility must primarily be shouldered by women (and the few other
'enlightened' members of society). Only through intensive education can
the consequences of such societal/governmental exploitation be realized and
eliminated. While women may not have had anything to do with the creation
of 'man made deserts', we nevertheless benefit from their existence...
just like the electricity used to power this computer is NOT solar, but
was most likely derived from fossil fuels... the point I am attempting to
make is that we all exploit the natural world to some degree. It is up to
us, as women (who can more readily develop a critical consciousness based
on our own history of oppression), to arrive at such realizations (like
those you proposed) and do our best to communicate and educate others. What do
you think? I welcome any and all feedback!
Take care,
Jaimie Ann Carboy
Department of Sociology
Georgia State University
Atlanta, Georgia USA
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Tue, 7 Mar 1995, Kylie Matthews wrote:
>
> >In addition, prompted by the personal/political question a week or so back,
> >what do you think are an individual's responsibilities (if any) to the
> >environment? Could you or would you identify a different (or overlapping)
> >set of responsibilities that a society/government has to the environment?
> >
> >Susan Clayton
>
> The individual and society and governments and business and ALL Humans have
> a responsibility to maintain the environment. This means not chopping down
> virgin forest, not using chain saws to chop even their so-called
> 'sustainable forest' but using axes. This responsibility means putting
> money and other resources into solar power alternatives, ultimately getting
> rid of the petrol engine and the need for so much electricity and gas. It
> means a realisation that the costs of an energy source cannot be calculated
> simply by adding dollars and cents, and that the environmental and social
> costs of a choice are far FAR more important.
>
> It means not dumping toxic waste on our neighbours doorstep like the USA
> dump theirs in Mexico. It means taking a global view of things. It means
> pouring money and resources into fixing some of the terrible things weve
> done. A great many of the Earths deserts were man-made. (I am not being
> sexist, womyn had nothing to do with this destruction.) It means not
> hunting animals such as whales to extintion. It means never net fishing
> (dolphins and other animals are caught in these nets and die needlessly.
> It means that everthing we do is done thoughtfully and mindfully of the
> consequenses to the planet and to our neighbours. It means cultivating
> respect from us to the Earth, its animals, and its resources.
>
> Respect may be the key here. It is definately something that men have not
> given womyn and that womyn while men act the way they do, cannot give to
> men.
> Respect the planet and all other things.
>
> Respectfully
> Kylie
>
>
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> The thing women have got to learn is that nobody gives you power. You just
> take it. -- Roseanne Arnold.
>
>
