There was a song (I cannot recall the name) I heard over 20 years ago talking about topics that should not be mentioned/discussed/brought up in social gatherings, which still holds true today. I am positive that if the song was made today, the topics of racism and climate change would undoubtedly make their appearances. However, when the topic of racism is superimposed/layered on top of climate change issues or vice versa, the radial active power of this nuclear topic may lead to unexpected social distancing. Furthermore, if we consider how COVID-19 has changed everyday interactions, this is an excellent topic to mention for passive-aggressively creating distance without actually directly asking for it. I digress. Since we are in an online environment and people can choose not to interact with each other regardless of the topic, let me get into it.
Depending on what camp you identify as belonging to, climate change is either an imminent threat or some fictional narrative concocted to create an avenue for wealth generation. I am not here to argue about climate change’s correctness or incorrectness, nor am I here to conflate anything to delineate causal relationships. What is undeniable is that there is a multitude of modern-day advancements causing immense damage to our environment, thereby potentially contributing to/impacting the earth’s atmospheric regulation and altering the global climate. For example, food waste generated by processes used for planting and getting it to the dinner table, dumping of toxic chemicals in the ecosystem, filling landmines with non-biodegradable materials, massive industrial pollutants/emissions rising into the atmosphere, and on and on are part of the long list of things we have yet to identify their longitudinal impact on climate change.
What does all this have to do with race, you ask? While getting from point A to point B may not seem to have a direct path, there is a connection I can make since we are asked to do so. I will use one of my personal experiences to show you the way out of my maze. About 5 or 6 years ago, I was hanging out with some friends at an impromptu gathering (they were all White, only a handful of people looked like me where I lived at the time. *insert sarcastic tone* They must not have gotten the memo that we should be friends! HA!). The host was very passionate about recycling and doing as much as possible to reduce what was going into landfills. While we all should be mindful of practicing this, the solution proposed for composting food waste (e.g., peels, bones, leftovers, and etc.) had an element of unconscious racism attached to it. Please let me know if I am completely off of my rockers for interpreting it in this manner.
*Cue laughter, drinks, a welcoming atmosphere of friends enjoying each other’s company* However meandering the conversation may have been, it eventually led the host to say that everyone should be getting an automatic composting machine for the home. The host mentioned one in particular, but the cost was quite high since these things were relatively new to the market. I paused at the expensiveness of the machine and asked the host if the recommendation was rather presumptive to infer that everyone had the free time to allow for such activities or that much money to spend, regardless of its benefits. The host was less than glad to receive the question. I never got any sort of answer, just talking points and word salads (the salads were not delicious). To be clear, the host is not racist by any means. While the host was not wealthy, the middle-middle class living standard is a good description of the circumstance.
Using the conversation as the example of a life lived with unrecognized privileges that come with having resources, access to products, and the freed time to think about life beyond survival is not farfetched. Fast forward to today, climate change is still growing as a concern for the global community. Sure, wealthier countries like America have instituted, by and large, a loose system of actionable processes to combat climate change because the battle for survival is no longer a part of living that needs to be considered today. What about the poorer countries whose majority of citizens suffer the lack of basic necessities? Not to be Captain Obvious, but these poorer countries are where many of America’s minorities originate. For some, living in America is still a struggle, regardless of collective American wealth or having the luxury to think about composting. Who the hell cares about composting biodegradable food waste when they are trying to make rent, put food on the table, or whatever can be added as an example.
Is this a clear-cut issue of racial disparities? The answer is both yes and no, but I believe it shows the pretentious and highfalutin mindsets of people who have had a relatively high standard of living throughout their lives (you can insert the race if you want). Proposing global solutions from a place of privilege without considering that 90 plus percent of the population do not have the luxury, time, or resources to do something deemed necessary for collective survival is an insult flavored by racism. I hope I was able to provide a good example and an explanation of my train of thought. Please let me know if I am off base.
