“The People” often in conjecture with government (government for the people, by the people) are no longer in power nor have they ever been given power. In more “modernized nations” also known as rich nations such as America and European nations, the people generally have a right to protest/ make their voices heard even when it opposes the government. In many nations however, to speak is to risk death, even with fear instilled in these people, they are willing to speak up and make the change they want to see.
Reading about The Chipko Movement was aww inspiring. It was a protest sprung by the people in one village to save the trees. This movement spread like wild fire all across India demanding rights of trees and protection of forests and livihood. In fact India today is fairly progressive with its environmentalism, trying to skip over fossil fuels and invest in green energies.
In the excerpt Speak Truth to Power by Wangari Maathal, it was again inspiring to see the people rise up, even with everything pushing them down they stood tall and fought and won for their believes. They started a movement in Kenya that spread to many other African and more foreign nations leading to the growing of trees. Kenya has planted more than 15million trees, putting food protection and environmental conservation into the peoples’ hand.
In places like America, many kids grow up not know where their food comes from other than a grocery store. Many more grow up without proper nutrition eating the cheaper faster food that conveniences the fast pace lifestyle. While many Americans and people in general go about trying to live their lives, they are lost to the fact that so much power has been taken from them. We have grown as a society to rush and get everything done as quickly as we can, almost being content with how life is currently being lived. Many women have woken up to how themselves and the environment are being oppressed along with the masses of people un able to help themselves. The goal of any government is to protect the people and give “The People” the tools to help them help themselves. In places like America we have become less self-reliant and more dependent on our government. With people like Maathai standing up and trying to give power to the people, and trying to pull the fear out of them instilled by the government, then maybe we can all wake up and one day realize that we are the government. We are all powerful and able, we just need to be moving to not only make constant progress, but to also always slow down and appreciate the progress made, to enjoy today and lift everyone up, because tomorrow is what counts.
Hey Richard, I loved the way you started your post with a sort of quick appreciation for the people who stand up against causes they are passionate about. I think it’s important to mention women are often at a much higher risk of, as you mentioned death, and even scrutiny, harassment etc., from the public about certain causes. What came to mind for me was the hundreds of women who protested in order to have the right to vote. Many women during this time were arrested for doing so and they even continued to fight against the system in jail but starting a hunger strike. This then reminded me of the Native Americans from the reading “At Standing Rock, women lead fight in face of Mace, arrests and strip searches”. For the Native American women standing up for their land, in a non-violent way were tackled to the ground and beaten by the police. Your last paragraph was interesting to read. You mentioned some things I never would have thought of in regard to this week’s conversation. Yes, compared to places like India and Kenya, the United States is considered much more modern. Most don’t grow their own food or even think of where their food comes. However, I have to disagree with you as far as kids within the States as not getting the right nutrients. Our government has made it so that all of our foods are fortified with all kinds of vitamins and nutrients that our body needs. As a whole our country definitely doesn’t eat the healthiest things but compared to places like India and Kenya, we have made it so our children are getting their nutrients. To connect this mini conversation back to our main one, while it’s a good thing our children are getting their nutrients, I would fit this into an issue surrounding ecofeminism. Food comes from the earth, in one way or another so I’d argue that food is connected to women by default. And here our government is changing it. I’m curious what do you think about this topic, is it an ecofeminist one? Great post this week, keep up the good work. We’re almost done!!
Hi Richard!
I want to start by making a connection to what you mention in your first paragraph to what you have mentioned in your third paragraph in regard to the article by Maathai. You mention how in many nations those who try to have their voices heard or try to start some sort of movement for the greater good often risk death. This is exactly what happens in the article by Maathai. In Africa, a park was to be taken from the people in order to build a skyscraper and Maathai and other women took beatings and were torn away from the park just for trying to preserve it. Women in the Green Belt Movement were criticized as well. Without activists who are brave and risk their lives for the greater good of women, for nature, for equality, where would we be? I fear we would be a complete capitalist and patriarch society with no hope for any good for women and nature. Ecofeminists are known to try to rid society of patriarchy and in doing this, we are focusing on concrete solutions to the problems women and the environment are facing. What we should be doing is making a change. One of those changes needs to be women being blamed and responsible for environmental degradation. Much like women in the Global South, Maathai also mentions in her article at the beginning the pressures women feel to care for their families which includes finding clean water, avoiding soil erosion to plant food, etc. Society is so used to blaming the poor and women for problems happening in the world. With activist movements I believe times will change and there will finally be equality for all. When this happens, I believe a lot more of the problems we see today can and will be fixed. I enjoyed reading your blog and look forward to the next!
Hey Richard, I wanted to say that I found your interpretation of the readings very interesting and enlightening. Especially the way you described how little people living in the U.S. usually know about where their food is grown and how. You also touched upon something Gebara spoke about within “Ecofeminism: A Latin American Perspective,” the fact that most individuals have become complacent losing our meaning of freedom. Gebara argues that freedom has lost its deepest meaning for us, “because there is no reference to express freedom. We lost our own desire, our humanistic reference to be definitively without interiority, without personal desire. We are what the would wants us to be” (Gebara 101). Personally, I do agree that the lack of connection we have to our food is a ecofeminist issue and I think the best way to spread awareness is to support and listen to the indigenous women fighting in our country currently. In particular, the Native American women that are leading the movement against the Dakota access pipeline. These women are fighting to keep their native land intact and the history it holds. I believe that the reason most of Americans have allowed for our government to take control over our food is due to the fact that we’ve lost a connection and respect for nature. And the only way to start to get it back is to listen and learn how much it means to others and how much it actually gives us. Not to say that we will ever feel the same connection to nature like Native Americans, but we can learn to interact with nature in a more respectful way. Great blog post! Hope you’re staying safe.