English settlers believed that they were less cruel than their Spanish counterparts because they used nature, not weapons, to decimate enemies. They were wrong.
Thank you for following up on this story - when I first saw this about the tree trimming I posted about it in the Terra.do community and equated it back to climate warfare! Glad to see the conversation continues...but only one of a trillion places this can happen.
Also, this thread was in line with this horrific ad from ExxonMobil rubbishing the 'electrify everything' debate: https://youtu.be/y3NUs9o6wcM
That also led me to comment wondering...
"Do you think it’s possible that each of the actors in this knew they are propagating big oil?
And if not, I have to imagine the dog and at least a small percentage of them are supporting climate action in their “real life”.
I'm happy to hear you're reading The Nutmeg's Curse. It's an extraordinary book. His book on climate change called "The Great Derangement" is also outstanding.
Never heard of the book or author (I'll check it out), but your connection between the past and current events, and hope for the future, I think is a great way of explaining this story and goes beyond more typical labor reporting.
And I particularly like the writing in this article, all your writing is awesome, but I just wanted to specifically praise it here because it is so good.
Don't forget colonialism was simply an early form of capitalism - the Hudson's Bay Company was chartered in 1670 and was responsible for much of the exploitation of the environment throughout the Great Lakes region. And of course King Cotton was used to justify the exploitation of humans in service to corporate profit. (I visited slave castles on the coast of Ghana - some of the most powerful evidence of man's inhumanity to man - and saw an inscription praising a certain commander for his "kindness and integrity.")
In this "New World," the combination of capitalism with Calvinist religious philosophy - "we're wealthy because God intended it" - meant humans gave themselves carte blanche to do whatever they could to line their pockets, with virtually no restrictions based on any form of decency. Profit became the highest possible moral good; all others fell by the wayside. Unions and government regulations offer the only counter to this ruthless quest for profit, which is why capitalists despise both.
That is the world we live in today: for anyone involved with a corporation, profit must be the primary goal and the ultimate justification for any actions. "Good guys" who don't abide by this code cannot compete in this cutthroat environment and soon lose market share. Concern for the environment is as quaint a notion as concern for human rights - it's a great idea, as long as it doesn't interfere with profit.
We see it all around us, every day. We've learned to live in this world and remain numb to its savagery. Indeed, millions of us even strive to justify and support this system, just as millions defended slavery.
More evidence of the impending sixth extinction event that is predicted to happen within the next 1000 years or so, if we don't figure out how to turn things around. It will be a slow, agonizing death for all of the denizens of the planet, especially the capitalist humans who will fight everything tooth and nail to maintain their food chain superiority until the bitter end.
New subject: I've been hearing about a "white paint" that will be available next year that will repel heat back into space. It was suggested it could be put on all roofs etc. and help fight climate change.
This hostile act affects more than the striking workers. It deprives all pedestrians and wildlife (yes there are birds in L.A.) of much needed shade during this hot, hot summer. It is also absolutely the wrong time of year to prune these trees! They are now at risk of contracting disease and it will take a very long time to regrow their once thick canopy, if they do at all. It’s sickening!
Hadn't thought about this as an issue but would love (and by love I mean that it will undoubtedly be horrifying, but it's something that we should all know) to read more about it. More on this subject area, please!
Environmental warfare is the colonizer's favorite tool
Thank you for following up on this story - when I first saw this about the tree trimming I posted about it in the Terra.do community and equated it back to climate warfare! Glad to see the conversation continues...but only one of a trillion places this can happen.
Also, this thread was in line with this horrific ad from ExxonMobil rubbishing the 'electrify everything' debate: https://youtu.be/y3NUs9o6wcM
That also led me to comment wondering...
"Do you think it’s possible that each of the actors in this knew they are propagating big oil?
And if not, I have to imagine the dog and at least a small percentage of them are supporting climate action in their “real life”.
I'm happy to hear you're reading The Nutmeg's Curse. It's an extraordinary book. His book on climate change called "The Great Derangement" is also outstanding.
Excellent reference to The Nutmeg Curse! I read it recently and found it really illuminating!
Never heard of the book or author (I'll check it out), but your connection between the past and current events, and hope for the future, I think is a great way of explaining this story and goes beyond more typical labor reporting.
And I particularly like the writing in this article, all your writing is awesome, but I just wanted to specifically praise it here because it is so good.
Don't forget colonialism was simply an early form of capitalism - the Hudson's Bay Company was chartered in 1670 and was responsible for much of the exploitation of the environment throughout the Great Lakes region. And of course King Cotton was used to justify the exploitation of humans in service to corporate profit. (I visited slave castles on the coast of Ghana - some of the most powerful evidence of man's inhumanity to man - and saw an inscription praising a certain commander for his "kindness and integrity.")
In this "New World," the combination of capitalism with Calvinist religious philosophy - "we're wealthy because God intended it" - meant humans gave themselves carte blanche to do whatever they could to line their pockets, with virtually no restrictions based on any form of decency. Profit became the highest possible moral good; all others fell by the wayside. Unions and government regulations offer the only counter to this ruthless quest for profit, which is why capitalists despise both.
That is the world we live in today: for anyone involved with a corporation, profit must be the primary goal and the ultimate justification for any actions. "Good guys" who don't abide by this code cannot compete in this cutthroat environment and soon lose market share. Concern for the environment is as quaint a notion as concern for human rights - it's a great idea, as long as it doesn't interfere with profit.
We see it all around us, every day. We've learned to live in this world and remain numb to its savagery. Indeed, millions of us even strive to justify and support this system, just as millions defended slavery.
More evidence of the impending sixth extinction event that is predicted to happen within the next 1000 years or so, if we don't figure out how to turn things around. It will be a slow, agonizing death for all of the denizens of the planet, especially the capitalist humans who will fight everything tooth and nail to maintain their food chain superiority until the bitter end.
Interesting article, and thanks for the book recommendation, it's going on my TBR pile for sure.
New subject: I've been hearing about a "white paint" that will be available next year that will repel heat back into space. It was suggested it could be put on all roofs etc. and help fight climate change.
Have you?
This hostile act affects more than the striking workers. It deprives all pedestrians and wildlife (yes there are birds in L.A.) of much needed shade during this hot, hot summer. It is also absolutely the wrong time of year to prune these trees! They are now at risk of contracting disease and it will take a very long time to regrow their once thick canopy, if they do at all. It’s sickening!
Thank you for another banger article. I love the connections you make. Ghosh is a great writer; thanks for bringing him into this conversation.
Hadn't thought about this as an issue but would love (and by love I mean that it will undoubtedly be horrifying, but it's something that we should all know) to read more about it. More on this subject area, please!