With all the hubbub of the 2008 campaigns and the fact that we live in Washington, D.C. and can’t seem to escape politics, my husband and I were discussing the elections and the state of our union. My husband calls himself socially liberal but fiscally conservative and says that while he is politically independent, he is closest to being a libertarian. He also believes like Locke that by and large, man’s human nature is selfish. On a personal level, however, and this surprises me, he believes that most people are good and are trying their best.
Playing the devil’s advocate, I suggested that people (Americans) participate in consumerism and selfishness (knowing that our country consumes resources and is largely responsible for the degradation of the environment globally) because they do not know any better or simply do not know or want to change their day to day lives. For example, many folks understand that Walmart supplies products at low prices and with its popularity has influenced the free market by putting pressure on its suppliers to continuously lower prices. As prices lower, suppliers are forced to lower the quality of their products. Low prices and low quality products equals a faster turn over rate so that consumers are forced to go back into the stores (Walmart) and replace their products with new ones and dispose of the old. It creates waste. I believe your average person (consumer) can understand this and yet is not willing to change. Why? Because low prices mean that a consumer can consumer more. And because consumers are not always able to delay instant gratification. Rather than shop for products at thrift and secondhand shops or spend more money at a higher quality retailer, consumers want to go into a store and buy what they want at the lowest possible prices. Over the last year or so I have reduced the number of purchases for new products and have tried my best to find good used things; still, I have found my way into a Target, Barnes & Noble, and Macy’s.
But still I believe that people are good–just sometimes naive, unable to see the butterfly effect of their consumer choices on workers and citizens of the third world, and blindly comfortable with their way of life.
My husband responded to my argument with this, “You have to make good and environmental choices easy. It’s like CFLs. Everyone is using them now.” In part, he’s right. Just last week, Meredith Veira and Matt Lauer were talking about replacing their light bulbs at home with CFLs. Who ever thought light bulbs would be trendy? But, thank goodness it’s fashionable to be green. Maybe Mama Earth will actually get a break!
My husband then went on to point out that GE’s engineer Ed Hammer created CFLs in 1976 but because of the initial manufacturing cost they never manufactured or sold them, and other companies didn’t either until 1995.
And I so cleverly responded (jab jab at myself), “How many people does it take to change a light bulb?” Making the one simple change of replacing our light bulbs has taken thirty years! And so now I fear that I am joining my husband and his pessimism that the world and our nation and Mama Earth is in need of some serious help (and love). I guess it’s going to be a matter of time for these changes to come into play, although I hope it isn’t too late when the comfortable consumer realizes the effects of his or her lifestyle on the rest of the world and the earth.
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